Discussion

At 300 PM GMT (1500 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Hanna was located near latitude 33.4 North, longitude 43.6 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the east near 5 mph (7 km/h). A turn toward the east-northeast is expected later today with an increase in forward speed on Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts. The remnant low should gradually weaken during the next couple of days.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1008 mb (29.77 inches).

Watches and Warnings

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Land Hazards

None.

The bill, proponents argue, would cut down the arduous timeline for getting big energy projects off the ground at a time when demand is rising because of mushrooming data centers for artificial intelligence. The bill would ensure AI data centers are forced to pay for the increased electricity they use and would mark a significant change to a landmark environmental law that critics say slows the process of building energy projects.

Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, called the bill “a major step toward making it faster and more efficient and easier to build infrastructure projects” of all types while maintaining important environmental protections.

Vote on the bill won't happen until after the midterms

“The American people sent us here to do big things. This is a big thing. It’s monumental and it’s legacy-setting,” Capito said at a news conference at the Capitol where she was joined by Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. The four senators lead the chamber's energy and environment panels.

Heinrich said the bill “will mean more energy on the grid, more good-paying jobs, and lower electricity costs for families and businesses. And as data centers drive demand for more power, it will ensure they pay their fair share of the grid upgrades they require — not leave that bill to American families.”

A vote on the bill won’t happen until after the midterm elections — reflecting the fraught political reality as elections loom that could change partisan control of both chambers. But the bill represents a rare instance of bipartisanship over the country’s energy policy as lawmakers from both parties agree on the need to build new energy projects of all types.

Lee, who chairs the energy committee, said he is confident the bill will be approved in a lame-duck session in November, noting its bipartisan support and encouragement from business and environmental groups.

Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the environment panel, also was hopeful but said Democrats were still seeking clarity on how the bill will prevent President Donald Trump's administration from blocking wind and solar projects.

He and Heinrich, the top energy Democrat, have decried what they call Trump's “reckless and vindictive assault on wind energy” that includes repeated actions to block large-scale wind projects under construction off the East Coast. The administration suspended five offshore wind projects in December, citing unspecified national security concerns.

The projects later moved forward after federal judges intervened. A federal judge also struck down Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects early in his second term.

Brad Campbell, president of the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental advocacy group, panned the deal, saying it “appears to adopt a fossil fuel industry wish-list.” He said the bill could roll back protections for clean water and endangered species, limit judicial review and curtail the power of the Environmental Protection Agency and states to consider impacts of energy projects.

Drew Maloney, president and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute, which represents for-profit utilities, said he was encouraged by provisions to streamline environmental permitting and “create project certainty.” The group is reviewing the transmission provisions to see how they affect efforts to deliver electricity to its 250 million customers, he said.

In a statement, the White House said the bill would “deliver transformative policies to lower Americans’ energy and housing costs, drive new construction and investment in American infrastructure, and create American jobs.”

Trump's wind opposition played a role in delaying a deal

Trump's opposition to wind power has been a consistent stumbling block to a deal on permitting reform, which Democrats say can only go forward if the administration agrees to allow previously approved projects to move forward.

Trump recently offered to ease his administration’s holdup on renewable energy projects, in part to entice Democrats to agree to a permitting deal. But it was unclear how long the offer would last and whether it would change after the election results are known.

Whitehouse called the administration's proposal reasonable but said the overall issue remains “unresolved.”

Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said his group was studying the bill’s details, but said: “Ensuring the agreement puts an end to the Trump administration’s war on clean energy — the cheapest and fastest sources of energy — will be a necessary element to any deal.”

Capito was confident such obstacles can be overcome.

Both parties recognize that for far too long, “America has had a permitting system filled with delays, expenses, red tape, uncertainty,'' she said. “Too long, too expensive. And we’ve seen projects that should be finished more quickly (take) decades” to complete.

The Senate bill would limit legal challenges under the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental law that requires federal agencies to consider a project’s possible environmental impacts before it is approved. The law has increasingly been blamed for stalling projects of all types.

Challenges under the National Historic Preservation Act also would be restricted. The law protects Native American cultural treasures and other important artifacts.

The bill would ease siting of interstate transmission lines and strengthen the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s authority to review major projects at the same time as state reviews, helping needed projects move through the overall permitting process more quickly.

The bill also would require data centers to pay for all associated transmission costs, preventing costs from being passed on to families or businesses.

___

Associated Press writer Jennifer McDermott contributed from Providence, R.I.

Ronaldo said that “in time” he would “tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons” behind his departure.

“Following the national team coach’s news conference, and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese football federation, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” he said on Instagram, adding that he has always “dedicated” himself to the side.

“Now is the time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception.”

The Portuguese federation said only that Ronaldo left the training camp and that the team's preparations would continue with the remaining 24 squad members.

“The entire delegation remains fully focused on the national team’s upcoming fixtures and on achieving our goals,” the federation said.

Jesus had said in the pre-game news conference he was not planning to start Ronaldo, but dismissed the notion there was a feud between the pair.

Jesus said every player knows the coach makes the decisions, and that Ronaldo told him he would abide by whatever choices he makes.

The coach added the “rules are the same for everyone” and that Gonçalo Ramos would start up front against Denmark if everything went to plan.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the game,” Jesus said. “If we need him (Ronaldo) to play (at some point), he’ll play. If not, he won’t.”

Ronaldo, the all-time leading scorer in men’s international soccer with 146 goals and pursuing the milestone of 1,000 career goals, didn’t play on Sunday in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway. He has not trained with the rest of the group since, sparking widespread rumors about a possible feud with Jesus.

Jesus had said Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo would practice normally with the rest of the squad on Wednesday, but the player ended by leaving the training camp after the coach's words during the news conference.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo, who has 979 career goals, had said recently that this Saudi Pro League season is likely to be the last of his professional career.

Jesus, who worked with Ronaldo for about a year in Saudi Arabia, said the player did not refuse to practice after having been left on the bench.

“It seems like there was an issue between us, but there was no issue,” Jesus said. “I’m the one who makes the decisions and everybody knows that.”

Jesus acknowledged he had told Ronaldo he would likely play against Norway, but changed his mind because of the circumstances of the match.

He said it was a mistake to send Ronaldo to warm up for as long as he did and then not use him. Jesus added “any player” would be upset about that.

But Jesus did not apologize for telling Ronaldo that he was likely to play.

“I can promise whatever I want, I’m the coach,” Jesus said. “No player will ever make a decision for me.”

Jesus said, though, that someone with the stature of Ronaldo deserved a different type of attention from coaches “because of his career and history in soccer.”

Jesus, who took over the squad from Roberto Martínez after the World Cup, said he ended up being “obligated” to have a meeting with Ronaldo because of the noise created in Portugal over the situation.

But he maintained there was no “Ronaldo case” to talk about and there was nothing to solve between him and the player because nothing was wrong.

Jesus said it was normal that the federation president, Pedro Proença, also met with the pair.

“We had to talk the three of us, but I had already talked with Chris and the president didn’t have to solve anything because there was nothing to solve,” Jesus said.

Ronaldo started Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales last Thursday but was substituted in the 67th minute. On Tuesday, he posted on Instagram a photo of him wearing the kit accompanied by the country’s flag and a heart emoji.

Portugal leads Group A4 of the Nations League with six points from two matches, three points more than Denmark and Norway. Wales is last with no points.

Portugal also hosts Norway on Sunday.

It was not immediately clear whether Ronaldo’s departure would extend beyond the current international break.

Wednesday's news comes just as Ronaldo's long-time rival, Lionel Messi, is set for his farewell match with Argentina next week.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The Phillies rallied with back-to-back homers from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper after trailing 3-1 in the seventh. Harper's homer made up for a crucial fielding mistake an inning earlier.

Andrew Painter (1-0), a starter in the regular season, saved the Phillies’ beleaguered bullpen with three scoreless innings to close things out. Painter stranded two runners in the 10th when he struck out Dominic Smith with a successful ABS challenge.

Playing under traditional extra-inning rules that don't include designated runners at second base like in the regular season, Bohm delivered his third career postseason home run, a 357-foot shot to right field off right-hander Didier Fuentes (0-1).

The Phillies will try to continue their postseason dominance over the Braves in Thursday's Game 3. Philadelphia beat Atlanta in the 1993 NLCS and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS.

In the seventh, Drake Baldwin's double glanced off Harper's glove in right field, driving in Sean Murphy to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. Harper, who resumed playing the outfield late this season for the first time since 2022, got a poor jump and was leaping for the ball near the warning track. He was not charged with an error. Matt Olson added a sacrifice fly.

“Probably should have been caught, obviously,” Harper said.

The Phillies pulled even with eighth-inning home runs by Schwarber and Harper off Dylan Lee, the winning pitcher in the Braves’ 5-3 opening win on Tuesday. Schwarber’s drive carried 447 feet and Harper followed with a 418-foot drive.

Tyler Mahle allowed one run on six hits in seven innings for Atlanta. Cristopher Sánchez allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings for Philadelphia while throwing a career-high 116 pitches.

Painter gave up a one-out single to Mauricio Dubón in the 10th, then struck out Austin Riley before giving up a bloop single to Michael Harris II. Painter's 0-2 fastball to Smith was called inside by plate umpire Adam Beck, but Painter and catcher J.T. Realmuto immediately called for a robo-ump challenge. ABS confirmed the ball clipped the strike zone, the first time a postseason game has ended with a strike-zone appeal.

Harper, a first baseman before moving to the outfield at the trade deadline, was playing shallow and was late to adjust to Baldwin’s drive with runners on first and second. Harper reached up only to have the ball bounce off his glove for a double.

Ronald Acuña Jr. walked, stole second and then stole third with Edmundo Sosa not covering the bag before scoring on Olson’s single in the first.

Sánchez didn’t allow another hit until Sean Murphy doubled to center field with one out in the fifth.

Mahle kept pace, though he didn’t have a perfect inning until the fifth, when he struck out Schwarber and Harper. Sánchez issued an intentional walk to Acuña with two outs before Baldwin’s grounder to second base ended the inning.

Sosa leaves with injury

Sosa left the game after reaching on an infield single to open the ninth. Sosa appeared to aggravate a leg injury and was replaced by pinch-runner Derek Hill.

Up next

Braves RHP Grant Holmes (10-6, 3.44) is expected to either start or pitch in bulk relief in Game 3 on Thursday against Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (7-12, 4.67).

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Dionisiah Edwards-Carpeal, 36, was arrested moments after the crash Monday evening in the Medical Center area.

She faces charges of murder and aggravated assault.

A preliminary police report says Edwards-Carpeal intentionally hit a 37-year-old woman and 39-year-old man in a parking lot on Data Point Drive, not far from Wurzbach Road.

It says she initially began following the pair in her car as they left a nearby restaurant, then arguing with them from her car window.

At some point, police believe she purposely aimed the car at them.

The female victim died later at a hospital.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Bexar County Medical Examiner still had not positively identified her.

Police did not give an update on the man’s condition, nor did they explain whether the suspect and victims knew one another.

Read also:

• At least 2 students involved in stabbing at Metzger Middle School, district officials say
• San Antonio man receives life sentence after ‘heinous’ murder of girlfriend, Atascosa DA says
• Authorities search for Bexar County man accused of animal cruelty after finding his dog dead

He says his old team did not do much to try to keep him when he left in free agency for Baltimore.

“They shipped me out,” he said Wednesday, before walking that back a little. “No, I don't want to say it like that. It's always love. But no, they didn't offer nothing at all.”

Tennessee was 6-11 in 2023, Henry’s final season there. He turned 30 in January 2024. It’s hard to know what it would have taken for him to stay, and after his final game there he was given a microphone and thanked the fans.

“I knew the writing was on the wall throughout that season, and they were ready to move on,” he said. “Good things don't last forever, so it was time for me to find a new home.”

Joining Lamar Jackson on a contending team in Baltimore has been great for him.

Henry rushed for 1,167 yards in his final season with the Titans, but he averaged a career-low 4.17 yards per carry. His first two full seasons with the Ravens: 1,921 yards in 2024 and 1,595 in 2025 — with a career-high 5.91 yards per carry in '24 and 5.2 last season.

“Lamar was a big reason why I came here,” Henry said. “It kind of takes the pressure off of the running back just because of who he is. So, whenever I came out for free agency, this was the No. 1 spot I wanted to go to, even during that season before I got here.”

Baltimore hosts Tennessee on Sunday. It's the first time the teams have met since Henry's move.

“I’ve never coached with him, but I’ve always gotten a chance to see him from afar and go against him,” Titans coach Robert Saleh said. “He’s an animal still running like he’s 25 years old. So he’s a tremendous challenge and anytime you’re trying to replace a Hall of Famer, it’s not easy.”

The Titans are 6-31 since Henry left, 0-3 this season.

Baltimore is coming off a last-second win over Dallas in Brazil. That was not the easiest game for Henry, who struggled in short-yardage situations behind an injury-plagued offensive line.

“Got to have them. I've got to be better. Can’t stop thinking about them,” Henry said. “Not saying it’s like living rent-free in my head, but just very hard on myself and very critical of myself. I’m my worst critic, so I got to be better. I ain't looking at nobody else, nobody to blame, the play call — if it’s called to give me the ball, I got to get a yard or got to get in the end zone, it's got to happen.”

Henry may want to take responsibility, but this past weekend was not the best rushing situation for him. Tackle Ronnie Stanley missed the game with a toe injury. He was back at practice Wednesday but limited. At center, Baltimore's top three options are now injured, and none is expected back anytime soon.

Rookie guard Vega Ioane is capable of moving over to play there, and coach Jesse Minter indicated that may be the short-term solution. It would leave Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones Jr. competing for a guard spot, and Baltimore also signed guard Kyle Hergel and center Andre James to the practice squad.

The Ravens also signed safety K’Von Wallace to the 53-man roster.

Jackson, meanwhile, was not at practice when reporters were present at the beginning, but he eventually made it onto the field. He was listed as limited with a back issue.

He did talk to reporters before practice and said the team is motivated to help Henry to a win over the Titans.

“It will mean a lot to him, but to us too,” Jackson said. “We want him to win versus those guys, which is going to be a rival game.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Today on Texas Eats NOW:

EAT IT OR LEAVE IT | MURF’S BETTER BURGERS

2922 West Ave, San Antonio, TX 78201

David Elder traveled out to Murf’s Better Burgers to try out their double cheeseburger combo, which includes fries and a drink, only for the affordable price of $8.99. The fries were alright as they could’ve used some more salt, but the cheeseburger was great, and the drink is a generous size as well. While the meal as a whole was very filling for only $8.99, Elder would leave the fries, but he’d eat the double cheeseburger any day of the week. There’s a half price deal every Thursday, which makes an already affordable meal, even cheaper. As an institution in San Antonio’s fast food scene, Murf’s lives up to it’s reputation as a cheap option to load up on a juicy cheeseburger.

FOOD NEWS | MIGRATORY MONTH

monarchfest.org

The 11th annual Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival caps off Migratory Month in San Antonio, a September celebration of the birds, butterflies, bats, bees and other pollinators that travel through the region. Throughout September, nine San Antonio restaurants, bars and cafes featured special dishes and drinks built around ingredients made possible by pollinators, including Liberty Bar, Best Quality Daughter, Farm Table, Southwest Elixirs, Howdy Child, Geranium Club, Fine and Dandelion, Miss Chickpea’s Bake Shop, and Mesquite. Guests who spot the Made Possible by Pollinators logo can snap a picture and tag @MonarchFestSATX along with the participating restaurant for a chance to win a goodie basket.

MEAL DEALS | CHICKEN WINGS

sa.gov/health

Just in time for football season, San Antonio Metro Health shared food safety guidance for cooking chicken wings at home. The first step happens before the package is even opened: clean your counters and cutting boards and wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Metro Health also recommends keeping raw poultry separate from other foods to prevent cross-contamination, and thawing poultry completely before it hits hot oil, either in the refrigerator a couple of days ahead or by buying it already refrigerated.

The wings used for this recipe were Hill Country Fair chicken wingettes, $7.10 per pack with roughly 12 to 14 wingettes inside. They soak in a brine of a quarter cup of kosher salt to one quart of water for one to two hours, covered and kept on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator. They then get drained, patted dry, and dusted with cornstarch for crisp skin. Frying happens outside on a stable surface, with the oil brought to at least 380 degrees so it settles near 350, and the wings cook about 7 to 10 minutes to an internal temperature of 165. From there they get tossed in butter, then Cajun seasoning, then buffalo sauce.

CHOP IT UP | JOHNNY HERNANDEZ

This episode of Chop It Up welcomes chef Johnny Hernandez, a name that comes up in nearly every conversation about the city’s culinary scene and someone who has spent years promoting both his own brand and San Antonio itself. The set for this episode, including the chairs, rug, coffee table and side table, was furnished by La-Z-Boy of San Antonio, with more at SouthTexasFurniture.com.

Hernandez traced his start back to the family business his father opened when he was about five years old, where everyone pitched in and he gravitated to the back of the house, washing dishes, peeling potatoes and chopping onions. His father closed the business when Hernandez was around 14, but by then the kitchen had already claimed him.

DAYCATION DESTINATION | STATE FAIR OF TEXAS

The State Fair of Texas is officially underway in Dallas, running 24 days with a Ferris wheel spinning, plenty to do and an enormous lineup of food. The Cotton Bowl sits on the fairgrounds, hosting Texas OU on October 10. Prices range from $15 to $25 a person depending on the day and time, some kids get in free, and fairgoers are encouraged to check prices online before heading out.

This year’s savory winner is the Burger Chop Tater Taco, a shell made of flattened tater tots with a crunchy cheese crust, filled with ground beef, coleslaw, cilantro, onions and a chipotle sauce. Also in the mix is the Flamin’ Crunch Pizza, a top five bite topped with hot Cheetos over cheese pizza, with a creaminess and crunch that hold up to the over-the-top presentation.

Follow Texas Eats and David Elder on Facebook and Instagram for more food info, pictures, videos and giveaways.

• Facebook: @TexasEatsTV
• Instagram: @texaseatstv
• TikTok: @ElderEats
• Twitter: @TexasEatsTV

Councilmembers will review a revised proposal, which is a similar, delayed version of the one they considered three months ago. Under the new plan, rates could bump an average monthly bill by roughly $13 to $17 by 2030.

Instead of raising rates in July under the initial proposal, residential rates would go up 6.9% in January 2027 and be raised again by 6.5% in 2028, between 4.5% and 7% in 2029, and between 4% and 6.6% in 2030.

The range of rates in the latter two years of increases dips slightly lower than what was presented in June, 4.5% and 4% instead of 5.5% and 5%.

Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said she supports a potential SAWS rate increase, citing the need to replace aging infrastructure and protect the city’s drinking water.

During KSAT Q&A on the 6 p.m. newscast, Jones said SAWS needs additional money for major upgrades, including work on pipes that are more than 100 years old.

“I think it is an appropriate time for us to invest in the infrastructure,” Jones said. “It will require a rate increase. The SAWS team has worked very hard to make sure that it’s as small as it can be. But at the end of the day, some of these projects are over $200 million.”

SAWS officials have said the money would help fund critical infrastructure projects as the utility works to maintain reliable service and keep drinking water clean.

Read more: SAWS is back with a new rate proposal; what’s changed?

The Pentagon also will launch an effort to study the future of warfare that will be led in part by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Hegseth said. The Defense Department will create an Office of Religious Affairs and plans to build a new base for the first time in 40 years, he added.

Hegseth made the announcements to junior officers and enlisted leaders at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia — the second year in a row that he has given such an address. But this time, the U.S. military is seven months into a war with Iran with no clear end in sight, has captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and killed more than 200 people in strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in Latin America, among other actions worldwide.

The speech is not a usual fixture among Pentagon leaders. While Hegseth’s predecessors have regularly addressed troops and top officers, they have traditionally done so in small or private settings.

The Pentagon chief, however, again led with how he has drastically retooled the U.S. military by targeting what he calls “woke” culture — through a rollback of diversity programs, a review of ground combat units with female troops and a new screening program for “testosterone deficiency” among male personnel.

Hegseth announces a new drone-focused warfare command

The Pentagon chief announced the creation of a new four-star command to oversee the rollout of autonomous and robotic capabilities in what he called “the fastest peacetime shift in modern military history.”

He acknowledged that “the pace of war is changing faster than the process to support it.” Iran commonly uses cheap drones, including those that have killed U.S. troops during the seven-month war. Hegseth pointed to Ukraine's pioneering use of drones to combat Russian forces — something American forces have learned from firsthand.

“Ukraine’s lesson is not that one type of drone wins wars, but rather the need for a purpose-built system that maximizes the ability to adapt,” Hegseth said.

However, a U.S. Army unit based in Europe that specialized in drone warfare was ordered recently to end its efforts and return to being a traditional infantry battalion.

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers subsequently asked the Army to explain the order, given that the world’s battlefields are rapidly evolving and military tactics increasingly rely on uncrewed systems to fight.

The new drone command comes as the U.S. is in a stalemate with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy shipping corridor. The war has forced American forces in the region to expend hundreds of expensive missile interceptors to defend against Iran’s missile and drone attacks, which have still managed to kill and wound U.S. troops.

Hegseth repeated claims that the U.S. military has destroyed Iran's navy, air force and defense systems as well as many of its leaders and its industrial base. But Tehran has continued intermittently to launch drone and missile attacks against at U.S. or allied bases, while maintaining its ability to strike commercial and military ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

During his speech, Hegseth touted the Trump administration’s major investments in the defense industry and push for contractors to speed up their work to expand the nation’s weapons arsenals. But experts say U.S. military contractors will need at least three years to replenish stockpiles of key weapons systems used heavily in the Iran war.

Hegseth faces questions from lawmakers over cuts to general ranks

Hegseth said he directed the military services to double the 10% reduction he ordered last spring for roughly 800 flag and general officer positions, to a 20% decrease to be completed by Jan. 1, 2027.

“I call it accountability and long overdue,” he said.

Some members of Congress have criticized the war and the drawdown of munitions stockpiles, while calling the latest cuts to the general ranks a “purge” that will take years to rebuild.

“He’s got some kind of like deep-seated grievance about leadership in the military,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a former Navy combat pilot who has been critical of Hegseth. “He’s purging a generation of great leaders of the military, and it’s going to take a generation to recover from it.”

Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he wanted to understand Hegseth’s reasoning.

“If it’s simply a matter of eliminating a very heavy top, there may be some validity to it, but I want to see it first,” Rounds said.

Musk and Gingrich to lead a study of future warfare

In innovating the next wave of weapons systems, Hegseth announced an effort to study the future of warfare led by Musk, Gingrich and Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Anduril Industries.

Hegseth said the work “will be focused on discovering, developing and fielding the weapons and systems that our children and our grandchildren will need in their lifetimes.” He pointed to the need to dominate "any future battlefield, from under the Earth to beyond the moon.”

This month, the U.S. confirmed for the first time that it had deployed weapons in space, a remarkable revelation after previous warnings about countries such as Russia possibly weaponizing a global frontier long agreed in treaties to be used for only peaceful purposes.

Among the other announcements was the unveiling of a plan to build a new military base, with Hegseth inviting all 50 states to compete for the chance to play host to 15,000 to 20,000 service members. He also announced a plan to make every military base self-powered.

___

Finley reported from Washington, and Kinnard from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, both 77, were due in court Wednesday for an arraignment on the charges. The Associated Press was not able to reach an attorney for the couple prior to the court appearance. Their daughter, Candice Jang, could not be reached, though she appeared briefly virtually in the courtroom where her parents were set to be arraigned Wednesday.

Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old gaming engineer for The New York Times, was shot to death in the parking lot of a sports complex in Dublin, east of San Francisco. A police sergeant was driving nearby and saw him on the ground as witnesses began calling 911 and pointing out the couple in their vehicle, who were still near the scene, Dublin Police Services said in a news release.

Police detained the couple as they were driving away in the parking lot and found a gun in Chen's possession. Prosecutors said Zhang admitted to shooting McKinsey during a later interview, and another firearm was found in the car that he admitted to using during the crime.

Prosecutors also said surveillance video was recovered showing both Chen and Zhang shooting the victim.

Chen and Zhang's murder charges included additional allegations of lying in wait and using a firearm.

Court records show McKinsey's killing came during a contentious divorce with Jang and a custody battle over the couple's three young children. In petitions for restraining orders filed last year, the couple accused each other of physical, emotional and psychological abuse going back more than a decade. McKinsey, who is transgender, alleged that both Jang and her parents were verbally and physically abusive regarding a gender transition he underwent years ago.

In his petition for a protection order, McKinsey alleged that Chen had directed anti-LGBTQ slurs at him and his oldest child.

He also accused Jang of being physically and emotionally abusive during medical procedures related to his transition. He alleged Zhang punched him in the chest while he was recovering from double mastectomy surgery.

Victim had been charged with misdemeanor child abuse

McKinsey was arrested last October and charged with misdemeanor child abuse for allegedly hitting their oldest son. Police said he acknowledged having slapped the child. Prosecutors also charged him with endangering their youngest child after deputies responded to the family’s home to talk with him and found their 2-year-old had been left home alone, according to court documents.

McKinsey pleaded not guilty to the charges and alleged in court records that he had been set up by his wife, who had left the house without telling him the child was sleeping in a crib upstairs. He was released from jail on the condition that he complete 12 parenting classes. At the time of his killing, McKinsey was out on bail and had been trying to enter a mental health diversion program.

It was also in October that Jang obtained a domestic violence protection order against McKinsey.

Jang said in her filing that in 2010 McKinsey had grabbed her by the forearms during one argument and caused her to hit the corner of a coffee table, fracturing a vertebra in her upper back. She also said that in 2023 she called the police to their home after McKinsey pushed their oldest son hard on the head. Jang also accused McKinsey of emotionally abusing her mother.

Victim filed a competing protective order request

McKinsey in December filed his own request for domestic violence protection against Jang, alleging years of abuse that included her hitting him in the head with a frying pan. He later filed for divorce and sought more time with the three children, noting that he had been limited to two hours of supervised visits per week since last fall, Alameda County court documents show.

In late August, McKinsey was granted unsupervised visits in public twice a week.

The killing occurred a week before a hearing was scheduled in McKinsey and Jang’s divorce case. The couple had been married since July 2011.

McKinsey joined The New York Times in January 2023. He was director of engineering for New York Times Games and based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the paper said. A spokesperson declined to comment further.

And no matter which way they go, the bond vote could also effectively put the Spurs arena project back onto the ballot, albeit in a roundabout way.

The city’s five-year bond programs are typically crammed with major infrastructure projects like overhauling failed streets, drainage projects, park improvements, new greenway trails, and fire and police stations. Across the city, staff estimate there are 304 potential projects worth $5.8 billion.

“Our need will always outweigh our capacity,” City Manager Erik Walsh said during a Wednesday council briefing.

This time, the gap is especially noticeable.

The bond programs, which require voter approval, are backed by city property taxes. But because of sagging property values, the city estimates it only has the capacity for a $442 million bond program in 2027. That’s compared to the $1.2 billion program voters approved in 2022, which also included the city’s first housing bond.

Staff also recommended raising stormwater fees on residents’ San Antonio Water System bills to make room for another $175 million worth of drainage projects outside of the bond program. That would be in addition to the SAWS rate increase the council is also considering.

Staff say if property values recover sooner than expected, the city could put together another bond program before the five-year program is over.

Some councilmembers, miffed that needed projects may have to sit on the back burner even longer, want to pursue a larger bond program — perhaps $1 billion or more.

“People on our sides of town are demanding more things, their fair share, and they haven’t been getting that,” Edward Mungia (D4) said.

But under that approach, if property values don’t rise quickly enough to cover debt payments, which the city doesn’t expect they will, the property tax rate would have to go up instead.

And any increase would be on top of the 3.9% tax hike the City Council just approved as part of its regular operating budget and another increase planned for next year.

“If we go and we raise the amount of this bond by increasing taxes, we’re going to have something of a holy war on our hands over this bond package,” said Marc Whyte (D10), who was one of four votes against the budget tax increase.

Walsh promised staff would provide councilmembers with “worst case scenarios” to see how much residents could see their tax bills go up.

Project Marvel infrastructure

Part of that bond could include $35 million worth of infrastructure needs around the city’s planned downtown sports and entertainment district, known as Project Marvel. That amount assumes the Texas Department of Transportation provides about 80% of the funding for several projects.

That’s a dramatic drop from the $220 million to $250 million staff initially presented in June 2025, but city officials say they’ve dropped or scaled back some of the major projects.

For instance, there is no plan for a new parking garage within the new proposal and no complicated “single-point urban interchange” for Durango Boulevard and I-37. Work on Durango Boulevard would include improvements, but not a complete overhaul.

Part of the non-binding term sheet for the Spurs arena deal, though, says the city’s $489 million share is subject to voter approval passage of a bond program to support infrastructure improvements for the district.

If that fails, Walsh told KSAT, “We would have to reexamine where we’re at with the whole thing.”

At least one council member said they wanted to see those projects separated into their own proposition for voters to consider, and Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones asked about dipping into a pool of hotel-related state tax dollars the city’s using to fund the arena, known as the Project Finance Zone (PFZ), instead, to fund those downtown projects, and possibly others.

She also asked about using city-controlled tax capture districts known as Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ) to fund potential bond projects.

“I think as we’re, you know, all looking at how do we get as much done here, looking at all the various pots, we want to also explain to folks, ‘Hey, we have taken those things that can be paid for with other pots of money. We’ve done that to protect as much of the bond capacity as possible,’” she said.

Read also:

• San Antonio ethics board fines Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez $1,000 over Facebook post
• San Antonio City Council seeks more data on proposed Methodist trauma center upgrade
• San Antonio lacks thousands of streetlights, and not everyone wants them

It marks the second time in three days that the president has sought to highlight the promise of foreign investment made possible by his administration's trade policy in states where Republican Senate candidates are in tight election campaigns.

Trump made a similar announcement on Monday in the Oval Office for a massive steel plant in Iowa.

“He’s got my ear, and he’s had my ear for a long time on Alaska," Trump said during an Oval Office event with Sullivan. The president added that "all these energy projects are all mine, and I got ’em done working with Dan Sullivan.”

It was not clear how quickly South Korea's government would approve the project and how much it planned to spend.

The investment comes from pledges made as part of a 2025 trade deal with South Korea, which included promises of $350 billion in U.S. investments in exchange for lower U.S. tariffs on South Korean cars, auto parts and other products.

Without providing those details, Trump credited his tariffs for making the announcement possible, saying “our trade agreement with South Korea, they have to invest hundreds of billions of dollars.”

“For doing that, I reduced their tariffs to 15%. But they paid to get them reduced,” Trump said. "And, part of that money is going into this project.”

Trump hitting the road to promote his administration's actions

Sullivan said “the sky is the limit when we get this project done.”

“Mr. President, this one is huge for Alaska,” Sullivan said, adding that he'd been working on it “relentlessly.”

The project consists of an 807-mile (1,300-kilometer) natural gas pipeline connecting Alaska’s North Slope to a liquified natural gas export terminal in southern Alaska and eventually will reduce energy costs for the state’s residents by providing a reliable and secure supply, the White House said.

Officials said during the Oval Office event that building the pipeline will take three years and that exports of liquified natural gas would begin two years after that — but that was dependent on financing coming through fully.

The push to deliver big projects in areas where GOP candidates could use a boost comes as Trump's approval ratings have sunk to nearly historic lows ahead of midterm elections.

Even Trump himself has begun acknowledging that Republicans could face an uphill climb in their push to retain control of both chambers of Congress after November, but suggests it is because his administration hasn't done enough to promote its accomplishments.

“I’ve done a very bad job of explaining," the president said during an event in the White House's East Room, which came before the subsequent announcement on the Alaska investment.

He's promised to help rectify that by spending much of the next 30 days on the road, campaigning ahead of the midterms — though he is beginning that swing with trips to Texas, Alabama, Ohio and Nebraska, which are all normally solidly red states.

“I hope you can believe that I’m running. They like to say, ‘Oh, nobody wants him.’ Well, everybody that has me wins," Trump told the crowd at the Hispanic Heritage Month event. "We lose 40% when I don't run. When I run, we have tremendous success."

Sullivan, who has been a persistent advocate for the Alaska natural gas project and has encouraged South Korean investment, is a two-term senator facing a competitive challenge from Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman.

Democrats are targeting Alaska and Iowa

Wednesday's Alaska event came two days after Trump announced plans for a $15 billion steel plant to be built in Iowa by a Minnesota company owned by an Indian industrial conglomerate.

In Iowa, Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson is in a close U.S. Senate contest with Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek for the seat being vacated by retiring two-term Republican Joni Ernst. Hinson spoke in the Oval Office during the announcement.

Alaska and Iowa, where Trump won comfortably each time he has run for president, are among the states where Democrats are targeting Republican-held Senate seats in the 2026 midterm elections, less than five weeks away.

Democrats need to gain a net of four seats in the 100-member Senate to overtake Republicans in the majority.

Voters are worried about fuel costs

Trump's announcements come as voters express concern about near-record fuel prices related to the unresolved war with Iran and as majority Republicans in Congress are facing voters dissatisfied with Trump's handling of the economy.

In a late-July poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only about one-third of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, and about 7 in 10 described the economy as poor.

___

Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

The crash happened around 9 a.m. near mile marker 102 on southbound I-37.

The victim, a 52-year-old man, was taken to a hospital with serious bodily injuries, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

Atascosa County Deputy Chief Eric Kaiser told KSAT the man was on the shoulder of the highway changing a flat tire when he was hit by a passing vehicle.

Dash camera footage obtained by DPS shows the vehicle involved may be a newer-model white Dodge utility van with damage to the passenger-side mirror, according to DPS.

The crash caused an hours-long closure of the highway, which has since reopened.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact DPS at 210-531-2280.

The investigation is ongoing.

Read also:

• Man hospitalized, 1 facing DWI charges after fiery crash on US Highway 90, SAPD says

Batting leadoff as a designated hitter in his playoffs debut Tuesday, Anthony struck out in both of his at-bats against Cam Schlittler, then was removed for a pinch hitter with the Red Sox trailing by two runs in the sixth inning of a 9-0 loss.

Boston sent Anthony to Boston after the game and for new MRIs on Wednesday morning.

“Additional damage to some muscles in his wrist that weren’t there before,” manager Chad Tracy said before Game 2.

Anthony was due to be back in New York to rejoin teammates for the second game of the best-of-three series.

“He’s upset," Tracy said. "Mentally going through it, he wants to be out there."

Asked whether surgery will be needed, Tracy responded: “As far as what treatment plans are in the future, haven’t gotten there.”

Tracy said Anthony felt discomfort in his right hand after a couple of checked swings. The 22-year-old Anthony missed 101 games from May 5 to Aug. 29 with an injury to the same hand.

“There’s been periods of time since he’s come back where he’ll get a zinger and feel something. And then it dissipates and we’re good to go,” Tracy said. “That’s not been an uncommon occurrence since he’s come back. But yesterday, as you went through those two at-bats, it got worse.”

Boston was working to replace Anthony on the active roster.

Jahmai Jones was set to hit leadoff as the DH with the Red Sox one loss from elimination, followed in the batting order by catcher Adley Rutschman, first baseman Willson Contreras, right fielder Wilyer Abreu, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, third baseman Caleb Durbin, second baseman Nick Sogard, shortstop Trevor Story and left fielder Nate Eaton.

Sonny Gray was set to start on the mound for Boston against one of his former teams.

One of baseball’s premier prospects when he debuted last year, Anthony batted .245 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a .735 OPS in 55 games this season.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

It was not clear what motivated the attack, which led Israel to scramble warplanes amid concerns about a possible hijacking. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia arrested the copilot, who was not identified.

The shaken passengers from the FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed Wednesday evening in Israel on another flight, as onlookers cheered.

“We’re going to die,” passenger Naama Bershadski recalled thinking as she closed her eyes and prayed for a good ending.

Aviation experts were surprised that the plane did not crash after a descent so extreme that most of the rudder was ripped off the tail.

A video shared by Netanyahu's office showed passenger Yaniv Hayoun, who grappled with the attacker, wearing a bloodied shirt and hugging the prime minister, who told him: “I look at you and I see a lion. I see a great hero."

Responders knew they had seconds to act

After a passenger saw one pilot stab the other and called out for help, Yaniv said, he and others pushed their way into the cockpit, where he saw the copilot apparently trying to destroy the controls, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported.

“The door apparently wasn’t locked, and we managed to open it somehow,” Hayoun told journalists. “What made it difficult for us was the (other) pilot himself. He had been stabbed and was on the other side of the door.”

As people wrestled with the attacker, Yaniv said he grabbed the controls and pulled them the way he had seen on television. Then other crew members took over. FlyDubai said the aircraft was secured by on-duty crew “who diverted and landed the aircraft safely.”

Another passenger in the scrum, Tzvika Manes, told Channel 12 it took many minutes to subdue the attacker.

A third responder, dentist Shota Musayev, told journalists the passengers realized they had just seconds to take control of the plane before a “critical event.” They also feared another attacker might be on the plane, so “we spread a few more people inside the plane so that if something happened, we would be able to simply take control.”

Musayev then attended to the wounded captain: “He was just praying the whole time and was in contact with me, and I was afraid we would really lose him.”

Netanyahu identified the Indian captain as Smit Machchhar and noted his “extraordinary bravery.” The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar was in stable condition.

“Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster,” Netanyahu said on X. “He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals.”

When the struggle was over, video footage on social media reviewed by The Associated Press showed two men on the plane's floor, bloodied and wounded. The captain and first officer were injured, according to a statement by Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, where the plane landed at 9:45 a.m., an hour after making a distress call.

Among the passengers who intervened were members of the Israeli security forces and air marshals, according to a person familiar with a probe by Saudi Arabia and regional partners. The person was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Netanyahu had warned in recent days of unspecified, heightened security threats. The country is a week away from the anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which has triggered a series of wars, and is weeks away from an election.

Aviation experts marvel that the plane didn't crash

In the chaos about two and a half hours after leaving Dubai, the flight descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet (around 10,000 meters to 5,100 meters) in about a minute, before making an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk about an hour later, according to Flightradar24, which identified the aircraft as a Boeing 737 Max 8.

“Suddenly the aircraft started to fall down, like, a massive turbulence, like a massive G-force, for 20 or 30 seconds,” passenger Almog Italie said.

Former United Airlines pilot and aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said he was surprised that the plane was able to land safely after most of the rudder was ripped off the tail during the extreme descent.

“That was a serious descent and strong aerodynamic forces on that rudder for that to happen. I’m just amazed the aircraft didn’t come apart,” Arroyo said.

Another aviation safety expert, Jeff Guzzetti, said that given the rate of descent, it may not have been possible for the plane to level out if it had fallen below 10,000 feet.

“It is remarkable they were able to pull out of that dive. What saved them is there was enough altitude left for them to recover,” said Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S.

Crew made a panicked mayday call while seeking a place to land

A person who heard the flight’s communications with air traffic control described the plane being turned away by Saudi Arabia and Jordan before eventually landing in Tabuk, while passengers screamed in the background.

The person said the pilot’s voice was trembling as he called “mayday” and said a hijacking was taking place and ambulances would be needed. But Saudi Arabia initially denied clearance to land and directed him to Jordan. The plane was told to wait for clearance from the Jordanian military and then turned away.

The pilot then returned to Saudi Arabia and said he had to land in Tabuk. The air traffic control operators gave no reason for the earlier refusals. The person who heard the communications spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had released little information as of late Wednesday. FlyDubai, the lower-cost sister carrier of Emirates airlines, said its flights to and from Israel would be suspended while an investigation takes place.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he spoke with his counterpart in the UAE and they agreed to work together “against extremist elements seeking to harm security and undermine stability in the region.” The general Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE said it was investigating a security incident. Saudi authorities said they had also launched an investigation.

An official confirmed that Israel had scrambled warplanes, fearing a hijacking. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the incident was under investigation.

Israeli passengers have made emergency landings in Saudi Arabia before

Israelis were targeted in a string of hijackings and airplane attacks by Palestinian militants in the 1960s and 1970s. Israel has not experienced a hijacking in decades but maintains some of the strictest airport security in the world, including on Israel-bound flights.

The emergency landing in Saudi Arabia was not the first for a plane carrying Israelis home. The kingdom does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel, but it ended its longstanding ban on Israeli flights overflying its territory in 2022.

Since then, Saudi Arabia has coordinated emergency landings for Israeli passengers, including in 2023 when a plane experienced an electrical malfunction.

The UAE has become a popular vacation destination for Israeli tourists since the countries normalized ties in 2020.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo, Scharf from Jerusalem and Funk from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press writers Sam Metz, Aamer Madhani and Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Ami Ben Tov in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Adam Schreck in Bangkok contributed to this report.

The new hurricane, Rachel, is expected to develop rapidly and could become a major one with sustained winds topping 111 mph (178 kph). The storm was hundreds of miles offshore, however, and posed no threat to land.

Parts of New Mexico, meanwhile, looked less and less like the months of drought that dried up reservoirs and caused hungry bears to roam into neighborhoods in search of food.

“There’s a lot of standing water in the fields and near some homes,” National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Lundeen said of one area where water overtopped a minor dam.

Floodwaters threatened the state's famous chile crop at harvest time. And the Rio Grande that ran dry through a long stretch of the state was overflowing.

The damp and stormy pattern is consistent with an El Niño year of above average Pacific storm activity.

Soggy weather slogs off to the east

From Colorado and across the Great Plains to Iowa, as much as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain fell Tuesday and into Wednesday, with some areas seeing even more.

More storms were expected in Texas and Oklahoma after one in Amarillo, Texas, flooded streets and spawned a tornado Tuesday night. Storm totals in the Amarillo area topped 3.5 inches (9 centimeters).

The weather was the remnant of tropical systems including Hurricane Polo, a Category 3 hurricane that made landfall overnight Monday on the Baja California peninsula and then farther inshore.

In southern New Mexico, ongoing rain threatened to rot red chiles as the harvest wraps up. Mold and disease will put stress on the plants in the field, said Preston Mitchell, a Hatch Chile Association board member.

“There will be nobody picking chile for at least five or six days,” Mitchell said. “All these growers whose fields were flooded, everything’s toast. Everything that’s out there is done.”

But most of about 100 people who sought refuge from potential flooding in chile-growing Dona Ana County were headed home from shelters Wednesday, county officials said.

As the weather cleared, water stopped spilling over an earthen flood-control structure in the area that held without failing.

Acting Gov. Howie Morales declared a state of emergency that made $3.75 million available through local governments to help affected people get temporary housing, healthcare, food and transportation.

Rachel is the latest in a busy Pacific hurricane season

Mexican authorities remain on alert in the states of Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco due to Hurricane Rachel.

In the state of Jalisco, schools were closed Wednesday in 30 municipalities as a precautionary measure.

Rachel was located about 185 miles (300 kilometers) southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, or about 310 miles (495 kilometers) south-southeast of Cabo San Luas. Its maximum sustained winds were around 85 mph (140 kph), according to an advisory from the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

The cyclone was moving northwest at 8 mph (13 kph) and was forecast to turn toward the west-northwest and west later this week, moving away from mainland Mexico and passing south of the Baja California peninsula.

The hurricane center said the Mexican government had discontinued all coastal watches and warnings. But it warned of possible isolated rainfall totals of up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) and heavy surf along the coasts of Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco states.

In Jalisco, the bodies of three people -- two children ages 3 and 15, and their mother -- were found Sunday after the family went missing due to a river flooding in the city of Talpa de Allende, before Polo made landfall. The father is still missing, according to the Jalisco State Civil Protection agency. A tourist also is missing due to strong waves in Puerto Vallarta, but the agency says that case is not linked to Polo either.

In the central Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Nolo threatened dangerous conditions for parts of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a marine conservation area. Formerly a hurricane, the storm drenched parts of Hawaii’s Big Island over the weekend. Its maximum sustained winds were near 50 mph (85 kph).

___

Mikella Schuettler and Wufei Yu in Phoenix, Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Fabiola Sanchez in Mexico City and Julie Walker in New York City contributed reporting.

A variety of missteps by the Fed's Board of Governors and staff inflated the cost of the $2.4 billion renovation, the Fed’s inspector general said. The board did not secure a comprehensive cost estimate at the beginning of the project, nor did it nail down a maximum overall cost, a step that could have forced the building contractor to absorb the impact of inflation, the IG said in a 120-page report. Prices spiked after construction began in 2022.

“Our review found that the Board has not effectively managed and executed its ... contract and repeatedly deviated from its cost-management provisions,” the report said.

The building project became a high-profile flashpoint in the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure the Fed into cutting its key interest rate. President Donald Trump even visited the construction site last July, when then-Chairman Jerome Powell corrected Trump’s estimate of the project’s expected costs as the two stood in hard hats before TV cameras.

Criticism of the project also mounted in Congress, leading Powell to request in July 2025 that the inspector general, Michael Horowitz, investigate the renovation.

The building project then became the focus of a criminal investigation by Trump’s Justice Department, specifically into whether Powell had committed perjury during brief testimony about the renovation before a Senate committee. That investigation was dropped in April after a judge quashed subpoenas issued by Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Pirro said then she would await the outcome of the inspector general’s investigation before deciding whether to take any further action.

“At no point during our evaluation did we find reasonable grounds to believe that a violation of federal criminal law had occurred requiring a referral to the U.S. Attorney General,” the IG’s report said.

Tim Lauer, a spokesperson for Pirro's office, said the report is under review.

Powell's term as chair ended in May, but he took the highly unusual step of remaining on the board as one of seven governors. His term as a governor lasts until January 2028. Powell said earlier this year he would remain on the board at least until he is convinced that Pirro's investigation is done. By keeping his seat, Powell has also prevented the Trump administration from filling another spot on the board.

Trump on Wednesday afternoon seized on the report to renew his call for Powell to resign from the Fed.

“He can’t manage a Building, and he certainly shouldn’t be allowed to manage his High Interest Rate Policy,” Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social. “And no, I do not want this Building named after President Donald J. Trump, ME!”

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee and a frequent critic of Powell's, said the report “confirmed that Trump lapdogs U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Attorney General Todd Blanche have no basis to restart the President’s witch hunt against former Fed Chair Jerome Powell.”

Current Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh, who took office last May, welcomed the IG’s findings in a letter and said the General Services Administration, a federal agency that oversees most government buildings, would take on a consulting role with the Fed to help oversee the project.

He also said the Fed would engage an independent auditor to evaluate the building project and all its costs. The Fed, with the GSA, will review all the project's contracts and “pursue appropriate remedies,” including seeking reimbursement for any work paid for but not performed, the letter said.

The report said that the construction costs to renovate two Fed buildings more than doubled from an original estimate of $921 million in February 2020 to $2.018 billion by December 2024. Construction is expected to last until December 2027, long past its originally slated completion date of mid-2024.

Some aspects of the project that were criticized by the Trump administration and Republican members of Congress for being luxurious — water fountains, private elevators and marble facades — were not significant drivers of the excessive costs of the project, the report said.

Instead, the IG said that a design change by the Fed in 2023 from a mostly open workspace to one with mostly closed office space caused a significant delay in the project's design. It also delayed the Fed from seeking a maximum cost ceiling for the project at that time.

The Fed has long blamed a range of factors for the cost overruns, including a spike in inflation that occurred as the economy emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, unexpected expenses such as asbestos remediation, and additional demands from review agencies. For example, Trump appointees to a planning commission from his first term pushed the Fed to add more marble to the exterior of the renovated buildings, in keeping with Trump's preference for classical architecture.

The report said those factors all played a role, but added that they “do not account for the effect of key project management and contract execution decisions” that effectively transformed the contract to "a cost-plus reimbursement contract with a pay-as-you-go approach.”

“Inflation does not change the Fed’s responsibility to manage its resources prudently and be accountable to Congress,” Sen. Tim Scott, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and a South Carolina Republican, said.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% to close out its third losing month in the last four. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 443 points, or 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.2%.

Stocks turned lower after data reports suggested the U.S. economy was even stronger during the spring than earlier thought. That helped yields remain high in the bond market, which in turn kept up the pressure weighing on stocks and all financial markets.

The day began with gains for stocks following an encouraging report that said inflation wasn’t as bad across the United States last month as economists expected. It said the cost of living for U.S. consumers was 3.4% higher overall in August than a year earlier. That was not as high as the 3.7% inflation rate that economists expected, even if it remained worse than the Fed’s 2% target.

The report followed others from earlier in the month about inflation during August, but it’s the one that the Federal Reserve prefers to use.

Shorter-term Treasury yields fell as traders pared bets that the Fed will raise its main interest rate next month to get inflation further under control. They now see just a 37% chance of that, down from the coin flip’s chance seen a day earlier, according to data from CME Group.

That helped the yield on the two-year Treasury briefly fall toward 4.83% before it pulled back to 4.89%, where it was late Tuesday.

But longer-term yields rose in the bond market. That’s in part because worries about high inflation are just one of the reasons longer-term yields have jumped in the United States and around the world.

The seemingly solid U.S. economy is another. Besides Wednesday's better-than-expected report on the overall U.S. economy, another update said growth in business activity in the Midwest was also stronger than economists expected.

Much of the strength in the U.S. economy is due to consumers, who are increasing their spending by more than their incomes are rising.

“The consumer remains resilient, in a much better position than previously thought,” according to Gary Schlossberg, global strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Other factors sending Treasury yields higher are also continuing to churn, including worries about the big debt loads that Washington and other governments worldwide are supporting.

Oil prices, meanwhile, rose in their latest swings amid uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the flow of crude to be fully restored. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 1.9% to settle at $98.03 per barrel.

It all helped the yield on the 10-year Treasury, which is the centerpiece of the bond market, drop as low as 5.20% in the morning before rising to 5.29%. That’s up from 5.26% late Tuesday, and it’s back to where it was more than two decades ago in 2002.

The 30-year Treasury yield, which takes into account expectations for inflation and economic growth many years down the line, climbed to 5.64% from 5.59% late Tuesday.

Higher yields slow the overall economy by making borrowing money more expensive for everyone, while undercutting prices for all kinds of investments.

On Wall Street, Cal-Maine Foods dropped 0.7% after the country’s largest egg company reported a larger loss for the latest quarter than analysts expected. With plenty of eggs available in the market, Cal-Maine Foods saw a sharp drop in prices it could charge, compared with a year earlier.

Helping to limit the market's losses was Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which rose 3.9%. It increased its forecast for revenue from its networking business, which is benefiting from the boom in artificial-intelligence technology.

MongoDB climbed 3.4% after the database company’s board boosted its program to send cash to shareholders by $1 billion through buybacks of its own stock. That helped MongoDB recover some of its sharp loss from earlier in the week, after it said Chirantan “CJ” Desai was stepping down as CEO for a senior role at Meta Platforms.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 19.30 points to 7,651.54. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 443.87 to 50,906.05, and the Nasdaq composite added 63.52 to 26,861.06.

In stock markets abroad, indexes dipped in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9%, while France’s CAC 40 fell 0.9% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

___

AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

In a Wednesday order, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín ruled that the proposed consent decree was a “fair, reasonable, and good faith approach to address the competitive harms” alleged by the states' lawsuit. Paramount previously called the antitrust challenge the last hurdle ahead of closing its Warner merger, and signaled that it aims to close its Warner acquisition as soon as early October.

Shortly after Martínez-Olguín's ruling on Wednesday afternoon, the company announced that Ynon Kreiz — current chief executive at toy giant Mattel — will join Paramount on Oct. 5 and serve as co-CEO alongside David Ellison of the combined company.

A Paramount-Warner marriage will bring together two of Hollywood’s last five legacy studios. HBO Max, a library full of titles including “Harry Potter” and cable networks such as CNN will also find themselves under the same roof with CBS, the likes of the “Top Gun” franchise and the Paramount+ streaming service.

Top prosecutors from 12 states — led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta — sued in July with an initial goal of blocking the merger altogether. They alleged a Paramount-Warner combo would “extinguish competition” and lead to fewer choices for consumers, particularly movie theatergoers and cable customers.

Last week, the states agreed to settle these claims through new commitments from Paramount, including pledges to increase film production in the U.S. over the next five years, commit millions of dollars to a fund aimed at supporting workers displaced by the merger and establish new editorial monitoring of CNN and CBS.

When announcing the deal on Sept. 21, Bonta said the settlement was about “protecting people’s careers, the lives they’ve built here in California, the livelihoods their families rely on,” while maintaining it was not a vote of support for the merger.

Many critics of the tie-up, however, quickly decried the deal as capitulating to corporate pressure and said the proposed terms were too weak. Martínez-Olguín didn't greenlight the terms right away — maintaining at a hearing on Thursday that the court isn’t merely a “rubber stamp” on a settlement of this kind and that she, like many others, still had questions.

The judge granted outside critics of the settlement — including members of the Block The Merger coalition and the League of United Latin American Citizens — a brief window to share their opposition with the court through amicus briefs. She also instructed Paramount and the settling states to respond to a letter from Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, who called for a more thorough review of the deal.

By Wednesday's order, however, she concluded that the hopes for settlement terms to go further "do not rise to the level of legal violations upon which the Court can reject the parties’ negotiated resolution.”

The Block the Merger coalition on Wednesday maintained the settlement was a “toothless” deal.

“Allowing the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger to move forward with no meaningful structural remedies will cost jobs, mute creativity, weaken independent journalism, and damage our First Amendment rights,” Block the Merger said in a statement. But, the coalition added, “if there is one discernible benefit to the approval of this corporate takeover, it’s that people are now wide awake and paying attention –- and their anger is not going to fade away."

The Writers Guild of America, which had filed its own suit shortly after the states in July, also reached a settlement agreement with Paramount last week — concluding that it couldn’t continue its legal fight alone.

Pike, now 50, and her boyfriend were convicted of the 1995 stabbing and beating of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, their classmate at a job training facility in Knoxville.

The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals halted Pike's execution on a 2-1 vote about an hour before the scheduled execution time, as witnesses and others gathered at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Tennessee has not executed a woman in at least 200 years.

The case garnered widespread attention at the time of the killing in part because a pentagram that was carved on Slemmer’s body and other elements of the crime stoked fears of Satan worship during the “satanic panic” of the 1980s and 1990s.

Decision stopping execution is immediately appealed

Tennessee’s attorney general immediately appealed the stay to the U.S. Supreme Court. Witnesses and media remained at the prison while the high court considered whether to allow the execution to proceed.

The state's execution order expires at midnight, said Kelley Henry, a Nashville-based attorney experienced with Tennessee death penalty law. If time runs out and the stay is lifted, the Tennessee Supreme Court would need to set a new execution date.

In its appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the attorney general's office wrote that halting the execution at the last moment traumatized Slemmer’s family and rewarded “abusive delay tactics” by Pike’s attorneys.

Pike does not deny committing the killing, but her supporters argue the state should consider her age at the time, her mental illness and her allegations of severe sexual abuse that included being raped from the time she was a toddler.

“It is inconceivable that in the 21st century, the criminal justice system is poised to execute a survivor of rape and child sexual abuse whose jury never had the opportunity to consider those facts in weighing the defendant’s moral culpability,” her attorneys wrote in a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Pike's case renewed debate on the death penalty for teens

As the execution date drew near, Pike's case renewed debate over the death penalty for young offenders.

Assistant Federal Defender Stephen Ferrell said Pike’s death sentence is an outlier because other 18-year-olds in Tennessee have had such sentences vacated.

After the killing, Pike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. In her clemency petition, she said she only wanted to fight Slemmer but killed her in a frenzied attack when she couldn’t “put the brakes on.”

“I was a mentally ill 18-year-old kid. It took me numerous years to even realize the gravity of what I’d done. Even more to accept how many lives I affected. I took the life of someone’s child, sister, friend. It sickens me now to think I had the ability to commit such a crime,” Pike said in a statement.

Victim's mother says she is waiting for death sentence

Slemmer’s mother wants the lethal injection to go forward, saying she has waited decades to see Pike’s sentence carried out.

“Every time I think about it, I think about Colleen feeling that pain and trying to get up and run,” May Martinez told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Saturday.

Martinez said a group helped raise money so she and her husband could travel from Florida to witness the execution. She didn't respond to a message Wednesday after the execution was halted.

Martinez said her daughter's age also should matter in deciding Pike's fate.

“Not a day goes by, or a minute goes by that I do not think about Colleen. Holidays are the worst,” she said, noting that her daughter would have turned 51 earlier in September.

The killing rocked the city of Knoxville. Prosecutors said Pike, fearing Slemmer was trying to steal her boyfriend, lured her to a wooded area on Jan. 12, 1995. Pike cut Slemmer with a box cutter and beat her with a large chunk of asphalt. Shipp, Pike’s boyfriend, has admitted that he was the one who carved a pentagram, a star-shaped symbol associated with Satan, into her body.

Shipp was 17 when the crime happened and received a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. Pike was the only one sentenced to death.

Executions of women are rare in the US

Tennessee has not executed a woman for at least 200 years, according to Robin M. Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. Older records can be spotty, though, so it’s difficult to know precise details about the last woman who was put to death there.

Since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, 18 women have been put to death in the U.S., representing about 1% of all executions, according to the center.

Most recently, Missouri in 2023 executed Amber McLaughlin for a 2003 killing, in what is believed to be the first execution of a transgender woman in the U.S. In 2021, the federal government executed Lisa Montgomery, marking the first time in nearly seven decades that the U.S. government put a female inmate to death.

Pike would be the 30th person executed in the U.S. this year after Florida carried out an execution on Tuesday.

___

Associated Press journalists Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.

The complaint alleges the seven judges — nominated by Democrats and Republican presidents — violated judicial ethics by speaking to The New York Times about their experience dealing with a flood of cases during last winter’s Operation Metro Surge crackdown that led to thousands of arrests in the Twin Cities.

The complaint escalates the department's battle with the federal judiciary, which has halted administration priorities, dismissed high-profile prosecutions and accused government lawyers in some cases of failing to comply with court orders.

The department is demanding that the judges recuse themselves from all criminal or civil cases involving the Department of Homeland Security, Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters, because of what he described as “obvious bias they have shown" in their remarks to the newspaper.

“When we have a situation like we have now, where you have a judge, a couple of judges, just not only violating the canons in our view, but also showing bias in what they’re saying, we have no choice but to act to defend not only our prosecutors, but also DHS,” Blanche said.

The judge at the center of the story, Patrick Schiltz, accused the government in January of failing to comply with nearly 100 court orders. He said in a ruling that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a part of DHS, "is not a law unto itself.”

Schiltz, who was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush and served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, told the newspaper that what happened in Minnesota's federal court last winter “created a grave threat to the rule of law.”

In a statement Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Minnesota court said legal experts have confirmed that the judges were acting “well within the ethical rules that apply to federal judges” in speaking to the newspaper. Schiltz also said in a statement that his comments did not violate any ethical rules.

“Indeed, in February of this year, the Committee on Codes of Conduct issued an advisory opinion to emphasize that federal judges" may speak or write "on core judiciary matters such as advocacy for the rule of law and judicial independence,'" Schiltz said in a statement. “That is exactly what I did."

The complaint was filed with the chief judge of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which oversees federal judges in Minnesota.

The Republican administration has railed against what it describes as “activist judges” who officials say are intent on thwarting Trump’s agenda. Yet some of the most critical and unfavorable court rulings have come from judges nominated by Trump and other Republican presidents.

A crash has closed southbound Interstate 37 just south of Pleasanton, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

The crash was reported Wednesday afternoon. Drivers are being detoured at SP 199 and reenter the main lanes at FM 541, TxDOT said in a 12:45 p.m. X post.

Atascosa County Deputy Chief Eric Kaiser told KSAT a man on the shoulder of the highway was changing a flat tire when a passing vehicle hit him. Kaiser directed KSAT to the Texas Department of Public Safety for more information.

Closure expected for several hours. Drivers should expect possible delays and seek alternate routes, if possible.

For more information on traffic, you can click here to view our traffic page on KSAT.com. To view more on the current weather conditions, click here.

Click the links below for current road closures.

• San Antonio road closures
• Bexar County road closures
• TxDOT highway conditions

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed the names of detainees with final removal orders from its Online Detainee Locator System on Sept. 15 in an apparent effort to speed up their deportations. The change, which ICE did not announce and has not explained, applies to more than 16,000 of the nearly 69,000 detainees who are in ICE custody.

The move has interfered with detainees' ability to challenge looming deportations by impeding access to their lawyers while devastating families who lost track of their loved ones, immigration lawyers say.

A coalition of more than 30 groups who advocate for noncitizens in the U.S. petitioned the U.N.’s Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances to declare the policy a violation of international law and to push for its end.

“A system with no transparency is a system with no accountability, and that should terrify all of us,” said Sarah Decker, an attorney at the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, one of the petition's signatories. “Disappearing people into a network of remote detention sites, hiding their whereabouts, and cutting off their access to outside help is the definition of an enforced disappearance."

Separately, on Wednesday, more than 45 House Democrats led by Reps. Luz Rivas and Veronica Escobar urged ICE to restore the names to the locator, calling the practice of concealing them “contrary to foundational principles of the American legal system.”

ICE's parent agency denied Wednesday that its practices amount to disappearing people, saying all detainees “have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.”

“The appropriate process due to an illegal alien with final deportation orders is removal, plain and simple,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. “That said, DHS has a stringent law enforcement assessment in place that abides by due process under the U.S. Constitution.”

Detainees can typically call relatives if they have money in their commissary accounts, while calls to their legal representatives are supposed to be free.

Approximately 1.4 million people living in the U.S. are subject to final orders of removal. That typically means an immigration judge has ruled they should be deported and the decision has been upheld on appeal or not appealed. They still have several legal options to challenge their detention and deportation. Federal judges have ruled thousands of times that detainees should be released or granted bond hearings.

The petition to the U.N. said the policy has already “obstructed legal counsel from accessing their clients in detention, preventing interventions to seek immigration relief, challenge unconstitutional detention, and block unlawful deportations.”

It cited examples of several detainees, including a mother and 7-year-old daughter who were challenging their detention at a Texas facility but lost access to their lawyers as they faced deportation to Venezuela. Only after a judge ordered ICE to disclose their whereabouts did the agency do so, about 18 hours later, and release them from custody, the petition said.

One man reported intense stress and that the “darkest thoughts imaginable went through" his mind after the whereabouts of his elderly disabled mother were abruptly removed from the system, according to the petition.

The petition said ICE's online locator, launched in 2010, has become “an even more crucial tool” as President Donald Trump's administration has carried out a sweeping campaign to arrest and deport people who are in the country illegally. It noted that the U.N. working group had lobbied for the locator’s creation and its 2024 expansion to include people detained by the Border Patrol.

The petition asked the U.N. group to urge ICE to publicly list all detainees’ locations within an hour of their arrest and give detainees’ lawyers 24 hours’ notice before a transfer. The U.N. group, which was formed in 1980, helps families locate loved ones who have reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearance by government agents. It has five members and is currently chaired by Grazyna Baranowska of Poland.

The punches will come later, on Dec. 11 in Cardiff when the two former two-time world champions square off for the first time, and on UK soil to boot.

“Ten years in the making,” Joshua said at a press conference in London, the first time the two fighters squared off since the fight was announced last week. “We’re here now … it had to happen at some stage and there’s no better time than now.”

It is being billed as the biggest fight in British boxing history. The only question is whether it comes too late to settle the dispute over who is the better fighter.

Fury is 38 and has come out of retirement a handful of times already. Joshua turns 37 in two weeks and his only fights since losing his IBF world title clash with Daniel Dubois in 2024 were against YouTuber Jake Paul and Kristian Prenga.

“People say is it too late? (Expletive) too late,” Fury said. ”It’s the icing on the cake.”

Both men praised Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation, for finally making the fight happen.

Alalshikh said he wanted to stage it at Wembley Stadium in London but settled for Cardiff because he couldn’t get permission to have the iconic venue stay open until 2 a.m.

“In the end, Wales delivered,” Alalshikh said. “And still it is UK.”

The prize money for the fight has not been announced, but British media reports have put the collective purse at close to $200 million.

"They’re getting extremely well paid.” said Frank Warren, the promoter in Fury's camp.

Tickets go on sale Oct. 9.

And the fighters are saving their heavy punches for the big event. The press conference was mostly full of smiles and laughter as the two exchanged a few verbal barbs about a famous sparring session more than 10 years ago, when Joshua was still an amateur.

A few hundred fans had been granted tickets and a vast majority were loudly in Joshua’s camp.

But it was Fury who did most of the talking, although he mainly had good things to say about his opponent.

“He’s been a role model and a poster boy for British boxing for years. I find myself defending my archrival to fans I meet in the street,” Fury said. “That aside, obviously we’re here to fight, and fight we will.”

That’s all boxing fans — especially in Britain — have wanted to see for so long.

“I know in pubs, people have had proper fights about who’s going to win between me and Tyson,” Joshua said. “I know family members have fell out with each other about who’s going to win … I’m just happy to be here, fighting, and fulfilling my destiny before I depart this world.”

Fury also pointed out the vastly contrasting physiques and styles of the two fighters.

“I stand here today as the most awkwardly built world heavyweight champion in the history of sport,” Fury said. “I’m a bald, fat, bearded, ugly, slow and ponderous, all of the above.”

At which point Joshua cut in: “It’s true.”

Fury then continued: “And we’ve got this guy here. He’s carved in stone like an Olympian, from marble. But every time he gets cracked on the jaw he falls over.”

Fury had less nice things to say about Eddie Hearn, the promoter in Joshua's camp, and briefly tried to stoke a bit of animosity by making fun of his ring opponent having referred to himself as “the landlord” in the buildup.

“Now it’s come time to collect the rent, and I’m not (expletive) paying,” Fury said. “Because I’m No. 1.”

The two fighters also bickered over why Fury's name is first in the “Fury vs. Joshua” promotional material for the bout — which will be shown on Netflix — and whether the fight should be staged in Britain.

But they never seemed close to getting physical as they squared up on stage, and Fury is already preparing to take his opponent out for a beer after the bout.

“I don't know if you're a a drinking man, but I hope that after this fight we can have a pint of Guinness together. Win, lose or draw," Fury said. "Have a fight first, then have a beer. How does that sound?"

Replied Joshua: “I don't know if I can trust you.”

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Passengers, many of them Israelis, feared for their lives as the FlyDubai aircraft lost half its altitude in about a minute.

As Israel scrambled fighter jets out of concern for a possible hijacking, a passenger and crew member burst into the cockpit to subdue the attacker, enabling other crew members to gain control of the aircraft, which landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

It was not clear what motivated Wednesday's attack.

The terrifying flight occurred just days before the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that launched the war in Gaza. It has rekindled anxieties about airline security and focused attention on an unsettling question: Are pilots a significant threat to the flying public's safety?

Here’s what we know — and don’t know — about what happened on FlyDubai flight FZ1073:

A fight, an alert and a rapid descent

The distress call came at 8:44 a.m. local time, about two and a half hours after the flight with about 170 passengers left Dubai and headed to Tel Aviv.

The captain and first officer had been fighting in the cockpit after one stabbed the other and tried to crash the aircraft, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The aircraft swiftly lost altitude — dropping from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet (around 10,000 meters to 5,100 meters) in the span of about a minute. It then circled close to the Jordanian border before landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, about an hour later.

A person who heard the flight’s communications with air traffic control described the plane being turned away by Saudi Arabia and Jordan before eventually landing in Tabuk, while passengers screamed in the background. The person who heard the communications spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Aviation experts said they were surprised that the plane did not crash after a descent so extreme that most of the rudder was ripped off the tail.

Both pilots suffered injuries that required hospital treatment, according to a statement from Tabuk's Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport. Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia had arrested one of the pilots.

A plane carrying passengers from the flight landed Wednesday evening in Israel.

Passengers and crew wrest control

A passenger and a crew member managed to enter the cockpit, enabling other crew members to fly the plane to a safe landing, according to Netanyahu, who cited a passenger he had spoken to.

The cockpit door on all aircraft is locked during flight for security reasons — a measure that became the industry standard after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, in which hijackers broke into the cockpits of four domestic flights in the United States.

Netanyahu said on X that the pilot who had been stabbed opened the cockpit door, which "enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster.”

What security checks do pilots undergo?

One question surrounding this incident is how anyone on the aircraft — especially a pilot — was able to get a knife onboard. It's unclear how big the knife was that was used in the attack.

Pilots undergo rigorous screening, including passing through metal detectors, at checkpoints at all airports. It's also standard for airlines to vet their pilots' background for criminal and employment history, their physical and mental health, as well as having them undergo intelligence and security screening.

Israel has some of the most stringent airline security measures worldwide. Passengers on Israel-bound flights regularly are taken aside for questioning and baggage searches after passing through normal airport security. It's unclear whether the pilots of the FlyDubai flight had been screened as vigorously.

There have been extremely rare occasions when airline security protocols fail. In 2015, the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately set the plane on a collision course with a mountainside, killing all 150 people aboard.

Cecilia Mueller, 47, was first arrested in connection with the alleged incident on April 27, 2026.

According to police, the alleged assault happened with a student several times while she was a teacher at Lewis Elementary School for nearly 12 years, until June 2019.

Mueller is no longer affiliated with the district, and records show her teacher educator certificate is also indefinitely suspended.

According to Bexar County jail records, Mueller was indicted on two first-degree felonies and three second-degree felonies.

Those charges include three counts of indecency with child sexual contact, one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child, and one count of continuous sexual assault of a child under 14.

Mueller’s next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13, records show.

Read also:

• At least 2 students involved in stabbing at Metzger Middle School, district officials say
• San Antonio man receives life sentence after ‘heinous’ murder of girlfriend, Atascosa DA says
• 1 killed, 1 injured after woman allegedly drives into them near Northwest Side restaurant, SAPD says

Trustee Jose Macias told KSAT that he was informed that a girl stabbed a boy at the middle school, located on Binz Engleman Road near Woodlake Parkway on the Northeast Side.

The “student-related incident” happened during a scheduled lockdown drill Wednesday morning, according to Judson ISD’s Director of Communications Lexie Greathouse. The incident then led campus administrators to place the school on a hold.

“During the response, a weapon was located and immediately confiscated,” Greathouse said in an emailed statement.

Macias said the girl had multiple knives inside her backpack.

KSAT asked the district if the knives recovered were used in the stabbing this afternoon, but have not heard back yet.

“The situation was quickly contained. Appropriate disciplinary action is being taken, and the matter has been referred to law enforcement for further review,” Greathouse said.

KSAT asked Greathouse if any student was transported to the hospital, but we did not immediately hear back.

“The district has contacted all Metzger MS parents,” Greathouse said. “If they have additional concerns, you can direct parents to campus administration for specific questions regarding their child.”

This is a developing story. Please check back later for updates.

Read also:

• TEA: Districts using Bluebonnet Learning curriculum show improved student achievement in first year
• FLOOD WATCH in effect tonight through Friday
• VIA prepares for possible detours during rain event forecasted for the San Antonio area

Growth in gross domestic product — the nation’s output of a goods and services — decelerated from a 2.5% pace from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The second-quarter growth was an improvement on the department’s previous estimate of 1.5% — a surprise to economists who had expected little or no change in the GDP number.

Consumer spending — which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity — increased at a healthy 3.8% annual pace, up from 0.7% in the January-March period. Spending has been helped by a strong stock market, which reflects enthusiasm over the prospects for artificial intelligence and which enriches wealthy investors and gives them more money to buy things with.

The overall growth number was dragged down by imports. They are subtracted from growth because GDP is only supposed to count domestic production. Imports rose at a 12.6% annual pace from April through June, partly due to a surge in shipments of computer chips and other products that support artificial intelligence investment, and slashed nearly 1.7 percentage points off second-quarter growth.

The U.S. economy has proven surprisingly resilient in the face of fighting with Iran and the energy price spike it caused.

Business investment, excluding housing, rose at a 9% clip in the second quarter, reflecting the AI investment boom. And a measure of the economy’s underlying strength — which strips out volatile government spending and trade numbers — grew at a strong 4.6% rate, up from 1.8% in the first quarter.

“The economy is increasingly reliant on AI gains and the corresponding wealth effects boosting higher-income households’ spending power to fuel recent growth,” said Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. "The economy remains sensitive to a sudden reversal of optimism on AI.''

Investment in housing rose 2.8% ticking up for the first time since the end of 2024. The housing market has been depressed by high mortgage rates.

Wednesday’s report was the last of three Commerce Department estimates of second-quarter GDP growth. The first look at third-quarter growth is due Oct. 29.

This year, the festival will feature two processions and five stages with more than 50 performances.

Muertos Fest opens Friday, Oct. 23, with “Presente: A Night to Remember,” a quieter evening built around the community altar exhibition.

A sensory-friendly altar viewing will also take place from 5-7 p.m., followed by a performance from Tejano and Chicano orchestra LA 45, with special guest Sunny Ozuna.

Grupo Metal, featuring Chris Pérez, headlines Saturday night. Tejano musician Michael Salgado closes the festival Sunday.

Organizers said Max Baca y Los Texmaniacs will pay tribute to Texas Tornadoes musician Augie Meyers, the San Antonio musician who died earlier this year.

Other performers include:

• Girl in a Coma
• Los Carnales
• El Dusty y Los Homies
• Vanita Leo
• Santiago Jiménez Jr.
• Campanas de América
• Mariachi Las Alteñas
• Guadalupe Dance Company

The two processions, which take place one on Saturday evening and one on Sunday afternoon, will include more than 15 groups honoring San Antonians who have died.

Muertos Fest, which honors the traditions of Día de los Muertos through art, live music and more than 80 altars created by community members, draws more than 100,000 attendees each year.

Organizers said Muertos Fest has an annual economic impact of more than $5.3 million.

If you can’t make it, that’s alright! You can watch a recap of all the fun, as KSAT will air a two-hour primetime Muertos Fest special at 8 p.m. on Oct. 28 on all KSAT platforms.

Read also:

• Muertos Fest to bring Día de los Muertos traditions to Hemisfair

The last U.S. troops left an air base in northern Iraq under a deal between Baghdad and Washington.

Trump, in a social media post, described the withdrawal by a Sept. 30 deadline as “orderly." Appearing soon after at a White House event celebrating Hispanics, he spoke at length about the withdrawal and said, “It’s been a long time with very bad decision making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place. It was a quagmire. For many, many years it lasted. But soon that part of history will be over.”

He said the shift was a victory for the U.S., Iraq and a sign of victory over the Islamic State group.

The withdrawal, agreed on two years ago, comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war between the United States and Iran that has also sometimes spilled over into Iraq, with Iran-backed militias firing on U.S. troops and the U.S. striking the groups' strongholds.

Trump’s comments came as his own decision earlier this year to launch the war with Iran has been compared to the Iraq war for its undefined mission as it nears its seventh month.

Appearing at the White House, Trump made that comparison, arguing both that his one-day military action in Venezuela earlier this year to capture now former President Nicolás Maduro and the Iran war compared favorably, taking far less time and with fewer deaths of U.S. troops.

In recent years, Washington has sought to shift its focus from the Middle East toward Asia, but that shift has been inconsistent, with the Pentagon alternating between reducing its Mideast presence and then finding itself engaging in new conflicts — including the ongoing war in Iran.

Baghdad touted the end of the U.S. mission as a sign of the country's increasing strength and sovereignty.

The withdrawal was also celebrated by Iran-backed groups but raised concerns among some other Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region, where many fear a resurgence of the Islamic State group as well as more attacks by Iran-linked groups, possibly emboldened by the departure of U.S. forces.

Meanwhile, questions loom around the future of the Iraqi militias, which the Baghdad government has sought to disarm, with little success so far.

A new phase in Iraq after decades of US involvement

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that U.S. troops and equipment had completed an “orderly departure” from the air base in Irbil, in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

“This milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region,” he said. “It also marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship.”

He added that the U.S. military “will continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to our Iraqi partners.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi presided over the handover ceremony and described the U.S. withdrawal as the beginning of a “new phase, one defined by Iraq’s sovereignty, the strength of its institutions, the readiness of its forces, the unity of its decision-making, and balanced partnerships with its friends.”

He said Iraqi security forces will continue the fight against IS and the government will ensure that non-state groups no longer hold weapons.

Trump in his remarks on Wednesday lavished praise on al-Zaidi, calling him “outstanding,” a “fantastic guy, friend of mine,” and someone who “will hopefully be able to handle things very well.” He also appeared to try to take credit for al-Zaidi's leadership, saying that the Iraqi leader was “running for election” and “wasn’t given even a chance and I endorsed him and politicked for him a little bit, and he ended up winning in a virtual landslide.”

Al-Zaidi was not on the ballot but was selected as prime minister when Iraq’s dominant parliamentary bloc nominated him after weeks of internal debate among its member parties and Trump publicly announcing his opposition to the coalition's previous choice.

U.S. troops invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein. They departed in 2011, but three years later, Iraqi authorities invited a smaller U.S.-led mission to fight the Islamic State group, which had rampaged across Iraq, seizing large swaths of territory.

With the extremist group reduced to scattered sleeper cells, Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind the mission down.

U.S. troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a small presence of hundreds of troops in the semiautonomous northern Kurdish region. Bases there have regularly come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran-backed Iraqi militias also have coordinated with Yemen’s Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia.

The future of militias remains unclear

The Iraqi government initially linked the Sept. 30 deadline for U.S. withdrawal to the disarmament of non-state armed groups by that date.

While a handful of less-influential militias have agreed to turn over their weapons, powerful groups close to Iran rejected the prospect or set conditions for disarming that the government would be unlikely to meet.

Al-Zaidi has since walked back the deadline. He told The New York Times earlier this month that the deadline for militia disarmament has been pushed to June 2027.

The effects of the U.S. withdrawal may not be immediately visible, particularly since the U.S. military presence had already been scaled down. But officials in Iraq's Kurdish region have expressed anxiety about the departure and particularly about the removal of U.S. air defense systems.

The Kurdish regional government's Peshmerga Ministry said the Kurdish region had faced more than 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the recent U.S.-Iran conflict.

“The departure of the United States from the Kurdistan Region under these complex regional circumstances, without the provision of a defense system, is a matter of concern,” the statement said.

Iran-allied groups in Iraq, meanwhile, have celebrated the U.S. withdrawal.

“The expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated, from the land of Iraq is the beginning of full sovereignty,” Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, said in a statement.

He added a warning to al-Zaidi and his government not to carry out American plans, threatening that “any government that does not work for the benefit of the people will be overthrown by all means.”

Kataib Hezbollah leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi took a somewhat more conciliatory tone, calling on the group's fighters to halt their military activities “with the exception of targeting hostile aircraft violating the country’s airspace.”

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, said in a statement that negotiations with the government over the regulation of weapons have not resulted in an agreement and that it was “not bound by any timeline or agreement” announced by the government or political entity. The group said it is open to “any dialogue that guarantees Iraq’s sovereignty and dignity.”

___

Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Taxpayers have asked the city to stop the contract with the AI company. After the governor called for a pause on all new contracts for Flock cameras, some cities have stopped the contracts altogether.

KSAT reached out to Kerrville to see if they had any intent to stop, and a spokesperson said:

“The City is aware of the recent action regarding automated license plate readers and is continuing to monitor developments at the state level.

“Based on the information currently available, the Texas Department of Transportation’s action pauses new permits for automated license plate readers along state-owned roadways. It does not appear to require local governments to discontinue existing LPR systems or prohibit their use generally.

“Because the TxDOT action applies to automated license plate readers broadly, rather than solely to a specific manufacturer, the brand of equipment would not necessarily determine whether a future installation within a state right-of-way is affected.

“At this time, the City has no additional changes regarding its use of LPR technology to announce. As with other public-safety technology, the City will continue to monitor applicable state requirements and evaluate its practices as necessary.”

A community protest against the AI cameras in Kerrville is set for Friday; the Kerr Freedom Coalition is leading it.

The protest is happening at the corner of Junction Highway and Harper Highway from 4:30-7 p.m. Organizers say they are standing up for freedoms and protest government invasion of privacy. A similar rally was held a week prior.

Read also:

• Leon Valley installs 6 license plate reader cameras using state grant

The AI giants and other tech companies in recent months have disclosed examples of their AI agents going beyond human instructions, finding their way onto the internet and hacking external websites.

An FTC spokesperson confirmed the investigation but declined further comment. The investigation was first reported by the New York Post, which said it has been underway for months.

Representatives for Anthropic and OpenAI did not immediately respond to messages for comment on Wednesday.

Concerns around the dangers powerful AI models may pose to humanity have led some of the top AI developers to call for a slowdown. The CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, said this month that the industry should slow its fast-moving development to give safety measures time to catch up. Without such a slowdown, Amodei warned that within six to 12 months AI could be capable of leading a swarm of agents that could take over the entire internet.

OpenAI, meanwhile, recently delayed the launch of its newest model this week over safety concerns.

Now Flores is one of several candidates in tougher races than originally envisioned as Republican-run states heeded Trump's call to begin an unusual round of redistricting to help retain control of the U.S. House.

Republicans hoped to pick up as many as nine seats combined in Texas and Florida. But even though the districts were redrawn to make them easier to win for Republicans, the party is weighed down by the public's dissatisfaction with Trump, the economy, the war with Iran that has raised gas prices, and the president's deportation agenda.

The political landscape is competitive enough that Vice President JD Vance was in Texas on Wednesday, appearing with Flores and promoting him up as “a fighter." Acknowledging the broader discontentment with high prices, Vance blamed it on the “hole that Joe Biden left us," saying the previous Democratic administration "created the problems and we’re solving them.” Vance plans to visit Florida on Thursday.

The House Democrats' national campaign chair, Rep. Suzan DelBene, recently was in Florida districts that Republicans are hoping to claim.

“Republicans arrogantly thought they were going to redistrict seats to pick up more,” DelBene said in an interview during her trip. “Instead, what they have is people across the state souring on the Republican agenda.”

Mike Marinella, the House Republicans’ campaign spokesman, said the party can still capitalize this year “with a more favorable map, historic fundraising and spending advantages, stronger candidates and a common-sense agenda.”

House seats are up for grabs in Texas

Republicans won 25 of Texas’ 38 seats in the U.S. House as Trump returned to the White House two years ago. Partially using that election as a baseline, the redrawn map was intended to help Republicans win up to 30 seats.

Key to this plan was the Rio Grande Valley, a heavily Latino region on the southern tip of Texas that had shifted toward Trump.

The 34th Congressional District, where Flores is running, includes some of the valley, and it went for Trump by 10 percentage points over Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. But Flores said he expected his race to be close, which he credits to his opponent's five terms in office.

Flores received Trump's endorsement and it is still pinned to his X account, and he spoke at his unusual midterm convention in Dallas. But Flores also removed from his website a promise to “SUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S AGENDA" as he looked toward general election voters and widening his base of support.

“If I tell them the red meat issues or I tell them, you know, oh, Republican, Democrat, or anything like that, you lose them,” he told The Associated Press. “I just sell them myself, sell them what I stand for.”

Republicans in Washington acknowledge that inflation, Trump's tariffs and the war in Iran have made their path harder. Latino voters’ discontent with Trump’s immigration agenda further scrambles their efforts.

Republicans are also facing the potential loss of an incumbent who represents a redrawn district. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, who is running for a third term, has a strong challenge from musician Bobby Pulido. A Latin Grammy winner whose top song on Spotify has 619 million streams, Pulido does not face the usual first-time candidates’ challenge of establishing name ID.

“I want a picture!” Eloise Ibarra, 42, exclaimed as Pulido walked through the crowd at a high school football game. Ibarra later said she “probably” would vote for Pulido after sitting out the last presidential race.

“I don’t really like his policies,” she said about Trump. “It’s very expensive, I go to the grocery store and buy $50 worth of stuff and it’s like five items.”

Democrats argue that Republicans miscalculated this year.

“I think Republicans counted on Hispanics, and they counted on rural Texas, to deliver votes for them, and these are the two places that are hurting the most,” said Terri Burke of the Texas Democratic Party. Speaking of redistricting, she said, "this is really no longer such a slam dunk for the Republicans anywhere.”

Democrats see opportunity in Florida

Republicans already had 20 out of Florida's 28 House seats, and they wanted to boost that to 24 with their new congressional map. But much like in Texas, their plan was based on 2024 results, when voters, including many Latinos, were dissatisfied with Biden on the economy and immigration.

Republicans went after Rep. Kathy Castor in metro Tampa and Rep. Darren Soto in the Orlando area, while putting South Florida Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz into the same district.

Moskowitz shifted to a nearby Republican-leaning district, and Wasserman Schultz ran for another term in a separate, heavily Democratic district. Castor and Soto face longer odds in their redrawn districts, though DelBene believes they have a shot in the current environment.

The new map did not stop Pia Dandiya, an Ivy League-educated school principal whose parents immigrated from India, from making her first House campaign for Congress.

She is running in the 22nd Congressional District, where Trump won by double digits in 2024 and where Republicans had hoped to pit Moskowitz against Wasserman Schultz.

But Dandiya notes that Biden outpaced Trump in the same collection of precincts in 2020, and she calls herself “a happy road warrior” as she travels 150-plus miles between campaign stops.

“The way this district has been drawn just shows yet again that we are living in a world where elected officials are choosing voters instead of voters choosing elected officials, and it should never be that way,” she said. DelBene and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee tapped her as one of their “Red to Blue” priority candidates.

Dandiya said voters' current circumstances matter more than how they voted two years ago.

“Cost of living is not an issue that is exclusively impacting Democrats. It is an issue that is ubiquitous,” she said, adding that she hears the same concerns even in her district's more conservative communities.

___

Barrow reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Atlanta.

Officers initially responded to a fight just before 6 p.m. Monday in the 9700 block of Data Point Drive, near Wurzbach Road.

In an SAPD preliminary report, police said the woman, identified as Dionisiah Kazuko Edwards-Carpeal, 36, began following two people as they walked away from a local restaurant.

Edwards-Carpeal allegedly argued with them from inside her vehicle before driving into both of them, police said.

A 37-year-old woman sustained major injuries and was taken to a local hospital, where she later died. The condition of the second person, a 39-year-old man, was not immediately available.

Edwards-Carpeal was arrested for murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Bexar County court records show.

The investigation is ongoing.

Read also:

• Murder defendant guilty of lesser charge, will spend 40 years in prison for fatal stabbing, DA says

Often, properties are considered “high risk for wildfires,” and carriers will not renew their policies until the home qualifies as a “Wildfire Prepared Home.”

Builders, developers, insurance and real estate professionals, as well as landscapers, are encouraged to attend along with homeowners.

The workshop continues through Wednesday, Sept. 30, until 4 p.m. at Boerne City Hall. Email info@hcfcoftx.com for more information.

Read also:

• How school districts plan for inclement weather during athletic events

Salah Sarsour was detained in Milwaukee in March by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. A federal judge ordered Sarsour’s release in June, saying he raised a “substantial” claim that the Trump administration was targeting him for speaking out against Israel and advocating for Palestinian rights.

Sarsour called the ruling “deeply disappointing,” but said he intends to appeal.

“I will continue fighting to defend the right to free speech and to stay in the country I have called home for more than three decades,” Sarsour said in a statement.

Government attorneys say Sarsour’s decades-old convictions in Israel make him a threat to national security and accuse him of lying on his green card application and falsely claiming citizenship to vote. Judge Jayme Salinardi, with the Chicago Immigration Court, found him removable on foreign policy grounds but tossed out the government's claim that Sarsour lied to immigration authorities.

The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to an emailed request for comment on the decision.

Sarsour says his life will be at risk if he is deported to the West Bank

Sarsour, who was born in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was imprisoned in Israel in 1988 after being convicted of throwing stones at Israeli military personnel. DHS has said he was also convicted of throwing a Molotov cocktail. His defense team says he was accused of that but not convicted. In 1995, he was convicted of attempting to possess weapons. Sarsour denies committing those crimes and his attorneys say he was tortured and coerced into confessing in both instances.

Sarsour, the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, does not have a criminal record in the U.S., where he has lived since 1993. His attorneys say the U.S. government has known about Sarsour’s convictions in Israel since he arrived.

Deportation to the West Bank “means the end of my life,” Sarsour told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

One of his attorneys, Patrick Taurel, said Sarsour’s treatment by Israeli authorities is “probably a good indicator of what awaits him” if he is deported.

At a status hearing Wednesday, Taurel pressed the judge to specify that Sarsour can only be deported to Israel or the Palestinian territories. Jordan, a country to which Sarsour has no connection, is listed as a possible destination on the order of removal.

Sarsour was instructed by immigration officers to list Jordan as his home country on an immigration form because his preferred entry — “Palestine” — is not a fully independent, unified state. But he “has no right to reside in Jordan,” Taurel said.

Salinardi declined, saying that can be addressed on appeal.

If sent to Jordan, Sarsour “would just be immediately handed off to Israel,” Taurel said during a news conference Wednesday.

Attorney says Sarsour will fight deportation

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a memo in June 2025 invoking a rarely used immigration provision saying Sarsour could be deported on the same grounds as Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, both advocates for Palestinian rights whom the Trump administration has tried to expel, according to court documents.

Salinardi found Rubio's letter singling out Sarsour as a foreign policy risk was “presumptive and sufficient evidence” that the government can remove him, Taurel said Wednesday, reading from the judge’s decision. The judge gave “extreme deference” to Rubio and to Israel, which has “collaborated” with DHS in the effort to deport Sarsour, the attorney said.

Taurel has said Sarsour will need to demonstrate that he could be tortured again if he were deported, calling it a “very high bar” that he believes his team “can meet in this case.”

A notice of appeal is due within 30 days, and Sarsour has 60 days to file an application for relief. The government cannot deport Sarsour until he has exhausted all available legal avenues. Salinardi, who did not schedule a new hearing, announced he is retiring and that Judge Craig Defoe will oversee the case going forward.

Sarsour says he was tortured and coerced into confessions

Jawad Boulos, who represented Sarsour when he was convicted in Israel, testified in August that Sarsour was coerced into confessing and that he wasn’t convicted of any charge tying him to a terrorist organization. He said Sarsour was tortured by Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency.

The Department of Homeland Security challenged Boulos about the torture allegations, questioning how he could know it was true.

Sarsour’s defense team has repeatedly asked why the government waited until this year to detain him, saying it has known of his imprisonment in Israel for decades.

Experts on forced confessions and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons also testified in Sarsour’s defense. Israeli military courts have faced repeated scrutiny over allegations of limited due process and the high conviction rate of Palestinians. Israel rejects the claims.

In June, U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon ordered Sarsour released from ICE custody saying he could have a case arguing the U.S. government detained him in retaliation for protected speech. Further, Hanlon said, government attorneys had not explained why Sarsour was suddenly considered a threat after decades as a lawful permanent resident.

The Trump administration has appealed Hanlon’s ruling.

Sarsour, who has Type 2 diabetes, lost more than 30 pounds (14 kilograms) while detained by ICE, and his blood sugar levels were checked only once a month, putting him at risk of organ failure or death, his attorneys said.

An investigation by KFF Health News and The Associated Press found that hundreds of detainees in at least 33 states have filed federal lawsuits with similar allegations of medical neglect.

___

Mayes-Osterman is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Could he actually start against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium? Maybe.

Washington coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday it’s “too early to call” if Daniels, who was injured in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, would return after missing last week's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

“But as we’re working through the week, he’ll get more reps,” Quinn said at a news conference after the team arrived in the U.K. “As we get into Thursday and Friday, we’ll see what that load looks like.

“By Friday we’ll have a definite determination of where we’re at,” Quinn continued. “Until then, we’ll work and start the process, but it would be too early to call.”

Marcus Mariota started last week and threw three touchdown passes in the 33-31 win over defending champion Seattle.

The Commanders' session Wednesday was described by Quinn as a light “jog-through” not in pads. Were it a regular practice, Daniels would have officially been “limited,” the coach explained.

Daniels did some light footwork and passing drills, as well as taking snaps under center and simulating a handoff with the ball in his left, non-throwing hand — all with a big, restrictive brace holding his elbow at an angle.

It's the second elbow dislocation for Daniels, who missed most of the second half of last season with the same injury.

“Any athlete would probably tell you when you are going through something a second time, there’s a known of what the road looks like," Quinn said. "We just don’t know yet.

“We’re not going to put him out there before he’s ready,” he continued. “Him being back on the field is like, man that’s a good step for us, and then we’ll take it from there.”

Mariota on Daniels: ‘This is his team’

Mariota, who also filled in for Daniels in Washington's game last season in Madrid, is preparing to start again Sunday. He grew up playing soccer so competing at the home of a Premier League club will be “kind of a cool moment, so I’m looking forward to it.”

But the veteran, in his 12th NFL season, made it clear who QB1 is.

“They’re going make a collective decision that is best for Jayden, and we are going to support that,” Mariota said. “At the end of the day, I think if he’s healthy and he can play — he should play. This is his team.”

He described Daniels, who didn't speak to the media, as being in “good spirits” and “comfortable with where he's at.”

The Commanders lost to the Miami Dolphins 16-13 in overtime last season at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home of Real Madrid.

Should I stay or should I go now?

Sunday’s game offers another contrast in the sports science debate about when to arrive in a country for an international game.

The Commanders are in town two days before the Colts — a significant but not huge difference.

A year ago, the Los Angeles Rams landed in London just 30 hours before kickoff against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had arrived Tuesday of that week. The Rams then routed the Jags 35-7 at Wembley Stadium.

The Rams took a similar approach for their season opener in Melbourne, Australia, against the San Francisco 49ers, who choose to go Down Under a week in advance. The Niners prevailed 27-7.

The Colts beat the Houston Texans 19-17 last Sunday, ending a nine-game losing streak.

Nice digs

NFL teams typically stay in fancy hotels located far from central London. The Commanders are at The Grove, a luxury hotel 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of the city, and it includes a practice field.

If Quinn or his players get bored with football, they can book horse riding lessons, pumpkin picking or an afternoon tea. Tiger Woods won an event at the hotel's golf course in 2006. They could also do a tour at the nearby Warner Bros. Studio.

“I hope I can go see Big Ben or something,” defensive tackle Daron Payne said.

Injury updates

Running back Rachaad White was still dealing with a shoulder injury and did not practice Wednesday. “He needs more treatment and time and rehab on it,” Quinn said. The Commanders signed veteran RB Austin Ekeler on Monday.

G Sam Cosmi (concussion protocol) and S Nick Cross (internal injury) did not travel to London.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The indictment against 36-year-old Ivanna Lisette Ortiz of Orlando was unsealed Wednesday by a Los Angeles County judge.

Ortiz, appearing in court wearing yellow jail clothes, spoke only to her attorney, who entered a not guilty plea for her. The judge then ordered her held on $2.6 million bail.

The move came a day after another judge ruled that Ortiz is mentally competent to stand trial. The secret grand jury proceedings were held as Ortiz was undergoing months of psychiatric evaluation. The jurors returned their indictment June 18, but it was kept under wraps for three months until the judge ruled on her competency. Now, a case that appeared stalled — possibly permanently — is on a fast track to trial.

No one was injured in the March 8 shooting. Authorities allege Ortiz drove a Tesla up to the gates of the Beverly Hills-area property of the singing superstar and her rap star partner A$AP Rocky, pointed an AR-15 style rifle out the window and fired at least 20 rounds toward the property and the neighboring house.

“This is a person who wanted to kill Rihanna,” Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said outside court. “Everyone else was collateral damage.”

Bullets tore through the Airstream trailer, according to a police report. Shots also struck the wall of their home's nursery where their three small children were with their nanny. Rihanna’s mother and several staffers also were in the home, and authorities say she also fired shots toward a neighbor's house.

Deputy Public Defender Derek Dillman, Ortiz's attorney, did not speak to reporters outside the courtroom, and a message seeking comment from the public defender's office on the indictment was not immediately answered. Other than her not guilty pleas, her lawyers have not publicly addressed the charges, saying only that they would work to defend her rights.

Investigators said that on the day of her arrest, Ortiz told them: “I wasn’t attempting murder.”

Ortiz was previously charged in March with Rihanna’s attempted murder and more than a dozen other felony charges. The new indictment supersedes those charges, which a judge dismissed Wednesday. The secret grand jury proceedings allow prosecutors to skip California’s preliminary hearing process, where evidence must be presented publicly to see if a trial is merited.

The indictment also charges Ortiz with 10 counts of assault with an assault weapon — one for each of the people on the two properties — and three counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling or camper. It names the couple's three children Rza, Riot and Rocki, all under age 5, as victims. The assault weapon counts carry a stiffer sentence than the original charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

She could get life in prison if convicted of all counts.

Reports have been sealed on the psychiatric evaluations that paused the case shortly after it began, and there was no public discussion of the details of her mental state. Prosecutors have not said anything about a motive or cited any connection between Rihanna and Ortiz, a longtime licensed speech pathologist with no prior criminal record.

A nine-time Grammy Award winner, Rihanna has had 14 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.”

Bednar, who has coached the Avalanche to a 445–262–75 record during his tenure, led the team to a Stanley Cup title in 2022 behind a nucleus that included Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog.

“We love Bedsy. We've said that for a long time — he’s a great coach, great human, the right coach for this group,” Landeskog said Wednesday morning before the team opened the season against the Los Angeles Kings. “We know he’s as hungry as we are, and that’s a big part of it. Happy for him.”

The team gave Bednar a vote of confidence in the offseason after being swept in the Western Conference Final. Bednar said leading into training camp they were in discussions to get an extension completed. It's the second big deal the Avalanche completed over the summer as the team also locked up Makar, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, to the richest deal in league history.

“We obviously have full trust in him,” said Makar, who signed a signed a $163.2 million, eight-year extension that kicks in next season. “For us to have stability like that as a team and to know the direction that we feel comfortable in and confident that we can find success in is great.”

Bednar was hired in August 2016 following the resignation of coach Patrick Roy. The 54-year-old Bednar is currently the second-longest tenured coach in the NHL, trailing only Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Jared has done an outstanding job over the last decade, and there’s no doubt in my mind he’s the best coach for this group," Joe Sakic, the Avalanche's president of hockey operations/general manager, said in a statement. "He commands the room and has complete confidence of the players. We’re excited to continue to have him in charge, and we believe that his presence maximizes the team’s potential while this core group is intact.”

Bednar brings a sense of calm to the bench, which his players appreciate. The team has been to the playoffs in every season but one under Bednar — his first, in 2016-17, when the team went 22-56-4. He's the 13th head coach (14th occasion) in league history to take the same organization to the postseason in at least nine straight seasons.

“I'm ecstatic," Bednar said. “Nice to be sticking around.”

He had his concerns after his rookie NHL head coaching season.

“The most worried I’ve been is after year one, because it was so bad,” Bednar said. “I put a lot of thought into what I do, how I coach, the way we operate, and I do the best job I possibly can. I’m at peace with that. I don’t really think about the term I have on my contract or don’t have on my contract, it's just going out and doing the best you can to help this team win.”

His team was the Presidents' Trophy winner last year with a franchise-best 121 points and is expected to be another strong Cup contender this season.

“At the end of the day, we have to go out and perform and do the job,” Landeskog said. "I think Bedsy is the right man for us behind the bench. He's always done a good job for us.”

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

On an Israel-bound flight Wednesday, a pilot stabbed another pilot and then apparently tried to crash the aircraft carrying dozens of Israelis, the Israeli prime minister said. Passengers and crew subdued the attacker and the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, in Iran, authorities executed two people accused of violence against security forces during the country’s January protests. And the last U.S. forces left Iraq, under a Washington-Baghdad deal from two years ago.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Wednesday. Full coverage is available here.

Israeli strikes kill 5 Palestinians and wound 19 in Gaza

Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians and wounded 19 in Gaza, hospital officials said Wednesday, the latest of almost daily attacks since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire nearly a year ago, halting the heaviest of the fighting.

Officials at Shifa Hospital said an Israeli strike killed a woman and critically wounded her husband in Gaza City, while another struck a bus, killing four and wounding at least 14. Elsewhere in the territory, a strike in Khan Younis wounded four Palestinians, officials at Nasser Hospital said.

Israel’s military didn’t immediately respond to questions about the bus strike, but said it was reviewing information about the strike in Khan Younis.

Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,400 Palestinians since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which maintains detailed records that are generally seen as reliable. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed in militant attacks over the same time period, while two more were killed by friendly fire.

Mourners hold vigil for 105 people killed during the Gaza war

Hundreds of mourners in Gaza City held a vigil Wednesday for 105 people killed during the war and whose bodies were recovered in the past several days from the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes.

Their remains were wrapped in white bags and draped with Palestinian flags. Plastic candles and red lights from the ambulance trucks provided lighting. Attendees gathered around the bodies, some piled atop the rubble their loved ones were originally found in.

Mass funerals have become more common in Gaza, where Israel has not allowed in the heavy machinery needed to clear the rubble of destroyed buildings and recover the dead.

Israel-bound plane makes emergency landing in Saudi Arabia

A pilot on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel stabbed another pilot Wednesday and then apparently tried to crash the jetliner carrying around 170 people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Passengers and crew subdued the attacker, and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

The FlyDubai flight landed safely after issuing an emergency alert and abruptly descending thousands of feet (meters). Israel scrambled warplanes over concerns of a possible hijacking.

Yasmin Abukasis said her daughter who was on the flight told her in a phone call that she could hear someone screaming “help!” Abukasis said that her daughter told her that the plane started to lose control, but eventually two people were able to wrest control of the plane, while others attempted to subdue an attacker on the floor of the plane.

— By Samy Magdy in Cairo, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel

American troops leave Iraq

The U.S. military said Wednesday that it had completed the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group.

Baghdad touted the move as a sign of the country’s growing strength and sovereignty. It was also celebrated by Iran-backed groups, but raised concerns among some other Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region.

U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the withdrawal in a social media post, saying it “marks the end of a very expensive excursion into Hell.”

“It has been a long time, with very bad decision-making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place, but soon, that will be part of History,” Trump said.

Iran hangs 2 men on charges of violence during protests

Iran executed two men Wednesday over what it said was their role in violence during nationwide anti-government protests in January, state media reported.

IRNA, citing the judiciary, said the men took part in unrest in the northeastern city of Mashhad that left four security officers dead. The judiciary said the men confessed to the violence, including setting fires and damaging public property. It also said one confessed to stabbing a member of Iran's paramilitary force. Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the sentences before they were carried out Wednesday morning.

The unrest began Dec. 28 amid anger over Iran’s collapsing currency and worsening economy and quickly spread across the country. Iranian authorities responded with a deadly crackdown.

Dozens of Iranians have since been executed in connection with the protests, according to state media in Iran. Executions aren't uncommon in Iran, where rights groups say the accused are often tried in secretive courts based on forced confessions extracted through torture.

Oil and fuel exports near pre-war level with alternate routes

Alternate export routes and a U.S.-protected route through the Strait of Hormuz have helped restore oil and fuel exports from the Gulf to near pre-war levels, according to figures from data firm Kpler.

Exports through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal — along with a pipeline to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman and a U.S.-protected route that guides tankers at night — have been a key workaround after the threat of Iranian attacks disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Kpler said during a Tuesday podcast.

About 21.8 million barrels per day of crude and fuel products made from crude are being shipped weekly, on average, compared to the pre-war baseline of 23.3 million barrels per day, Kpler said.

“We are not at pre-conflict levels, but we are getting close to there,” said Matt Smith, Kpler's director of commodity research.

Still, the workarounds are time consuming and expensive.

Saudi Crown Prince says he's confident his kingdom can deter all foes

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de-facto ruler says his kingdom is capable of deterring its enemies as the oil-rich country remains embroiled in a proxy war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“Your country possesses highly efficient human and military capabilities, capable — by the grace of God Almighty — of repelling threats and deterring them completely, regardless of their sources,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday at the inauguration of a new session of the unelected advisory Shura council.

The Houthis recently captured the strategic port city of Mokha and several Red Sea islands, extending their reach toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a maritime route through which about 12% of global trade passes. They, along with allied militias in Iraq, also have attacked Saudi oil facilities and sought to prevent Saudi tankers from using the strait, disrupting the kingdom’s oil exports.

Egypt's president says Suez Canal revenue down $20 billion

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi says that the Suez Canal has lost a cumulative $20 billion in revenue since the Hamas-led attack on Israel unleashed the war in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, and because of maritime navigation disruptions from the Middle East conflict.

During a televised meeting on Tuesday with Cabinet members, top military leaders and local governors, el-Sissi blamed the government’s tight budget and little education and health spending on the volatile geopolitical situation that led to increases in food and energy prices.

“Does that affect us? Of course it does affect us severely,” el-Sissi said.

Traffic was significantly disrupted after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels began targeting vessels heading to Israel through the Suez Canal after the start of the war in Gaza.

___

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

FORECAST HIGHLIGHTS

• REST OF TODAY: A few storms this afternoon (40%) but coverage will increase overnight
• OVERNIGHT: Storms west will push toward San Antonio
• THURSDAY: Widespread rain expected, flooding possible, especially during the first part of the day
• THURSDAY NIGHT & EARLY FRIDAY: Redevelopment possible
• WEEKEND: Rain lingers in spots, but will be lighter

FORECAST

A slow moving front, an upper level low, and moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Polo will bring San Antonio and most of Texas some much-needed rain. But, it may be too much of a good thing, as a Flood Watch is in place tonight through Friday. Remember: A “watch” means the ingredients for flooding are possible, so we’re “watching” the weather closely. A “warning” means that flooding is happening or will begin soon, so you should take action to avoid flooded roads. You should have a way to get warnings if flooding starts.

Here’s what you need to know:

TODAY & TONIGHT

A few afternoon downpours will develop, but coverage will be limited to 40%. This is a preview of the heavier rain expected overnight, Thursday, and through Friday morning.

HEAVY RAIN THURSDAY

Thursday still presents our best chance for rain, as the slow-moving front makes it way closer to the I-35 corridor. Moisture is stacked in the atmosphere, meaning any storm that develops will put down very heavy rainfall. Street flooding is a concern in the urban areas, while we will closely monitor creeks and streams.

The highest risk for flooding appears to be during the first half of Thursday, but redevelopment Thursday night into Friday morning is possible.

RAIN LINGERS ON FRIDAY

While rain Friday morning could lead to additional flooding, rain will lighten during the second part of the day. Highs will struggle to get out of the 70s.

SHOWERS THIS WEEKEND

More scattered activity is expected over the weekend, but activity will be light and intermittent, so flooding is not a concern. Fall-like weather is in the forecast for next week.

QUICK WEATHER LINKS

• WATCH LIVE: Doppler Radar
• Hourly and 10-Day Forecast
• Download FREE KSAT Weather Authority App: Up-to-date forecast information and livestreams from trusted local meteorologists.
• KSAT Connect: Share your weather photos.

Before leaving Washington to campaign, Senate Republicans reserved one of the chamber's final votes for a bill they hoped would underscore efforts to address the impact data centers have on voters' monthly energy bills. The bill needed 60 votes to advance, but fell short, 57—43.

The bill is a modest one. It requires utility regulators to consider adopting a federal standard that charges large power customers a rate that covers the cost of the system upgrades needed to serve them. Democrats say it amounts to a suggestion and that more is needed. Republicans say the bill sends a message to regulators to act.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican from Ohio, is in a tough reelection battle and has been labeled in campaign ads as the “face of data centers” by his Democratic challenger, former Sen. Sherrod Brown.

“You all know this is the only game in town,” Husted told reporters in advocating for his bill. “This bill passing is the only way to get a chance to prove to the American people before the midterm elections whose side you're on.”

Senate Democrats say the bill isn't tough enough

The measure passed the House by a vote of 417-3. It needed support from at least seven Democratic senators to proceed to a final vote, but that didn't happen given the criticism from within their ranks that it doesn't go far enough and knowing that passage could give Husted's reelection prospects a lift.

“The bill is a fraud, plain and simple,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said.

Democrats have offered competing proposals. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. sponsored legislation that would direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to issue rules for large electricity customers that requires them to pay for necessary grid upgrades.

“They want it optional, which means zero. We want it mandatory,” Schumer said.

Republicans are looking to position Democrats as obstructionists who are blocking progress on key voter concerns. Husted's bill is one example. Another would be the bill from Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., that would bar members of Congress from purchasing individual stocks. The issue is a popular one with candidates running for office this election cycle, but also includes voter identification requirements that Democrats have called a poison pill.

Thune teed up both bills for procedural votes and both failed to meet the 60-vote threshold for advancing.

“Both pieces of legislation strike at the very heart of issues that the American people care deeply about, passionately about, and we'll see if the Democrats are willing to take yes for an answer," Thune said.

Data centers have become a top campaign issue

The House and Senate are both expected to be out of session for all of October. The House left in mid-September, canceling nearly two weeks of votes as Republicans were anxious to get on the campaign trail in a bid to keep their majority in the next Congress.

President Donald Trump has embraced the building of more data centers, but there is growing wariness from voters. About 6 in 10 Americans support limiting the number of new data centers that can be built, including most Democrats and Republicans.

And a majority of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the impact of data centers on electricity prices or the water supply in the communities where they are built.

In Ohio, a data center hot spot with closely contested races for governor and U.S. Senate, the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned in a recent memo that Husted is vulnerable to losing his seat because of the centers. Husted helped promote Ohio as a destination for data centers while serving as lieutenant governor.

The Ohio race is seen as vital to determining control of the Senate, helping explain why the data center bill has generated so much scrutiny and is so hotly contested despite the overwhelming vote it received in the House.

Speaking on the Senate floor before the vote, Husted said that the bill requires states to at least confront the issue of data centers paying their own way for their power and the grid improvements needed to serve them. He said the bill could hardly get broader support than it did in the House, but by blocking the bill in the Senate, Democrats would be showing they don’t care about the issue of affordability.

“Let’s hold data centers accountable and let’s stop blocking a path to affordability,” Husted said.

During the 2025-2026 school year, 619 districts across the state implemented the instruction materials for the first time. The TEA reports on average, those districts saw “better year-over-year achievement change than non-Bluebonnet districts.”

A greater percentage of those students met grade level on Spring 2026 STAAR assessments compared with Spring 2025 results — an improvement other districts did not see, according to the TEA.

Seventy-two districts using at least one Bluebonnet Learning program during the 2025-2026 school year earned an “A” rating, including 26 that had scored below an “A” the previous year.

“Bluebonnet Learning is an important resource to help our schools focus on the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. “With insights from year one, we will continue our investments in rigorous curriculum to make Texas number one in public education.”

The TEA says the instructional materials save taxpayers money. Print costs for Bluebonnet are lower than other instructional materials, the agency reports.

“For example, over a four-year period, Bluebonnet Learning Grade 2 math is $1,350.88 less expensive per classroom than the next comparable available material approved by the SBOE (State Board of Education), and Grade 2 RLA is $498.48 less expensive,” a TEA news release states.

San Antonio-area districts opted-in

When Bluebonnet Learning was first approved by the state in 2024, South San Independent School District was the first district in San Antonio to adopt the materials.

The state-endorsed teaching materials grew “controversial” amongst First Amendment advocates who have raised concerns that the curriculum may blur the distinction between educating about religious texts and promoting a specific faith, while potentially enticing financially challenged districts.

South San ISD Superintendent Saul Hinojosa said he worked with a committee to review the curriculum before it was taught in the district’s public schools.

“If there was anything that the committee felt was inappropriate by their standards, they took a vote, and we took their feedback and put it into action,” Hinojosa told KSAT in August.

Among the changes, South San ISD removed or modified several readings from the curriculum because of their focus on religion.

After the first year, South San ISD boosted its TEA accountability rating from a “D” to a “C.” When asked whether that progress is tied to Bluebonnet Learning, Hinojosa didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely. I mean, your curriculum is a driving force,” Hinojosa said.

San Antonio Independent School District joins South San ISD who adopted the instructional materials at some schools at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.

“The Bluebonnet curriculum provides a high-quality, standards-aligned foundation for teaching reading and math and is the curriculum most closely aligned to the STAAR assessment,” a SAISD spokesperson told KSAT in August. “By consistently implementing Bluebonnet throughout the year, we give students the strongest opportunity to demonstrate ongoing growth, build mastery of essential skills, and achieve academic success.”

Bluebonnet designed for ‘transparency,’ TEA says

The TEA says the instructional materials are designed for “total transparency,” with every unit including a take-home letter for parents to know exactly what their children are learning.

“TEA works closely with Texas teachers who use Bluebonnet materials in their classrooms to make improvements based on teacher feedback,” the release states. “In this way, the benefits that one district experiences with Bluebonnet can be more easily spread to others across the state as district adoption of Bluebonnet Learning continues to grow.”

Read also:

• San Antonio ISD students begin Bluebonnet Learning, which critics have described as controversial

A total of 31 migrants, most of whom were Iraqi Kurds, died in November 2021 when their boat sank.

Fourteen people, including two who remain at large, had been on trial since Sept. 8. One of them was acquitted. They were accused of organizing the crossing of a small boat that was unfit for navigation on the open sea, was overloaded and lacked appropriate life jackets.

Emmanuel Daoud, a lawyer for victims’ families, said that “when it costs the lives of 31 people and the sea becomes a cemetery, there is a price, and the court said that the price they had to pay was justice and prison time.”

Meanwhile, an investigation into seven military personnel who have been indicted for failing to assist the shipwreck survivors is still underway.

Following an alert from a fishing vessel about bodies in the water off the coast of Calais, French authorities recovered 27 bodies, including two teenagers and a child. Four others weren't recovered.

The court said that the trial highlighted the dramatic consequences of the methods used by smugglers driven by greed “profiting from the vulnerability of exile candidates.”

Court documents said that one of the survivors told investigators that he had taken part in an earlier failed attempt to cross the Channel with 53 other migrants. They were brought back to French shores by rescue teams.

He said that his family in Iraq funded his passage, having paid $3,200, according to the documents.

He said that the same smugglers’ network organized the second attempt on Nov. 24 when the small boat sank. After it was prepared in a wooded area, the gray boat equipped with a 40 CV outboard motor was launched. The migrants, wearing life jackets provided by the smugglers, set out to sea at around 10 p.m. local time.

Four hours later, the boat began to deflate, and with the motor having stopped, it drifted at the mercy of the currents. Some passengers then wanted to return to France, while others wanted to reach England and several people who spoke English tried to contact emergency services.

___

Nicolas Vaux-Montagny reported from Saint-Etienne, France.

A jury found Jeffrey Lee Devorah, 47, guilty of murder last month. The DA said Devorah’s punishment of life in prison was decided by an Atascosa County judge on Tuesday.

He is eligible for parole after serving 30 years in prison.

KSAT reported Devorah was arrested in 2023 after Atascosa County deputies found human remains in his backyard.

At the time, the remains were believed to be his girlfriend, Tiffany Lynette Garza, 37, who was last seen on March 25, 2019.

In July of that year, investigators heard audio that said Garza was killed in the 600 block of Bocawood Drive in the Shalimar Subdivision, north of Poteet.

Investigators went to the home and found “significant blood evidence” along with a backyard burn pit that contained human bones and bone fragments.

A tip led local investigators and Texas Rangers to a person who said they “reported seeing Tiffany’s murder and helping burn her body in Devorah’s backyard.”

The bone evidence was sent to forensic experts at Texas State University, and they confirmed the bones belonged to a woman between the ages of 22 and 56. Garza was 37 at the time.

The blood recovered from the house was tested by the Bexar County Crime Lab, where they found DNA that matched with the biological mother of Tiffany’s son and the biological daughter of Tiffany’s mother.

Devorah was first interviewed by police after an unrelated arrest in 2019, but he said he knew nothing about her disappearance. He did say that she was living at the home on Bocawood.

Audrey Gossett, the Atascosa County DA, called Garza’s murder heinous in her emotional statement shared on social media.

“No sentence can restore what her family has lost, but Tiffany’s life—and the truth about what happened to her—deserved every bit of that effort,” Gossett said. “Tiffany’s life mattered. Our thoughts remain with her family and everyone who loved her.”

Read also:

• Man charged in girlfriend’s death after remains found in burn pit, Atascosa County sheriff says

SPURS MEDIA DAY BEHIND THE SCENES

The show took viewers onto the floor at Spurs Media Day, and the media crowd itself told the story: roughly 200 outlets credentialed this year, up from about 60 last season. Players talked about what changes when a team stops being a surprise. Victor Wembanyama said the difference is real but familiar, since opponents were already expecting something by game 60 last year. De’Aaron Fox framed the expectations as fuel, and there was plenty of talk about chemistry, including the group getting back together in Paris over the summer. Dylan Harper and rookie center Tarris Reed Jr. were also part of the day. The season opener is Tuesday, October 20 at the Frost Bank Center against the Thunder.

TARRIS REED JR., ROOKIE CENTER

The one-on-one with the rookie center was the warmest stretch of the hour. He described still not quite believing he is a Spur, down to his parents helping him move in and his brother’s reaction, and credited veterans in the locker room for being open with him. Asked about a core Spurs memory, he skipped past any single game and went straight to playing 2K with his brothers, using players he now shares a gym and a city with. Meeting Manu Ginobili, he said, was surreal. He also admitted he has never had a breakfast taco, which the hosts treated as an emergency: one recommended bacon, egg and a little cheese on flour, the other went corn tortilla with a darker roasted salsa. San Antonio was invited to weigh in.

FLOOD PREPAREDNESS IN BEXAR COUNTY

Sponsored by the San Antonio River Authority, this conversation with the deputy chief of emergency management for the Bexar County Office of Emergency Management made the case that the work happens on dry days. Flooding is the area’s most common hazard, he said, and the office plans, trains and exercises year-round with partners including the National Weather Service, county public works and the city. His most concrete advice: subscribe at bexarflood.org for alerts tied to specific low water crossings near your home, job or your kids’ school, then actually use them by mapping alternate routes before the water rises. An alert is only an alert, he said; what you do with it counts. More preparation information is at Floodsdontcare.com, or by phone at 210-227-1373.

ATLAS FLOORS CARPET ONE, THREE GENERATIONS IN

In a sponsored segment, the leadership of Atlas Floors Carpet One walked through a business that started in San Antonio in 1948 and is now run by the third generation. The founders were a World War II veteran and carpenter and his wife, who was the first woman to graduate from Trinity University with a business degree. The company turns 80 next year. The president and vice president, mother and daughter, talked about digging through family photographs and old marketing materials, and about how tastes have moved from shag carpet and orange and avocado vinyl to waterproof, kid-proof, pet-proof luxury vinyl and laminate as customers pull up carpet for hard surface. Giving back came up as part of the company’s DNA: rugs donated to local classrooms, support for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and accessible homes for wounded veterans, and sponsorship and volunteering with the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. There are two San Antonio showrooms offering free estimates, and details are at atlasfloors.com or (210) 496-5006. The code SALIVE gets 10% off a flooring project.

THE CARPET REMNANT PURSE CHALLENGE

One detail from that history was too good to let go. The founders’ wife ran a boutique inside the first showroom, out of the front of the house the family also lived in, and she turned leftover carpet remnants into custom ladies’ purses. For HemisFair in 1968 she made versions with a special pendant, sold as Tower Tote bags to mark the opening of the Tower of the Americas. So the hosts revived it, with fringe on hand, and challenged each other to build their own remnant bags. The working name on set: the shag bag.

Crews have been inspecting drainage systems and equipment, clearing debris from culverts and inlets and checking flood-prone areas, including construction sites. TxDOT has also placed barricades and signs in some areas ahead of the storms.

“We’re planning to activate our Emergency Operations Center, which would call for 24-hour surveillance on all roadway conditions,” TxDOT spokesperson Jonathan Cotto said. “Our crews are also prepared to deploy.”

>> VIA prepares for possible detours during rain event forecasted for the San Antonio area

Maintenance crews and HERO trucks will be on standby to assist drivers who need help. TxDOT is urging people to avoid driving in severe weather when possible.

Cotto reminded drivers to “turn around, don’t drown” if they encounter water covering a roadway.

“Any water level above any roadway can be deceiving,” Cotto said. “You never know how truly deep the water can be, and you don’t know what the conditions may be below the water. We don’t know if the surface has been eroded.”

Drivers can find real-time road condition updates through the DriveTexas app or at DriveTexas.org.

Read also:

• After $16K in damage, West Side homeowner prepares for another storm

The Bexar County Constable Office Precinct 2 is looking for Sebastian Martinez Guajardo. The precinct said Guajardo faces a Class A misdemeanor charge of cruelty to non-livestock animals when he is found.

The precinct is accusing Guajardo of abandoning three of his dogs. Investigators said one of the dogs died due to extreme malnourishment.

Anyone with information related to this case is urged to contact the Bexar County Constable’s Office Precinct 2 at 210-334-5480.

Read also:

• 1 killed, 1 injured after woman allegedly drives into them near Northwest Side restaurant, SAPD says
• Murder defendant guilty of lesser charge, will spend 40 years in prison for fatal stabbing, DA says

Noem, who was tasked with leading President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown from January 2025 to March 2026 and previously served as South Dakota's governor, is seeking a divorce from Bryon Noem in their home state. The two married in May 1992 and have three children.

The filing, made in April but posted online on Monday, comes after questions arose earlier this year about the nature of Kristi Noem's relationship with a top adviser. The complaint, filed in Hamlin County, notes “irreconcilable differences” as grounds for the divorce.

In a statement, Kristi Noem's attorney confirmed she has filed for divorce and said she will reserve further comments for the legal process. Lawyers for Bryon Noem did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A day before Noem was ousted from her post in Trump's cabinet, members of Congress questioned her about an alleged extramarital affair with Corey Lewandowski, a special government employee and one of the secretary’s lead advisers. He was Trump’s first campaign manager in 2016 and appeared to play an outsized role in Noem's department, even though his position was supposed to have a limit on days worked.

Noem denied the allegations that they were having an affair, dismissing them as “tabloid garbage.”

Once a close ally to Trump, Noem became a liability for the Republican president as questions arose over her conduct following the shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis at the hands of immigration officers. Noem characterized both Renee Good and Alex Pretti as aggressors, contradicting videos from the scene and descriptions of their deaths from bystanders. She also faced criticism from fellow Republicans for her spending at her department.

Trump nominated Markwayne Mullin, then a U.S. senator from Oklahoma, in Noem's place and made her a special envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a new security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere.

___

Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City, Utah.

Consumer prices rose 3.4% in August compared with a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, below the 3.7% economist expectations. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3%, up from 0.1% in July, a sign prices that are still running hot.

Excluding the volatile energy and food categories, inflation also came in lower than expected, rising 3% in August from a year ago. And from July to August, core prices rose just 0.2%, up from 0.1% the previous month. Many economists feared core prices would rise more quickly month-to-month.

U.S. markets bounced higher immediately on the new inflation reading, with investors betting that an expected interest-rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve might be delayed.

Even so, inflation remains above the Federal Reserve's 2% target and the monthly increase in August suggests it isn't moving back toward the target anytime soon. The Fed lifted its key short-term interest rate two weeks ago for the first time in three years to combat inflation and most economists expect it will do so at least once more this year, possibly as soon as late next month.

“Inflation’s trend is lower but still not close to their target and not improving, either,” Bill Adams, chief U.S. economist at Fifth Third Commercial Bank, said in an email.

Wednesday's report covered a key inflation gauge closely watched by the Fed, known as the personal consumption expenditures price index. It is similar to the higher-profile consumer price index, which was released earlier this month.

High prices have cast a pall on the U.S. economy, even as growth is mostly solid and the unemployment rate is low. On Tuesday, the Conference Board's consumer confidence survey fell to its lowest level since 2014, a period that includes both the Great Recession and a global pandemic.

Americans' paychecks are growing but not as quickly as prices.

Inflation for July was previously reported at 3.7% but was revised lower to 3.4% by the government as part of an update in how it measures price changes in several categories, including investment management, computer software and accessories, and legal services.

For example, the government previously put a heavy weight on some computer accessories that have jumped in price because of outsized demand from the AI buildout. The revisions lowered that weight and as a result, the higher prices for some computer equipment are not driving up this measure of inflation as much.

Spending picks up

Despite elevated prices, Americans accelerated their spending last month, the government said, with spending jumping 0.9% from July to August, up from just 0.1% the previous month.

Some of that increase was likely fueled by wealthier Americans cashing in their gains from higher stock prices, a recent report from JPMorgan suggests. Other consumers may be taking on more debt to support their spending.

After-tax incomes, adjusted for inflation, were unchanged on a monthly basis in August, after rising 0.3% in July, the report said.

Healthy consumer spending could fuel a pickup in growth. In a separate report Wednesday, the government said the economy expanded at a 2.2% annual pace in the July-September quarter. Analysts expect that to pick up to a 3% rate in the current quarter.

At a recent fundraiser before a small group of conservative lobbyists and donors, The Times reported, Paxton was asked, “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?” The recording does not make clear whether the question referred to Trump, though Paxton’s response suggested as much.

“So to be honest with you, the numbers — when we did that convention — it dropped our numbers,” Paxton responded in the recording. “Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good.”

The Texas Tribune did not independently verify The Times’ reporting.

Paxton’s remark comes as he faces mounting pressure to gain ground against Democratic nominee James Talarico, with early voting less than three weeks out and Paxton continuing to narrowly trail in most public polling. Trump, a longtime Paxton ally who has played a key role in boosting the attorney general’s campaign, did not immediately address the report Wednesday morning. The president’s own approval rating in Texas was underwater as of August, according to The Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin.

Earlier this year, the president helped deliver Paxton the Republican nomination by endorsing him over U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. More recently, Trump has mobilized his political apparatus to help Paxton catch up on ad spending.

Trump pushed the GOP to host a first-of-its-kind midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month, urging voters to “pretend” he was on the ballot this year with the aim of juicing Republican turnout in November. On stage, the president ribbed Paxton for his looks and the way he speaks while praising him as the “greatest attorney general in America.”

“I think the fact that we had such a successful convention really helped Ken Paxton,” Trump told reporters earlier this month. “He was a big part of it.”

In a statement, Paxton senior adviser Nick Maddux called the recording “more manipulated nonsense from the New York Times to create a story that doesn’t exist.”

“Every serious pollster will tell you that our numbers have improved since early September,” Maddux said. “Ken Paxton is going to win this race, and he looks forward to closing strong alongside President Trump including when he comes to Texas this week.”

Paxton’s campaign on Tuesday released an internal poll, fielded two weeks after the convention, showing him up three percentage points over Talarico. The attorney general also planned to accompany Trump during a visit to a truck factory in Denton on Thursday.

Vice President JD Vance was also set to appear in Harlingen Wednesday as part of a fall push from the administration to boost Republican candidates in competitive races, including the handful of battleground U.S. House races anchored in South Texas.

With Paxton’s fundraising far lagging Talarico’s, Trump’s super PAC has deployed $22.2 million on a mix of pro-Paxton and anti-Talarico advertising since early September, when the president’s MAGA Inc. group delivered the first major round of outside spending. Texas PAC, a group associated with Senate Republican leadership, was up to $125 million on airtime, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.

Those outlays from national Republicans have helped tilt the spending balance firmly in Paxton’s favor and turned the contest into the ninth-most expensive Senate race on record, according to AdImpact. Talarico, meanwhile, has spent $63.4 million on advertising. Because of a lower rate on airtime offered to candidates, Talarico’s dollars go further than those of national groups and super PACs.

In addition to Paxton’s remarks about the convention, Democrats this week also seized on a clip of him defending his office’s handling of the case of Adam Hoffman, a Waco man who was charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a young boy. Talarico has consistently attacked Paxton over the case, accusing him of offering an overly generous plea deal and labeling him in ads as a “pedophile protector.”

“The criticism has been that I let a child predator out having [served in jail] one day. Well, guess what? They served 60 days. It wasn’t what we wanted, but we did not control that situation,” Paxton said during a conversation with the United States Hispanic Business Council Monday. “We wanted to retry it, and we decided, you know what? We need to protect this kid.”

After Hoffman’s trial ended with a hung jury, and the child victim declined to testify in a second trial, Paxton’s office offered a plea deal that would have let Hoffman plead guilty to two misdemeanors and serve a total of one day in jail. The judge insisted on a 60-day sentence. Paxton’s comment went viral online this week, with critics homing in on the “60 days” snippet and arguing it was little better than a single day behind bars.

Paxton’s latest stumbles also come as Talarico has pressured him to stand for a debate. At The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin last week, Talarico challenged Paxton to a debate hosted by Fox News. He then posted a video on social media that showed him leaving Paxton a voicemail.

“I’ve accepted four local TV debates, but we haven’t heard from you, and we’re running out of time,” Talarico says in the message. “So if Fox News is where you’ll be most comfortable, I’ll be there, because I think it’s that important. Brett Baier can moderate. We can both take questions, and Texans can hear from us directly.”

A Fox News spokesperson suggested to the Huffington Post this week that the network would move forward with a debate if Paxton agreed. Paxton’s campaign previously said “of course” he would debate Talarico. But he has not yet agreed to any debates, with just over two weeks before the start of early voting.

Gabby Birenbaum contributed to this report.

Disclosure: The New York Times and The University of Texas at Austin have been major financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.

Brown arrived in a Miami courtroom Wednesday morning and was ready to plead no contest to aggravated assault and be sentenced to probation, his lawyer said. But a Florida judge said she was in the middle of another trial and not ready to go forward. The hearing was pushed back to Oct. 28.

Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025, and firing two shots at a man he had been in a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators one of the bullets grazed his neck.

Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh said Brown was looking forward to putting the case behind him. Eiglarsh said the plea deal offered by prosecutors was too good to turn down and that it says Brown would not be considered a convicted felon.

“It’s a setback because it’s another month that my client has an ankle monitor on and doesn’t have closure, which everybody in this case wants,” Eiglarsh said. He said he was “cautiously optimistic” the judge would agree to the terms.

Brown could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the original attempted murder charge. He has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and others were trying to steal jewelry from him.

Florida’s Stand Your Ground law allows people who believe they face death or serious injury to use deadly force to defend themselves without a duty to retreat.

Nantambu said after Wednesday’s postponement that he hopes Brown will take advantage of the deal to “become a better person and be there for his family.”

“We want him to get the healing that he needs,” he said.

Richard Cooper, an attorney for Nantambu, said Nantambu forgave Brown and would not cooperate with law enforcement.

At one point in the court’s hallway, Brown slipped on a dark mask while talking to his attorney and then pulled it off before going into the hearing.

Brown, 38, spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in the 2021-22 season for Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl with quarterback Tom Brady the previous season.

Over the course of his career, much of it spent with Pittsburgh, he had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 88 total touchdowns, including punt returns and one pass.

During a January 2022 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers and effectively ending his career.

Brown has dealt with several legal problems over the years. He previously was accused of battery of a moving truck driver, several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents.

Brown was extradited in November 2025 from Dubai, where he has business interests, after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June of the same year.

___

This story has been corrected to show Brown’s last game against the Jets was in 2022, not 2021.

The crash happened just after 9:00 p.m. in the 9600 block of U.S. Highway 90 West.

When officers arrived, a police preliminary report states they learned the suspect, identified as a 26-year-old man, was traveling westbound on the highway when he crashed his vehicle into the back of a 63-year-old man’s truck.

Police said the impact caused the suspect’s vehicle to catch fire, trapping him inside. Bystanders pulled the suspect out of the vehicle before officers arrived.

Both men were taken to a local hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known.

According to authorities, the man who allegedly caused the crash is expected to face DWI charges.

The investigation is ongoing.

Read also:

• 1 killed, 1 injured after woman allegedly drives into them near Northwest Side restaurant, SAPD says

A sometimes-overlooked element of the bill designed to regulate name-image-likeness payments and myriad other problems in college sports is the protections it offers the smaller, non-revenue-generating “Olympic” sports. Hundreds of thousands of athletes across the country play these sports in college, and their talent leads to hundreds of medals for the U.S.

Exhibit A: Of the 257 U.S. athletes who won medals at the Paris Olympics two years ago, 184 had roots in an NCAA program.

That's why, at the urging of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the bill includes language requiring most college programs, which devote the lion's share of their resources to football and basketball, to maintain the same number of scholarships and roster spots for Olympic sports as they had in the 2024-25 school year.

Another element of the bill adds a $27 million “retention pool” to the revenue-sharing cap schools are allowed to pay to athletes; $5 million of that has to be spent on women’s and Olympic sports.

While not a foolproof solution — some schools could ask for waivers and others could shift numbers around among different sports to dilute their investments — Olympic insiders believe the bill offers a sustainable remedy for what they consider a likely move away from non-revenue sports if schools are left to their own devices.

“The sky is not falling, but we're not going back to what used to be” whether the bill becomes law or not, Sarah Hirshland, the CEO of the USOPC, said last week at the annual USOPC Assembly. “We're not in a state of panic about Team USA not being able to compete in Los Angeles. But there are some things that really need to be fixed.”

With House passage uncertain, Olympic leaders study other solutions

Against that backdrop, leaders at the USOPC know that even if the bill passes the House, where it faces a steep climb, they need to plan for a future in which college programs cut Olympic sports to make ends meet.

A report released within the last month by the bill's co-sponsor, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said that since 2023, which is when the so-called “arms race” to obtain football and basketball talent shifted into high gear, colleges have eliminated more than 100 women’s and Olympic sports programs.

“I feel for the athletic directors because many of them are trying to run a business but they don't know what tomorrow is, and that makes it really difficult for long-term planning," said Rocky Harris, the USOPC's chief of sport and athlete services. “If you can't do long-term planning, you can't run a good business. And if they can't run a good business, then that impacts Olympics sports directly.”

Cantwell has cited the peril Olympic and women's sports face as the key reason she got involved in crafting the legislation.

The connection between, say, a starting quarterback's NIL haul and the U.S. gold medal count in LA two years from now exists because the U.S. government, unlike most governments around the globe, doesn't bankroll the Olympics or its pipeline. That leaves the task to the nation's grassroots sports organizations and, eventually, the U.S. college system, where football underwrites everything.

“I don't think people understand the connection between the money that's made by football and the success of our Olympic system,” said Cody Campbell, the billionaire from Texas Tech who has aired ads during Saturday college football games supporting the legislation.

LA Games should give participation a boost, but will colleges play along?

Harris, who led USA Triathlon before coming to the USOPC, said the push to make women's triathlon an “emerging sport” at the NCAA level was intended to give young girls a chance “to dream about doing triathlon.”

“Maybe they couldn't see themselves as Olympians, but many of them could see themselves as a college athlete and I knew that would drive our plan," Harris said.

Without college programs, Harris says, the potential elite athletes in a sport move on to other things. If those programs do exist that's how a pipeline begins.

In many ways, the doubts about the future of the Olympic movement come at a time when the United States should be preparing for an upswing in participation with the LA Olympics less than two years away. Hirshland cited numbers that showed participation in some Olympic sports grew between 25% and 35% after the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, the last time the Summer Games were held on U.S. soil.

“I'm still bullish that LA will actually accelerate that,” Hirshland said. “We're not going to see flat. We're going to see growth in the desire to do sports some people might have never contemplated.”

But where will the kids who discover fencing or wrestling or track during the LA Games play in college?

The thinking around the USOPC offices is that there will always be programs.

Oregon, for example, has always been a bastion for distance runners and probably won't do anything to detract from its iconic track program. Iowa's wrestling program has produced 24 national titles over the years.

What grabs more attention was the move Stanford made in 2020, when, citing financial pressures from the pandemic, it announced it was axing 11 varsity sports. Less than a year later, and under pressure from alumni and boosters, it reversed those decisions.

Still, if a deep-pocketed school like Stanford that had won 25 straight Directors' Cups — awarded for the overall strongest results across all collegiate sports — could cut programs because of financial pressure, then what school couldn't? Stanford's new athletic director, John Donahoe, was recently appointed to the USOPC's Collegiate Advisory Council, replacing his predecessor on The Farm, Bernard Muir.

Even if the bill passes and schools are required to maintain their numbers, the provision lapses in nine years at the biggest schools and four years at mid-sized universities, which is why the USOPC is doing work now.

Hirshland said she thinks there will be “more customization and differentiation, sport to sport,” based on what makes sense at each university.

“I'd like to believe our education system will remained anchored in sports," she said. “But if it doesn't, I'm confident there will be systems that emerge to pick up that demand and provide the experiences for people who want them. Our job is is to drive interest and ensure the infrastructure, and we're focused on both.”

___

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.

In a notice published Wednesday in the Federal Register, the State Department said it was amending its International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, so that Syria no longer was among the nations subject to a policy of denial for licenses and other approvals needed for the sale of U.S. weapons and munitions.

The change effective Thursday means that arms sales requests from Syria will now be considered on a case-by-case basis.

President Donald Trump acted last year to ease economic sanctions on Syria that had been in place for decades during now-ousted President Bashar Assad’s rule. In August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio rescinded Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, helping paving the way for the latest step in drawing closer to the current government.

The State Department has also announced plans to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. It has been closed for 14 years.

With Syria’s removal from the ITAR blacklist, only seven countries remain subject to the policy of denial for licenses for U.S. arms exports: Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Venezuela.

Syria’s interim president, former rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, overthrew the Assad government nearly two years ago and has embarked on a policy of change that has impressed the Trump administration. His moves have led to hopes of eventual stability in a country that was wracked by civil war and the Islamic State insurgency that engulfed northeast and western Iraq for years.

Wednesday’s withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq may mean that the Syrian government plays a greater role in preventing an IS resurgence.

The officials did not say what the response contained and whether it was a rejection.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented the U.S. response to President Masoud Pezeshkian at a Cabinet meeting, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told the state-run IRNA news agency.

“We will make every effort to bring the agreement to fruition and will firmly stand up for the rights of the Iranian people,” Pezeshkian said. “The agreement must now be based on a win-win strategy.”

The Cabinet meeting followed Araghchi's return to Iran after travelling to New York for last week's U.N. General Assembly, where officials held indirect talks with U.S. officials and also met with Qatari and Pakistani mediators on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders.

Araghchi briefed the Cabinet on his trip to New York and the meetings he held there, including Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Mohajerani said had been conveyed through mediators.

Araghchi last week said he floated the proposal to reopen the strait in a week if the U.S. agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other conditions.

Trump swiftly rejected the proposal, saying Iran wanted to make a deal because it was “losing so badly” but that its offer "would not be acceptable.” Despite Trump's public rebuffing, mediators continued working with Iran and the U.S. to try to broker a deal to end the fighting and open the strait, according to officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department unveiled new sanctions on Tuesday targeting people and companies around the globe that it accuses of being financial facilitators or enablers of Iran’s military supply chain.

The latest action is part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign aimed at severing “critical financial lifelines” for the already heavily sanctioned Iranian government.

Ten people and entities based in Iran, Hong Kong and Pakistan now face sanctions over accusations of procuring weapons and weapon components for Iran’s defense ministry as it fights its now seven-month war against the U.S.

Iran's economy is spiraling further

Iran's economy, under heavy strain before the war started, has been in a freefall since the conflict began in late February.

The country's currency fell to a new record low on Tuesday, with traders in Tehran exchanging more than 2.5 million rials to the U.S. dollar in a stark reflection of how the war in the Middle East has steadily eroded the Iranian economy.

The latest decline came just 27 days after the rial hit its previous record low of 2.2 million to the dollar on Sept. 2. The currency has repeatedly reached new lows since the war began in February.

Trump on Tuesday said that Iran is “failing very badly, very badly” and predicted anew that the war will be “over with very, very soon.”

At the onset of the conflict, he predicted that the war would last just weeks. More recently, Trump said he expects it won't end until after the Nov. 3 midterm elections in the U.S.

Iranians face soaring prices for medicine amid US blockade, sanctions

Medication prices are soaring in Iran and some treatments have become hard to find, leaving patients and their families scrambling as a U.S. blockade and stepped-up sanctions squeeze the country’s pharmaceuticals industry.

Some medicines have more than tripled in price, further straining Iranians’ finances seven months into the country’s war with the United States and Israel. Prices for food and other goods have skyrocketed even as unemployment has risen and the currency, which hit a record low this week, has lost half its value.

The war has become an economic endurance test. Iran has tried to push world energy prices higher with attacks on the region’s oil shipping routes; the United States, in turn, has aimed to wreck Iran’s economy by blockading its ports since June and slapping it with increasingly tough sanctions.

Iran executes 2 men on charges of violence during January protests

Also on Wednesday, two men were executed in Iran over their role in violence during nationwide anti-government protests in January, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Citing the country's judiciary, IRNA said the men took part in unrest in the northeastern city of Mashhad that left four members of the security forces dead earlier this year. Their death sentences were upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court before being carried out Wednesday morning.

The unrest began Dec. 28 amid anger over Iran’s collapsing currency and worsening economy and quickly spread across the country, with demonstrators increasingly calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. Iranian authorities responded with a deadly crackdown.

Rights groups say thousands were killed and tens of thousands arrested, while Iranian authorities have reported a substantially lower death toll.

The San Antonio City Council voted 6-5 in mid-June to delay a vote on a set of rate increases that could raise the average residential customer’s bill by roughly $15 to $17 per month by 2029 — an increase of 29.9%.

SAWS has said a rate increase is mainly needed to support billions of dollars worth of capital expenses, including upgrading wastewater treatment plants, replacing pipes and installing backup generators.

On Wednesday, the council will discuss a revised proposal, which is a similar, delayed version to the one they considered three months ago. Under the new plan, rates could bump an average monthly bill by roughly $13 to $17 by 2030.

Instead of raising rates in July under the initial proposal, residential rates would go up 6.9% in January 2027 and be raised again in 6.5% in 2028, between 4.5% and 7% in 2029, and between 4% and 6.6% in 2030.

The range of rates in the latter two years of increases dips slightly lower than what was presented in June, 4.5% and 4% instead of 5.5% and 5%.

Because of the delay, SAWS Chief Financial Officer Cecilia Velasquez said SAWS has had to shrink its $3.2 billion, five-year capital program to $2.6 billion.

That means dropping about $600 million worth of work, she said, including on eliminating dead-end water mains, constructing new water mains, and coordinating work with other governmental projects.

“But that’s what we had to do to fit into the program,” Velasquez said.

Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1) was one of the council members who voted to delay considering the rate increase. She told KSAT on Monday “they do need this money. There is work that needs to be done. There’s not a debate about that.”

“It’s making sure that they understand what we are — what they are asking us to do and ensuring their operations are at the place we expect from a public utility,” she said. “And so for me, it was always less about the issue and more did I see progress and metrics on things that they were coming to us with or were they just saying ‘rubber stamp this,’ and so that was always my concern.”

Councilman Marc Whye (D10) also voted for the delay. Even if the plan isn’t much different than what it was in June, he says residents are still paying less for their water now by virtue of it being delayed.

But he also doesn’t appear ready to vote for an increase.

“I still do not believe we need to be raising water prices for our citizens, flat out. I want to make sure that that’s clear,” he said. “The citizens are paying enough right now. But in the event any proposal that they put forward was to go through, I think the deal will be better for the citizens than it was two months ago.”

The council is only expected to discuss the rate proposal at its Wednesday meeting, but it could come up for a vote at the Oct. 8 meeting.

Read also:

• 6 breaks in 6 years: Clay soils make NW Side street a challenging environment for water mains, SAWS says

Suzanne Simpson was last seen in October 2024. Her body has not been found, and a trial date has not been set.

At a hearing in late August, prosecutors told the judge they needed 30 days to turn over evidence to the defense.

Judge Joel Perez suggested a potential pretrial date in February 2027 to “finally put this thing to rest.”

The judge previously said he wants to get the murder trial on the calendar for early 2027.

If that timeline holds, a new district attorney will likely be handling the case by the time it goes to trial.

Read more:

• Judge hopes Brad Simpson murder case goes to trial in ‘early 2027′

Hello parents, teachers and students! If your kiddos are learning about weathering, make sure to do this fun demonstration with them! It speeds up the weathering process by millions of years 😉

Be sure to check out GMSA@9 on Wednesdays when KSAT Meteorologist Sarah Spivey does the demonstrations and explains the science behind it. To view, click on the video player above. Check out our Science with Sarah webpage for more fun science experiments!

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED

FOR THE OOBLECK

• A large container
• 2 cups corn starch
• 1 cup water
• Food dye (optional)

DRY ICE “INSTRUMENT”

• Dry ice (NEVER HANDLE DRY ICE WITHOUT GLOVES!)
• Metal spoon

BILLIONS OF BUBBLES

• Cups/containers of different sizes/shapes
• Water
• Soap

DO THE ACTIVITIES

OOBLECK SLIME

• STEP 1: Measure out 1 cup of water and add the food dye to the water.
• STEP 2: In the large container, place 2 cups of cornstarch.
• STEP 3: Pour the colored water into the large container with the cornstarch and mix using your hands (NOTE: This will be messy! Make sure to have plenty of paper towels nearby and maybe use an apron to cover your clothes!)
• STEP 4: Try compressing the Oobleck in your hands into a ball. Observe how it quickly “melts” into a liquid.
• STEP 5: You can store your Oobleck in the fridge to use for later. When you’re ready to dispose of your Oobleck, throw it away in the trash. Large amounts of cornstarch should not go down the pipes.

DRY ICE “INSTRUMENT”

• STEP 1: Place a small piece of dry ice on the table in front of you.
• STEP 2: Using a spoon, press on the dry ice. It should make a silly sound.

BILLIONS OF BUBBLES

• STEP 1: Fill the containers with water and a little bit of soap.
• STEP 2: Drop some dry ice into the containers and watch as lots and lots of bubbles form.

HOW IT WORKS

OOBLECK

Because cornstarch is not totally soluble in water, it can make a non-Newtonian fluid when combined with water.

A non-Newtonian fluid does not follow Newton’s laws of viscosity. That may be a mouthful, but basically, Oobleck is a fluid that can exist both as a solid and a liquid depending on how much force you use!

DRY ICE

Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide that turns directly into a gas from a solid. That’s called sublimation. It makes the funny noise on the spoon because of the gas bubbles trapped against the metal. You can see the gas in the bubbles that form in the soapy water!

APPLY FOR SCIENCE WITH SARAH

Want Sarah to come out to your school? Here’s how to apply: CLICK HERE.

Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News Channel contributor, was advanced out of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on a 12 to 11 vote to serve as surgeon general after she was grilled at her confirmation hearing earlier this month about her stance on childhood vaccines.

She expressed support for vaccines and told lawmakers she didn’t believe they cause autism. The Trump administration has sought to revisit claims about a link between vaccines and autism, although widespread scientific consensus and decades of studies have firmly concluded there is none.

Timothy Westlake, who was nominated to serve as assistant secretary for mental health and substance use at the Department of Health and Human Services was also advanced out of committee on the same en bloc vote.

It was not immediately clear when the officials would face a full Senate vote for their confirmation but they are expected to be approved.

During her confirmation hearing, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy pressed Saphier to declare whether she believed there was a link between vaccines and autism. Saphier responded that she does “not believe childhood vaccines cause autism,” adding that “the MMR vaccine is our greatest tool for combating measles,” in response to a question by Cassidy over whether parents should give children that shot.

MMR stands for measles, mumps and rubella, and the president recently called for the shots to be spaced out, against the guidance of medical groups.

The surgeon general position carries limited policymaking power but serves as a loud megaphone as the nation’s top communicator to Americans on public health issues.

Cassidy, who led the inquiry into Saphier's views on vaccines, ultimately voted in support of her nomination.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate HELP committee, said ahead of Saphier's vote that he would vote down her nomination because in part Saphier “has questioned the need for the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, when the data science has been clear.”

“We need a surgeon general who will tell the truth about vaccines, not someone who misleads the public,” Sanders said. At her confirmation hearing, Saphier said the universal birth dose of hepatitis B was safe and effective.

Chris Klomp, who was nominated to serve as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, was advanced out of the Senate Finance Committee last week on a 15 to 12 vote. He was questioned during the same hearing as Saphier about his duties associated with the role as the current chief counselor of the Department of Health and Human Services under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as well as about his vaccine stance.

In protesting Klomp's nomination at the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Ron Wyden said Klomp “tried to create the impression that he will be the adult in the room on vaccines. Yet, as we sit here today, the vaccine chaos that we’ve come to expect from Robert Kennedy’s HHS continues.”

The announcement on plans for the national park, made in two court filings late Tuesday, gave no details on what the government may do. In August, the Republican administration initiated a pause on construction-related activity in the park as it engaged in outreach efforts to opponents of the project. The pause ends Wednesday.

Customs and Border Protection is “actively considering adjustments" to the work "that would reduce its scope and avoid or minimize potential impacts, based on input received from the National Park Service and other stakeholders,” the government said in the court filing.

The agency said it will make a final decision the first week in October and will take “several weeks” after that announcement before any “ground-disturbing work” starts.

After intense opposition from environmentalists and local residents and business owners, CBP backed off plans this year to build a 30-foot-tall bollard wall through the park. But its intention to move forward with other measures such as a new road, lights, vehicle barriers and technology did not quell local resistance.

After bulldozers were spotted in August clearing land in Big Bend, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott announced a pause on all activity there and it was later expanded to the area upstream of the park. The agency has said it was only carrying out design and planning work, not full-scale construction activities.

Opponents of the border project called on the administration Wednesday to continue the pause while coming up with a new plan.

Bob Krumenaker, head of Keep Big Bend Wild and a former NPS superintendent at the park, said in a statement that the Border Patrol already works with the park service and local sheriffs to operate an “effective surveillance system” in Big Bend that includes ground sensors and patrols. The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks said building in the park would be “mutilating an extraordinary landscape.”

The project is part of a $46 billion plan by the administration to line the U.S.-Mexico border with steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers and surveillance technology to deter migrants and smugglers.

The government has also paused work on a 61-mile piece of land stretching north of the national park along the Rio Grande River, most of which is owned by private landowners. In that area, the government plans to build a 30-foot-tall steel bollard wall designed to prevent people on foot from crossing, roads and various types of surveillance technology where appropriate, according to the court filing.

CBP has started building the wall in a West Texas part of the broader Big Bend region, but has run into intense opposition there, including from landowners challenging the project in court.

Also in the court filing Tuesday, the government suggested it was facing resistance in getting permission from landowners to survey and build on their property and would be referring some cases to the Department of Justice to pursue condemnation.

The government also detailed efforts it had made to meet with people potentially affected by Big Bend projects and shared with them incidents of cartel-related violence that concerned the Border Patrol.

The administration has been pushing forward with the border wall projects that have long been a key part of President Donald Trump's vision for border security. The agency said it is building 12 miles (19 kilometers) of wall per week.

But lining up against the work are private landowners, Native American tribes, environmental groups and others who question the necessity and cost of the project at a time when illegal immigration has fallen dramatically. Opponents also have accused the government of damaging Native American sites and sensitive ecology locations in its rush to finish construction.

Content used in live performances, including songs and stand-up comedy scripts, must be approved in advance by local authorities, a long-standing requirement that reflects China’s strict censorship of the entertainment industry. Artists who violate the rules can be fined or banned from future performances and even public appearances.

Singer Na Ying’s performance was “a brief, fragmentary performance during an audience interaction segment rather than a full rendition of the song” and therefore did not require additional approval, the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism said in a statement.

Na, one of China’s most influential female singers, performed “Curved Moon” at her concert in Chengdu on Saturday in memory of her friend and singer Liu Huan, a household name who died the previous day.

“I want to sing a song he sang before on this stage, to pay tribute to him,” Na, dressed in black, told the audience, according to videos posted on social media. Her voice trembled as she sang.

Some commenters called the performance an “expensive tribute,” expressing admiration for Na while also voicing concerns that she could be fined.

Liu, one of China’s best-known musicians for nearly four decades, died Friday at age 63, according to an obituary published Sunday by the University of International Business and Economics. A professor of music history, Liu taught at the university for more than three decades before retiring.

Liu performed the theme song for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with soprano Sarah Brightman during the opening ceremony.

Brightman called Liu “an amazing talent and a true gentleman” and said he “will be greatly missed” in posts on Facebook and X on Sunday.

The Chengdu decision came weeks after authorities in the central Chinese city of Wuhan fined one of the country’s best-known comedians for changing the lyrics of a patriotic song during a performance.

Júnior, 59, is running for Congress for the first time. But until Oct. 4, he is Plínio Trump, channeling U.S. President Donald Trump with his hairstyle, long orange tie, firm handshake and even his stride.

“(Trump) is likeable, iconic," Plínio Trump told The Associated Press late Monday after campaigning in Juiz de Fora, a city of 570,000 residents 180 kilometers (111 miles) west of Rio de Janeiro. "Few people sneered at me. Most people smile and hug me."

Candidates like Plínio Trump are part of a Brazilian tradition that spans nearly eight decades. Whether called protest candidates or joke candidates, they bring a surreal element to congressional elections. To run, they must belong to one of Brazil's 30 political parties and meet the same eligibility requirements as other candidates, including the country's clean-record rules.

This year, a few hundred of those are among more than 7,800 candidates running for a seat in Congress, with even more running for state legislatures.

Paradoxically, while these entertaining figures can attract voters disillusioned with traditional politics, the ballots cast for them also add to their parties' total under Brazil's electoral system. More votes for joke candidates can translate into more seats in Congress — and more public funds for the very apparatus that protest voters are trying to reject.

‘Barack Obama’ and ’Mick Jagger' enter the race

Trump is not the only U.S. politician with admirers in Brazil’s congressional race.

Henrique Barack Obama, born Cláudio Henrique dos Anjos, has even loftier ambitions. After previous runs for office in Rio de Janeiro, he is seeking one of the two Senate seats at stake in the Federal District, home to Brazil’s capital, Brasilia. But even those who have seen him up close acknowledge that the 57-year-old bears little resemblance to the former U.S. president.

“It is more about his posture,” said Claudio Santos, 33, who knows the Brazilian Obama from his time in Rio. “He also likes the attention that the name brings, obviously. When he wasn't running for office, he would pose as Obama during Flamengo soccer games.”

Another novelty candidate, Mick Jagger, whose real name is Walcy Calixto Vieira, is again running for a seat in the legislature of the central state of Goias. He is no rock'n'roll frontman, but a 66-year-old carpenter with shaggy hair and brow-skimming bangs.

Other candidates skip celebrity impersonations and opt instead for catchy aliases. “Tsunami Grandmother,” whose real name is Scheile Aparecida Soares Brandão, is seeking a seat in the Minas Gerais state legislature. “Who Who," born Francisco das Chagas Costa Oliveira, is running for the legislature in the northeastern state of Piaui.

“Lonely Boy,” or Marcelo da Rosa, is a truck driver from Parana state seeking a seat in Congress, and then there is Severino Cardoso Sobrinho, better known as Samurai Taxi Driver, a nunchaku master featured in Instagram videos who is running for the state legislature in Pernambuco, the home state of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

A tradition dating back to the 1950s

Brazil's tradition of novelty candidates dates back to 1959, when roughly 100,000 voters in São Paulo wrote the name of Cacareco, a female rhinoceros from the city zoo, on their paper ballots in a city council election. Electoral authorities later invalidated the votes.

Such political stunts disappeared during Brazil’s military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985. But the country's return to national elections in 1989 featured one of its most memorable presidential candidates: Dr. Enéas Carneiro, a respected cardiologist who delivered rapid-fire, complex speeches in 15-second radio and television spots. Many Brazilians found his breathless delivery hilarious.

“My name is Enéas!” he shouted into the camera at the end of every ad. Carneiro pulled in 360,000 votes in Brazil’s first direct presidential election since 1960.

Five years later, with voters still angered with the corruption scandal that led to President Fernando Collor’s impeachment, Carneiro finished third, drawing 4.6 million votes behind Lula and eventual winner Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

The movement reached a new high in 2010, when Tiririca, a circus clown and comedian, won a congressional seat for São Paulo with more than 1.3 million votes. His campaign slogans included, “It can’t get any worse” and, “What does a federal congressman do? I really don’t know. Vote for me and I will find out for you!”

Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva, nicknamed Tiririca by his mother for looking perpetually angry as a child, served four consecutive terms. He is seeking a fifth, representing his native Ceara state in Brazil’s northeast. In 2022, he secured 70,000 votes to retain his job.

Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper university in São Paulo, said candidates like Tiririca punch above their weight because of Brazil’s proportional representation system. Votes for candidates go to their party and are then distributed proportionally.

“Some of these candidates have enough votes to win their own seats, but others just add 1,000 or 2,000 votes to their parties. They don’t get seats, but they help their parties secure a bigger slice of Congress and public funds,” Melo said. “Nowadays, we see many more of these bizarre candidates because traditional political leadership is decomposing. People who would normally fill these roles are opting out of institutional politics.”

As Plínio Trump wrapped up campaigning in Juiz de Fora and prepared to return to Varginha — a city 400 kilometers (248 miles) west of Rio de Janeiro nationally famous for its alleged UFO landing site — he acknowledged that his decision to campaign as the U.S. president goes beyond physical resemblance.

“We have few options on the right in Brazil,” he said. “For me, Trump is a right-wing reference.”

____

Savarese reported from São Paulo.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Lou Ferrigno, who starred as the Marvel character during its 1977–1982 U.S. television run, met with the American pope and chatted briefly with him at the end of Leo's general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

“I’m here because it’s a lifelong dream for me to meet the pope,” Ferrigno told reporters. Noting that one side of his family hails from the southern Amalfi region, Ferrigno said that he grew up hearing about the pope in a Catholic Italian family and served as an altar boy.

“I’m very, very honored to be here to see Pope Leo, because it’s my whole life, it’s a dream coming true,” he said.

He posed for photographers, mimicking the gesture that made him famous in his onscreen transformation from Bruce Banner into the superhero Hulk — flexing his arm muscles.

Ferrigno, a retired professional bodybuilder, starred as Hulk in the CBS series before going on to other television and film roles. He noted that some had been filmed in Rome, and that he appreciated the pope's message.

“Our world, our country needs someone like him: A great leader about kindness and peace, because there’s so much turmoil happening in this world,” he said.

It's unknown if the former Robert Prevost was a Hulk fan.

By 1977, when the series began, the Chicago-born pope was graduating from Villanova University and entering the Augustinian religious order as a novitiate.

Recently, Leo has acknowledged he and his family were regular watchers of a different television personality: the newly-beatified Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the popular American TV and radio preacher.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Today on Texas Eats NOW:

FAST FOOD FRIDAY | CHICKEN SANDWICH SHOWDOWN

KFC | POPEYES | CHICK-FIL-A | JOLLIBEE

Fast Food Friday turned into a chicken sandwich showdown as David Elder put regular and spicy chicken sandwiches from KFC, Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, and Jollibee head-to-head. Each restaurant brought its own approach to the fast-food staple, giving the Texas Eats NOW team a chance to compare everything from the chicken and breading to the toppings, sauces, spice, and overall flavor. After tasting all four contenders, Jollibee came out on top in both categories, earning the title of Best Regular Chicken Sandwich and Best Spicy Chicken Sandwich. The taste test highlighted just how different the familiar chicken sandwich can be when four major fast-food restaurants battle for bragging rights.

DAYCATION DESTINATIONS | MISSION MARQUEE PLAZA

3100 Roosevelt Ave., San Antonio, TX 78214

Mission Marquee Plaza on San Antonio’s South Side combines the history of the former Mission Drive-In Theater with free movies, markets, festivals, and other community events. The original drive-in opened in 1948, and its iconic movie screen remains a centerpiece of the 60,000-square-foot plaza, which reopened in its current form in 2014. In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, Mission Marquee Plaza will celebrate Latino culture with screenings of “La Bamba” and “Selena.” The pet-friendly venue also hosts outdoor movie nights, farmers and artisans markets, live music, cultural celebrations, and community activities throughout the year. This Daycation Destinations segment was sponsored by Metro Health, the public health agency serving San Antonio and unincorporated areas of Bexar County.

ON THE MENU | TERRY BLACK’S BARBECUE

1310 E. Common St., New Braunfels, TX 78130

Terry Black’s Barbecue has brought its Central Texas-style smoked meats to New Braunfels with a new location that opened Sept. 15 in the former Los Cucos building. The 8,649-square-foot restaurant features market-style ordering, a dedicated 1,400-square-foot pit room, and a two-story covered outdoor deck, giving barbecue fans plenty of room to dig into the Black family’s signature offerings. Diners can order brisket, massive beef ribs, pork ribs, turkey, chopped beef, and original or jalapeño cheese sausage by the pound, along with sandwiches and traditional barbecue sides such as macaroni and cheese. Family packs offer larger spreads for groups, while house-baked peach cobbler provides a sweet finish. The New Braunfels restaurant expands Terry Black’s footprint while keeping the focus on the smoked meats and casual service that have become hallmarks of the Texas barbecue brand.

Follow Texas Eats and David Elder on Facebook and Instagram for more food info, pictures, videos and giveaways.

• Facebook: @TexasEatsTV
• Instagram: @texaseatstv
• TikTok: @ElderEats
• Twitter: @TexasEatsTV

Today on Texas Eats NOW:

ON THE MENU | PHARM TABLE

611 S Presa St, Ste 106, San Antonio, TX 78210

Pharm Table is an award-winning apothecary kitchen in San Antonio’s Southtown and King William area from chef and founder Elizabeth Johnson, featuring globally inspired dishes built around a health-conscious, anti-inflammatory approach to food. The menu draws inspiration from Latin American, Asian, Mediterranean, and Ayurvedic traditions while emphasizing seasonal, plant-forward ingredients and selectively sourced meats. The restaurant avoids ingredients such as wheat, dairy, refined sugar, and heavily processed foods, and works with local and regenerative farms when possible. Guests can also explore botanical cocktails and mocktails, natural wines, and two outdoor patios with views of the Tower of the Americas. Pharm Table’s focus on food, sustainability, and the natural world made it a fitting partner for the upcoming Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival.

ON THE MENU | MONARCH BUTTERFLY & POLLINATOR FESTIVAL

Brackenridge Park, 3700 N St. Mary’s St, San Antonio, TX 78209

The 11th Annual Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival returns to Brackenridge Park on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering a free, family-friendly celebration centered on monarch butterflies, pollinators, and environmental education. Presented by Project Bloom and Blooming with Birdie, the festival features live monarch tagging with Monarch Watch, the Bizzee BumbleBee life cycle adventure, a Monarch Migration Obstacle Course, and the Lights Out! Bird City Maze. More than 50 education and environmental partners will participate, with additional activities including free plant and tree giveaways, live music, local food vendors, face painting, and a pollinator procession. Shuttle and trolley options will also be available to help attendees travel to and from the event.

TRY IT TUESDAY | THE AMAZING BACON WIZARD

The Amazing Bacon Wizard promises an easier way to prepare up to a pound of bacon in the microwave by hanging strips vertically from a collapsible rack and allowing excess grease to drip into a tray below. On “Try It Tuesday,” David Elder put the kitchen gadget to the test, but the results did not live up to the promise. Cooking the bacon took about 18 minutes, with some portions coming out burnt while others were undercooked, and the process left plenty of grease splattered inside the microwave. While the BPA-free, dishwasher-safe gadget folds flat for storage and eliminates the need for a frying pan, the lengthy cook time, uneven results, and messy cleanup left the Texas Eats NOW team unimpressed.

WILL IT SLUSHY? | PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

In honor of National Coffee Day, “Will It Slushy?” gave one of fall’s most recognizable drinks an icy makeover as David Elder put pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks and Dutch Bros into the Ninja SLUSHi machine. The recurring Texas Eats NOW challenge pits drinks against each other to find out whether they taste better, worse, or just plain strange after being transformed into frozen slushies. This time, neither pumpkin spice latte survived the experiment particularly well, with the freezing process changing the flavor and leaving the team preferring both drinks in their original form. The verdict was clear: Pumpkin spice may work hot or iced, but turning it into a slushy did not improve either.

TEAM BUILDING TUESDAY | BEANBOOZLED

The Texas Eats NOW crew put their taste buds and teamwork to the test with Jelly Belly’s BeanBoozled, a candy roulette game where identical-looking jelly beans can taste either surprisingly good or spectacularly awful. David Elder, Andre Glover, Alex Mathison, and David Hinojosa took turns choosing beans without knowing whether they would get flavors such as Strawberry Banana Smoothie or Dead Fish, Berry Blue or Toothpaste, Juicy Pear or Booger, and Cappuccino or Liver & Onions. Because each good and bad flavor pair looks virtually identical, there is no way to know what is coming until someone takes a bite. The unpredictable reactions make BeanBoozled equal parts candy challenge and team-building exercise, although some flavors make it considerably harder to be a team player.

Follow Texas Eats and David Elder on Facebook and Instagram for more food info, pictures, videos and giveaways.

• Facebook: @TexasEatsTV
• Instagram: @texaseatstv
• TikTok: @ElderEats
• Twitter: @TexasEatsTV

Today on Texas Eats NOW:

ON THE MENU | ALZER’S ROASTERY

9871 I-10, San Antonio, TX 78230

Alzer’s Roastery brings Middle Eastern and Arabian flavors to San Antonio with a combination of freshly roasted coffee, nuts, traditional desserts, and viral sweets. David Elder checks out Turkish coffee ground and prepared in-house, specialty drinks like the Pistachio Latte and Lavender Matcha, and freshly roasted nuts and seeds available in a variety of Middle Eastern-style preparations. The sweets selection ranges from traditional künefe and baklava to Dubai chocolate, mousse cakes, pastries, imported gourmet chocolates, and an expansive selection of halal gummies and candies. By blending traditional flavors with modern dessert trends, Alzer’s Roastery offers plenty to explore beyond the typical coffee shop experience.

FOOD NEWS | SAMURAI BARTENDER

David Elder takes a look at Yuzo Komai, the Japanese master mixologist who has gained attention online as the “Samurai Bartender” for his highly precise and theatrical approach to cocktail making at Bar Centifolia in Tokyo. Komai turns preparing a drink into a performance, using calculated movements to carve large blocks of ice into diamond shapes while incorporating elements such as flames, liquid nitrogen, and smoke. Instead of relying on a fixed cocktail menu, Komai creates bespoke drinks based on each guest’s preferences, mood, and seasonal ingredients. His elaborate presentation and disciplined technique have helped turn the reservation-only Tokyo bar into a viral destination for cocktail enthusiasts.

RAUL IS REAL | RAÚL B. RODRIGUEZ LAW, P.C.

922 S. Alamo St., San Antonio, TX 78205

David Elder sits down with San Antonio attorney Raúl B. Rodriguez for “Raul Is Real,” a conversation series featuring the bilingual personal injury and wrongful death trial attorney behind Raúl B. Rodriguez Law, P.C. A third-generation San Antonio native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary’s University School of Law, Rodriguez began his legal career working with insurance defense firms before establishing his own practice representing injured clients. Today’s conversation takes place at Anchor Bar, where the menu features its famous Buffalo wings alongside San Antonio favorites and sports bar classics, including chicken tenders, pizza logs, Buffalo mac and cheese, burgers, Chicken on a Stick, and fresh-to-order micheladas.

CHOP IT UP | ESAUL AND GRECIA RAMOS

YouTube.com/@TexasEats

David Elder sits down with Esaul and Grecia Ramos, the husband-and-wife team behind San Antonio’s 2M Smokehouse and Catering, for “Chop It Up.” Esaul handles the pits and smoked meats while Grecia brings her baking and dessert expertise to the restaurant, a partnership they describe as, “He’s the smoke. She’s the sugar.” The couple recently added another achievement to 2M’s growing list of accolades by winning the debut season of Food Network’s “Pitmasters,” earning a $30,000 prize after a week of barbecue challenges. The Texas Eats NOW segment offers a preview of the conversation before the extended “Chop It Up” interview premieres Friday afternoon on the Texas Eats YouTube channel.

MYSTERY BOX MONDAY | LOU MALNATI’S FROZEN PIZZA

David Elder puts one of Chicago’s most recognizable pizza names to the test with Lou Malnati’s frozen pizza for “Mystery Box Monday.” The company ships its Chicago-style pizzas nationwide by flash-freezing handmade pies, giving customers outside Chicago a chance to prepare them at home. Its signature deep-dish pizza features a buttery, pastry-like crust layered with Wisconsin mozzarella, toppings, and chunky vine-ripened tomato sauce, while its sausage version features a distinctive layer of sausage covering the pizza rather than traditional scattered pieces. Lou Malnati’s also offers cheese, pepperoni, spinach, crustless, and thin-crust frozen varieties, giving David plenty to examine before delivering his final verdict.

Follow Texas Eats and David Elder on Facebook and Instagram for more food info, pictures, videos and giveaways.

• Facebook: @TexasEatsTV
• Instagram: @texaseatstv
• TikTok: @ElderEats
• Twitter: @TexasEatsTV

“How are you supposed to enjoy the city if you got to pay $40 just to park?” said Johnny Reyes, who works downtown.

Reyes is not alone in his frustration. Parking prices vary widely depending on location, and a difference of just one block can mean significant savings.

A parking lot near the River Walk runs nearly $40 for the day. But the city-owned Houston Street Garage, about a block from the Majestic Theatre, costs just $3 an hour — or $10 for the full day.

For visitors like Sam Abrahamson, that kind of price gap matters.

“I feel like $20 is reasonable for the day,” Abrahamson said. ”Anything really over 30, unless it’s like an event, is just kind of unnecessary.”

The City of San Antonio operates 13 parking lots and garages that it says are the most affordable options downtown. A city map highlights those locations and is available online.

Parking is free in city garages on Thursdays. Special events may impact prices.

Whether heading to a restaurant or catching a show, downtown Operations Director John Jacks said planning ahead is key.

“It’s not like going to the grocery store where you just drive up, and you park in a parking space right in front of the grocery. It should be part of your planning process,” Jacks said.

Project Marvel, future parking plans

With a proposed Sports and Entertainment District coming near the Alamodome, questions remain about how downtown parking will keep up with increased demand.

City officials say additional parking is part of the plan.

“So obviously it will be at times very busy,” Chief Downtown Officer Shanon Miller said. ”Not to mention the fact that it’s in largely in Hemisfair Park, which we want people to use all the time.”

Miller said the city is already looking at the bigger picture of downtown mobility.

“The city is currently in the process of the Downtown Accessibility and Mobility Study,” Miller said. ”That’s really intended to look at overall how people are accessing downtown.”

The Downtown Accessibility and Mobility Study is designed to identify the best ways people can get around downtown, with the goal of improving overall traffic flow on a daily basis.

Results from the study are expected this fall.

Read also:

• VIA to test drive late-night VIA Link, rideshare service for downtown workers

Moscow’s steep escalation of its aerial campaign since the end of August is putting pressure on Ukraine as it braces for winter, when Russia regularly bombards energy facilities to deny Ukrainians heat, power and running water.

The heavy overnight attack caused power outages and prompted questions about whether it marked the start of Russia's anticipated cold weather campaign, which Ukrainian officials describe as an attempt to “weaponize winter.”

“There has been virtually no day since summer when the enemy did not attack energy infrastructure,” Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said on Telegram. “But such a massive and combined attack happened for the first time since the end of the last heating season.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha noted the increase in Russian strikes has brought “days of almost uninterrupted air raid alerts across Ukraine.”

“Russia is intensifying its terror: jet-powered drones during the day, ballistic and cruise missiles at night, constant attacks against our cities and civilian life,” Sybiha said on X.

Ukrainian officials say Moscow is not engaging with U.S. efforts to halt the fighting, 4½ years after Russia invaded its neighbor. Moscow says it wants a comprehensive settlement rather than a temporary truce, but its demand for Ukraine to surrender land is unacceptable for Kyiv.

Russia exploits Ukraine's air defense gaps

Nationwide, the Russian attacks killed seven Ukrainian civilians and wounded 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, without providing details.

A boy was killed in an attack on a private home in Vyshhorod, a city in the wider Kyiv region, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration. Three other people were rescued from the rubble, he added.

Three other people were killed by attacks in the capital, with four injured, according to authorities.

Russia fired 2,850 jet-propelled drones at Ukraine in August but by Tuesday it had already launched 3,177 this month, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said.

Russia has exploited gaps in Ukrainian air defenses by firing ballistic missiles and new jet-powered drones, both of which are hard to stop. Air raid alerts are disrupting daily life, sending people running for shelter and denting economic output.

The attacks come in waves, Ihnat told Ukrainian television late Tuesday, mostly aimed at Kyiv and the surrounding region. Ukraine needs more missiles for U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to counter ballistic missiles and for other ground-based air defenses, he said.

The main Russian targets were energy infrastructure in Kyiv and the surrounding region, Zelenskyy said on social media, describing it as “a difficult attack” as Moscow stretches Ukraine's air defenses.

Zelenskyy thanked foreign countries supporting Ukraine for recent deliveries of air defense help. “And the closer we get to winter, the more of this protection we need," he said. "We must do everything to ensure that Russia’s bet on ballistic missile and drone terror does not pay off.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said its overnight attack hit a hydroelectric and a thermal power plant, an electrical substation, an energy storage facility and a data center.

Ukrainian officials didn’t specifically confirm those strikes, as Kyiv wants to deny Moscow intelligence about the effectiveness of its attacks. Authorities reported hits on civilian areas of at least four Kyiv districts.

___

Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Dr. Isabel Basaldu-Prado, a NICU doctor at St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital, lost her son, Roel, to suicide in 2020.

He was a junior at Texas A&M University.

“If it saves one life, then I’ll feel like my son’s death would not have been in vain,” Basaldu-Prado said.

Basaldu-Prado provides care for sick and premature babies in San Antonio.

“I love what I do because it’s saving lives,” she said. “I get to see that first breath. I get to hear that first heartbeat. I get to help parents take their bundle of joy home.”

Basaldu-Prado is also a mother of five. Her children range in age from 15 to 34. Roel was her third child.

She said Roel struggled with his mental health for years and was open with his family about what he was experiencing.

“He came to us his junior year in high school and told us that he was having suicidal ideations,” Basaldu-Prado said.

His mental health care journey included medication, therapy and hospitalization, she said.

Through it all, Basaldu-Prado said she and her husband worked to create a home where difficult conversations were welcomed.

“I’ve always told my kids that there’s nothing that we can’t talk about, that there is nothing that we cannot fix,” she said. “I always tell them that I would be more upset if they lied to me than if they tell me the truth, that we will always try to figure it out.”

As Suicide Prevention Month comes to a close, Basaldu-Prado said she hopes her family’s experience encourages other parents and caregivers to listen closely when children talk about anxiety, sadness or suicidal thoughts.

“If your child comes up to you and says that they’re having issues with anxiety, they’re having issues with sadness, pay attention,” she said. “Listen.”

In 2021, the year after Roel died, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported suicide was the third-leading cause of death among high school students.

Basaldu-Prado said families should approach mental health struggles with compassion, even when they are difficult to understand.

“I would say to parents, just be open, be accepting, be understanding,” she said. “Mental health does not make sense.”

Anyone facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or anyone who needs someone to talk to can call or text 988 or use the 988 Lifeline chat. The service is free and available 24/7.

Read also:

• ‘The system failed us’: Families say lack of SAPD mental health response left loved ones in crisis

The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District is expected to transfer the property to the City of Uvalde in the coming months. Once that happens, city leaders will oversee the next steps in developing the memorial.

The memorial would honor the 19 students and two teachers killed in the May 2022 school shooting. Plans also call for the site to include a community park with indoor and outdoor recreation areas.

The city said it will seek community input as the project moves forward. A timeline for construction and details of the property sale have not yet been released.

Read also: Uvalde CISD board names lone finalist for superintendent

Notably, Talarico has enjoyed larger leads in recent polling than Democrat Beto O’Rourke ever did in 2018 when he nearly beat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Talarico is dominating Paxton in fundraising.

How to read a poll

The quality of polls and pollsters can be measured by several metrics, including how well their polls have performed in the past and how transparent they are about their methodology.  Here are a few things to pay attention to when navigating different polls.

Partisan sponsors: Polls sponsored by a candidate or party should be taken with a grain of salt, according to the American Association for Public Opinion Research. While nonpartisan polling organizations typically release all of their polling results regardless of who is ahead, candidate-sponsored or party-affiliated surveys can choose to only release results that benefit their campaigns.

Sample size: In general, the more people an election poll surveys the more reliable its results are. As sample sizes increase, the results of a survey are more likely to reflect the real attitudes of those who will vote in an election.

Sample type: Election polls usually survey three kinds of populations: adults, registered voters and those they deem to be “likely voters,” based on their voting history and gauged interest.

Polls that survey adults are able to increase their sample sizes, but can be less reflective of the opinions of those who will actually make it to the polls to vote on Election Day. During an election year, polls using samples of registered voters are common as they are a concrete group and more likely to vote than unregistered adults.

Closer to election day, polls with “likely voter” samples are often considered more representative of those who will actually vote. Different pollsters use different methodologies to determine who is a likely voter, using factors such as past voting behavior and interest in the election.

Sampling method: The methods by which pollsters select who participates in their surveys usually fall into two categories: probability and non-probability samples.

In a probability-based sample, every person of the full population has a chance of being selected for the survey, whereas in a non-probability based sample, such as an internet panel or a self-selected sample, the chance of any one person being selected is unknown. As a result, the samples can be skewed toward characteristics that may not be as reflective of the whole population. 

Although probability based sampling has been the preferred method for many decades, its rising cost has led researchers to turn to non-probability based sampling. The results of some non-probability based surveys have been shown to be comparable to and sometimes more accurate than probability based surveys.

Margin of error: While polls conducted with probability samples allow for the calculation of the margin of error, non-probability polls have no simple way of calculating the same error metric. They must instead use statistical models to produce estimates of their sampling error.

Methodology for our tracker

Where the polls come from

The New York Times collects polls and manages a database of election polling. This tracker pulls data from their collection, and estimates the average of every poll conducted since Paxton won his  Republican runoff election in May. 

Which polls we include

We included every public poll of the Texas U.S. Senate that asked voters to choose who they would vote for if the election occurred that day and included James Talarico and Ken Paxton as options. Polls that ended before the May runoff election are not included in the average, but are listed in the table. 

How the average works

The average is calculated by weighting every poll by three factors: recency, sample size and whether the poll’s sponsor has a partisan affiliation. We then averaged them. 

• Recent polls count more than older ones as they are more reflective of current sentiment. 
• Polls with larger sample sizes count more than those with smaller samples. 
• Polls sponsored by a political party count half as much as ones without a partisan sponsor.

Limits

The average is not a forecast of the election and who will eventually win. Additionally, early in the race, the number of polls that have been released can be relatively low, meaning the average can shift meaningfully when a single new poll is added. As a result, individual outlier polls carry more weight early on.

Apurva Mahajan contributed to this report.

Disclosure: The New York Times has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in The Texas Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

The penalty stems from a post McKee-Rodriguez made in May. The board found two ethics-code violations connected to the post and assessed the maximum fine of $500 for each violation.

The fine will be paid to the city’s general fund. No payment deadline was specified.

On June 1, San Antonio resident Juan Rider Mireles II filed the sworn ethics complaint against McKee-Rodriguez, alleging he misused official city resources and violated the city’s ethics rules by publicly exposing a constituent’s private information on Facebook.

According to the complaint, a constituent posted a comment on social media that used a racial slur against McKee-Rodriguez.

McKee-Rodriguez, who is Black, then published three images on his Facebook page in response — including a screenshot of the constituent’s comment, her profile picture and a screenshot of an email from the Council District 2 office sent to her on Sept. 12, 2024.

The complaint states the email screenshot appeared to have been accessed through a Microsoft Outlook application on an iPhone and exposed the constituent’s full email address, which the complaint said McKee-Rodriguez obtained through official council channels.

About 8 in 10 rural voters — an important voting bloc for Trump and fellow Republicans — said the Trump administration’s policies have had a negative effect or no impact on the health of people where they live. Most MAHA supporters, 68%, also feel this way, according to the national survey of more than 2,000 rural registered voters.

The findings signal an apparent disconnect between the Trump administration’s MAHA-branded policy priorities and rural America’s perception of their reach and effectiveness.

Iowa pastor Mike Jager, 58, is a registered Republican and considers himself part of the MAHA movement. The Trump administration’s health policies have had “minimal” impact on the health of his community, Jager said, but he added that Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is moving the needle “in the right direction.”

“It’s a beginning,” Jager said. “It’s a big ship to try and turn around and course-correct.”

Kennedy has used the MAHA label to support various agendas, including abandoning long-standing vaccine guidance, researching ultraprocessed foods and investing in regenerative agriculture.

Jager lives in Sumner, Iowa, “less than a quarter mile from where the corn ends and the city begins.” He’s seen family members and neighbors develop diseases that he believes resulted in part from exposure to agricultural chemicals and consumption of unhealthy, processed foods.

In the June Republican primary for governor, Jager voted for Zach Lahn, a businessman and farmer who ran on a MAHA platform and beat out Trump-backed U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra. He plans to vote for him again in November.

Many rural voters are prioritizing health issues

About two-thirds of rural voters who support MAHA said it’s “extremely” or “very” important to them to vote for a candidate who does, too, while only 4 in 10 rural voters overall said the same.

Trump sought to seize on MAHA support during his campaign for another term two years ago. Now, amid tight midterm races, Kennedy has campaigned to galvanize the movement’s support. In May, he attended a MAHA bill signing with Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, and in August, he went fishing with Lahn, posting about it on social media.

Yet the survey indicates voters are noticing “this weird split in the Trump administration” between what Kennedy messages and what Trump says and does, said David Peterson, a political science professor at Iowa State University.

In Iowa, concerns about what’s causing rising cancer rates are “a big deal,” he said. For many people who identify with MAHA, being healthy includes taking on corporate agriculture and pharmaceutical companies that they think cause cancer, he added.

In the poll, views on healthcare access and costs largely diverged along party lines. Most Democratic and independent voters said the Trump administration’s healthcare policies have had a negative impact on their healthcare costs and the health and well-being of people in their communities. Republicans were likelier to say there hasn’t been an impact.

Talking on the phone from her 200-acre farm in Carroll County, Iowa, 71-year-old Donna Klocke said that her husband had died from cancer and that she has neighbors who also have cancer.

“It’s just very prevalent,” Klocke said. “We’re in a farming community. We use chemicals and pesticides and all kinds of things that aren’t necessarily good for us.”

Klocke, a Democrat, said the MAHA movement is a good idea because she cares about being healthy, but she does not consider herself part of it and will not be voting for a candidate who represents the movement.

Kennedy, who was an anti-vaccine activist before entering politics and has sent mixed messages to Americans about getting the measles vaccine, scares her.

“Measles are coming back and polio,” Klocke said. “It’s the measles that really gets me. It’s like, do you not understand how dangerous it is?”

Survey reflects angst over healthcare

Nearly half of rural voters said their communities don’t have enough doctors or other healthcare providers, and even more said there aren’t enough mental health workers specifically. The share of rural voters who said their community does not have enough hospitals increased to 35% from 21% in a similar question asked in a KFF-Washington Post survey in 2017.

And as with the general population, healthcare, gas and grocery costs are top pain points. At least 6 in 10 rural voters said they were worried about healthcare costs.

The level of worry varied based on coverage, with rural voters enrolled in employer plans or Medicare less likely to be worried. The survey found that 80% of working-age rural voters on Medicaid were very or somewhat worried about healthcare costs. Last year, Republicans passed a tax and spending bill that cut over $900 billion in projected Medicaid spending over a decade and mandated new eligibility requirements.

In the tiny community of Lipan, Texas, west of Dallas, Kim Solis and her husband have a handyman-and-home-remodel business and get their insurance on the marketplace. Since Trump returned to office, their premium payment jumped from zero to $166 a month. Their copays went up, and their deductibles each increased by $2,000.

Solis, 62, said she worries what will happen if they get a big medical bill.

“Certainly, we’d be in a world of hurt trying to take money out of savings or getting it out of our 401(k) just to be able to do something about it,” she said.

Most MAHA voters are also MAGA — but not all

Like the general population, rural voters said they trust their own doctors and healthcare providers for health information over government agencies or officials, according to the poll.

Trust in Kennedy and Trump fell largely along partisan lines. About 10% of rural Democratic voters reported having a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in Kennedy, compared with 74% of rural Republican voters. About 5% of rural Democrats and 69% of rural Republicans said they trust Trump a “great deal” or “fair amount” for reliable health information.

While Make America Great Again and MAHA identities are “linked in a lot of ways,” the rising costs of healthcare and groceries pose a challenge for those committed to the MAHA principles that Kennedy promotes, said Peterson, the Iowa State professor.

Buying healthy food “becomes, ‘I can’t afford to do that because of Trump’s policies,’” he said.

In Stamping Ground, Kentucky, Alma Johnson, 65, works night security at a horse farm.

Johnson voted for Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and said she “pretty much” likes how Trump is running the country. But she said she is not a MAGA devotee, preferring to “think for myself.”

MAHA, however, is an easy sell for Johnson because, she said, she doesn’t think people should be able to buy junk food in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

Still, she said she hasn’t seen much impact from the Trump administration’s healthcare policies, including the new food pyramid.

“It takes a long time to change people, their habits, their thoughts or the things they do,” Johnson said.

___

The poll of 2,241 U.S. adults registered to vote in rural areas of the country was conducted Aug. 12-24, 2026, using a sample drawn from the probability-based SSRS Opinion Panel. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In collaboration with AP, KFF researchers worked to design the survey sample and questionnaire, analyze and report findings.

___

This report is a collaboration between The Associated Press and KFF Health News. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was charged Tuesday with one count of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer, according to a criminal complaint. A detention hearing is set for Friday, October 2.

>> Austin man shot by ICE agent charged with assault, resisting arrest

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

The charges stem from a Sept. 20 traffic stop in north Austin. According to the criminal complaint, ICE officers were attempting to detain Garces Perez after confirming an immigration judge had issued a final order of removal.

The complaint alleges Garces Perez ignored orders to put his vehicle in park and get out. It says he drove away, striking one ICE officer in the torso with the driver’s-side mirror. The complaint further alleges officers pursued him through commercial and residential areas and that Garces Perez later attempted to strike another officer with his vehicle. That officer then fired his gun.

Garces Perez was shot and hospitalized. His attorney has said the bullet remained lodged in his back after he was released from the hospital and transferred to ICE custody. He later returned to the hospital for additional treatment.

Before the shooting, Garces Perez was working as a DoorDash driver, according to his attorney. His legal team has said he entered the United States through a parole program, was seeking asylum and had no criminal history.

Garces Perez has disputed the officers’ account, saying he tried to pull over and that the agents shot him as he drove away.

The preliminary detention hearing will address whether Garces Perez remains in custody while the criminal case proceeds.

Read also:

• Protesters rally outside ICE Processing Center in Pearsall

KSAT’s Japhanie Gray caught up with Tremell Brown, deputy CEO and chief safety officer, and he answered a few questions residents have during wet weather events.

How have you prepared for weather events like this in the past?

“With our buses, you know you are in a much heavier vehicle and much taller vehicle,” Brown said, “But we have procedures our operators follow so that they can detour while communicating with a dispatcher. The dispatcher also lets them know where there is a low-water crossing, but everything is about safety. We have an internal emergency operations command team that helps monitor the things that happen for our maintenance team, our operators and all of our employees.”

How does your maintenance team prepare the buses during rain events?

“Believe it or not, when buses go through rising water there is a lot of water that may splash underneath and sometimes there needs to be some augmentation for the frame so that water doesn’t remain inside,” Brown said. “The water can tread out easily so that way it can keep everything dry to keep the bus functional. They check the seals and make sure the windshield wipers work. Operators are required to go through inspection every single day.”

Is there a resource for your passengers to use if their bus routes are detoured because of low-water crossings?

“On our website and our app, you can check for detours specific to your route on your trip or destination for where you are going to,” he said. “So, if you happen to know that you normally ride a certain route, go on our website, look at service disruptions, take a look on the app and it will tell you exactly where the detours are at. If they have any other questions that that, they can call 210-362-2020 and someone will coach you through what you need.”

Based on what you have dealt with in the past, what are your usual trouble spots when it rains?

“There are a lot of places underneath overpasses where the road dips down so we see things that happen on I-35,” Brown said. “If you take a look at the South Side where St. Roosevelt and St. Marys are, there is a bridge there that has low water crossing. We have long-standing detours, even when it starts to rain, we will put that bus on detour, so there is no risk to the customer or the safety of the operator. Those buses will automatically go on a detour around that concerning spot which is why it is important to check the app or the website.”

For detours or to sign up for service alerts, visit viainfo.net. VIA said another good resource of information can be found on their social media pages.

“We always want our customers to be safe and feel safe,” Brown said. “We understand they have to get to work, to school or different situations they need to be. We want to get them there safely and we want to be there safely for you. Take your time getting to wherever that bus stop is. You can double check our website again or the app to find out where we are with that bus if it is on time or late. Just communicate with us and we will be there for you day or night.”

Read also:

• Storms possible as early as Wednesday, heavy rain expected Thursday
• After $16K in damage, West Side homeowner prepares for another storm

The recipients of the international award are a Pakistani lawyer, an Ethiopian-born AI researcher, a Georgian legal rights group and a network of women farmers across Southern Africa.

The annual prize was created in 1980 by Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, who wanted to honor work that contributes to a more just and peaceful world. It is traditionally announced shortly before the Nobel Prizes, which will be announced starting next Monday.

Right Livelihood said this year's recipients were being awarded for their “resistance to systems that push people to the margins, and a shared insistence on putting people back at the center.” They were chosen from 200 nominations from 72 countries.

“A system built to serve the few was never going to hold. This year, we honor women who refused to wait for permission,” Ole von Uexkull, the nephew of the prize founder and the organization’s executive director, said. “They are rewriting the rules that autocrats, patriarchs and Silicon Valley’s most powerful men assumed were theirs to write alone.”

“With the 2026 laureates we honor four shining examples of building power on cooperation, not on violence, so that everyone’s rights are respected and every voice is heard,” von Uexkull said as he presented the awards to the recipients. “We believe that this kind of collective power is the key to averting global crises, that a few ultra rich people profit from, while everybody else stands to lose.”

Here is a look at the recipients:

A Pakistani lawyer who works to protect vulnerable communities

Jalila Haider, a human rights lawyer who defends some of Pakistan’s most vulnerable communities from state repression, discrimination against women and ethnic violence, was awarded the prize “for breaking barriers, as the first female lawyer from her Hazara community, to challenge ethnic, state and patriarchal persecution, guided by the conviction that no human being is illegal.”

By combining legal work with efforts to help communities advocate for themselves, “Haider has secured justice for thousands targeted or ignored by those in power, specifically ethnic, gender and religious minorities, as well as refugees,” the organization said. Haider's law firm has also helped more than 600 political activists and human rights defenders regain the right to travel freely.

A Southern African women farmers’ group defending land rights

Also awarded was the Rural Women’s Assembly “for organizing rural women across Southern Africa into a united force defending land, seed and bodily autonomy against corporate and patriarchal dispossession.”

The Rural Women’s Assembly is a self-organized, movement of more than 178,000 small-scale farmers across 11 Southern African nations. It has established 24 sites where farmers reproduce and preserve seeds for future planting and documented hundreds of local seed varieties, helping protect the practice of saving and exchanging traditional seeds, the Swedish foundation said.

A Georgian human rights group working to safeguard democracy

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association won the prize “for building and safeguarding Georgian democracy and sustaining civic power in the face of an autocratic crackdown.”

The group was founded in 1994 by volunteer lawyers who helped draft the country’s first postindependence constitution.

According to Right Livelihood, it has secured major legal victories that reshaped national policy, including protections for people with disabilities, free education for all children and compensation for victims of Soviet-era repression.

A researcher who exposes harms that AI is already causing

Right Livelihood also honored AI researcher Timnit Gebru “for challenging concentrated power in artificial intelligence and pioneering digital technology rooted in justice, lived experience and human agency.”

Gebru, who was born in Ethiopia to a family of Eritrean origin, is the founder of the Distributed AI Research Institute.

Right Livelihood said her work challenges the control that a small number of powerful companies exercise over AI and exposes harms that AI systems are already causing, particularly to communities facing discrimination and exclusion.

Police Chief David Gonzalez said the cameras were placed strategically at intersections based on the types of cases officers investigate.

It was a group of community advisors and the police chief who began discussing the technology in 2024, and the first cameras were installed earlier this year.

>> Flock cameras explained: How automated plate readers work and their impact in South Texas

He says the committee saw this as an opportunity to help police have more eyes on a growing community when they are limited on funds to hire more officers.

“I was asked whether I had any ideas or if I had solutions to our staffing problems that they perceived because of the new additions to Leon Valley,” he said. “We have former complexes that we didn’t have 10 years ago. We have new residential areas that we didn’t one year ago. So, the city is not growing in space, but it’s growing in population. So population will bring more calls. So that is their concern.”

The cameras do not record video, Gonzalez said. Instead, they take still images of license plates. The data is erased after seven days unless it is tied to an active investigation.

Gonzalez said a group of Leon Valley community members worked with police to research the technology and help shape policies for its use.

He said the department is continuing to work with community advisers to improve transparency, update policies and audit the cameras.

“We’re still having discussions on it. And right now, the committee is still OK with the way I am managing it,” he said. “If they change their mind it is their prerogative. They are the citizens of Leon Valley.”

Leon Valley contracts with Flock Safety, one of several companies that provide license plate reader systems. Other companies in the industry include Axon and Motorola Solutions.

Gonzalez said the department has stopped allowing all law enforcement agencies in Texas to access its cameras.

Access is now limited to local agencies between Hondo and Seguin, and Gonzalez said searches must be tied to an active case number with specific information about a vehicle.

“Fishing with a wide net in the ocean, that’s what some agencies are doing. We’re not doing that,” Gonzalez said. “We have to have something that we are looking for before we go searching the system.”

He said investigators may start with limited details, such as a vehicle’s color or type, and narrow the search as part of an investigation.

Since the cameras were installed, Gonzalez said Leon Valley police have not solved any crimes using the system, and he does not believe partner agencies have either.

The city still has seven cameras left to install under the grant.

He said the contract with Flock can be stopped 30 days prior to the contract renewal date, which is in February. So far, there’s no intent to do that, he said.

Republicans significantly redrew five blue seats with the goal of making them winnable for their party. But the fast-moving politics of South Texas and falling approval rates for President Donald Trump among Texas Latinos — among other demographic blocs — have given Democrats a better chance than expected to blunt the GOP gerrymander.

All six of the districts highlighted in this voter guide have a majority-Hispanic population of eligible voters, or citizens who are old enough to vote. Four of them touch the U.S.-Mexico border. And four were redrawn with the explicit purpose of electing Republicans.

The stakes for these U.S. House races extend beyond Texas. Republicans’ continued control of the lower chamber, where they’re defending a wafer-thin majority, likely depends on the GOP both holding its existing seats in Texas and flipping the redrawn districts. 

For Democrats, thwarting GOP gains in Texas — or even picking some seats up themselves — would put the party in a strong position to flip the U.S. House, as well as indicating a significant shift in the Latino vote just two years after Trump reached a high-water mark with Latino voters.

Here’s a look at the main districts in play in the Lone Star State, including who is running and where they stand on key issues.

Texas’ key U.S. House seats in 2026

• 9th Congressional District
• 15th Congressional District
• 23rd Congressional District
• 28th Congressional District
• 34th Congressional District
• 35th Congressional District

9th Congressional District

Texas’ 9th Congressional District was among the seats that got a makeover in the state’s mid-decade redistricting, shifting from one of Texas’ bluest districts to one that significantly favors Republicans. The redrawn 9th — anchored in east Harris County and the petrochemical corridor along the Houston Ship Channel — is majority Hispanic, and it covers almost entirely new ground, with fewer than 3% of its voters coming over from the old 9th District.

The change led to the ouster of Rep. Al Green, the longtime progressive Democratic incumbent, who ran instead in the nearby 18th District and lost the Democratic primary.

In the new 9th District, Republican Alex Mealer, an Army veteran and former Houston oil and gas investment banker who narrowly lost the 2022 race for Harris County judge, is the heavy favorite in November. She won the May runoff over state Rep. Briscoe Cain by nearly 40 points after President Donald Trump endorsed her.

She faces Democrat Leticia Gutierrez, an environmental advocate from Houston’s East End who won the six-way March primary with 54% of the vote. Gutierrez is running a shoestring, neighborhood-level campaign, raising about $55,000 to Mealer’s $2 million, and is hoping that deep local roots and anger over the district’s redrawing can bridge the gap to overcome Mealer’s financial and partisan advantages.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the seat “Likely Republican.”

• Population race/ethnicity: 62% Hispanic, 25% white, 10% Black, 2% Asian
• 2024 presidential results in district: Trump + 20
• Counties in district: Harris, Liberty
• Cities in district: Houston (including the East End), Pasadena, Baytown, Deer Park, La Porte, Cleveland, among others

Campaign site

Alex Mealer

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $2.1 million
• Total spent: $1.7 million
• Cash on hand: $362,000

💰 Notable donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• More than $4.8 million in support from outside groups, nearly all during the primary
• Club for Growth Action, a super PAC: $1.1 million
• Veterans Duty Fund, a super PAC: $750,000
• Defending Our Values PAC, a super PAC: $636,000
• Win It Back PAC, a super pac: $616,000

Experience:

• Former U.S. Army captain
• West Point and Harvard MBA/JD graduate
• 2022 Republican nominee for Harris County judge
• Former public safety chair for Harris County METRO

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer
• U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville
• National Border Patrol Council and the Texas Municipal Police Association
• Briscoe Cain, Mealer’s primary opponent

Policy stances:

• Protect the Houston Ship Channel and Port Houston
• Strengthen border security and back law enforcement
• Secure federal funding for Lake Houston-area flood mitigation
• Ensure the U.S., “not China,” sets the rules for artificial intelligence
• Authoring election integrity legislation

In the news:

• After the Houston ICE shooting, Sylvia Garcia demanded answers. Alex Mealer urges patience.
• Texas could send a record four GOP women to Congress — if they make it through November
• Alex Mealer wins GOP nomination for new Houston congressional district, defeating state Rep. Briscoe Cain

How to contact or learn more:

info@alexandramealer.com

Alex Mealer for Congress

P.O. Box 1007

Pasadena, TX 77501

Campaign site

Leticia Gutierrez

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $55,000
• Total spent: $37,000
• Cash on hand: $19,000

💰Notable donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• Funded almost entirely by small individual donations through ActBlue
• Attorney and former Texas state representative Domingo Garcia: $3,500

Experience:

• Government relations and community outreach director at Air Alliance Houston, an environmental advocacy nonprofit, for more than a decade
• Former chief of staff at the Houston City Council

Endorsements:

• Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia and Sheriff Ed Gonzalez
• State Reps. Christina Morales, Jolanda Jones, Ron Reynolds and Harold Dutton Jr.
• Houston City Council members Joaquin Martinez, Mario Castillo, Letitia Plummer and Alejandra Salinas
• Latinas United PAC

Policy stances:

• Focus on “raising wages, creating quality local jobs, expanding access to health and childcare, and ensuring residents near the port and industrial corridor can access higher-paying positions.”
• Rebuild aging infrastructure to better prepare the district for future natural disasters
• Sees immigrants such as those in the 9th District being targeted by “false narratives” that “they are criminals or a drain on the economy,” while her “lived experience tells a different story” — they “work hard, pay taxes, start businesses, and keep critical industries running.”

In the news:

• Christian Menefee, Alex Mealer lead Houston-area congressional runoffs, new poll finds
• Leticia Gutierrez gains ground in new CD-9 congress race

How to contact or learn more:

info@leticiaforcongress.com

P.O. Box 262027

Houston, TX 77207

— Samanta Habashy

15th Congressional District

Texas’ 15th Congressional District was very Trump-friendly before last summer’s redistricting, and it remains so under the new map. The former president won the Rio Grande Valley-based seat by 18 points in both the former and current iteration of the district.

But much of the district, represented by Edinburg Republican Monica De La Cruz since 2023, is new territory for the former insurance agent. Still anchored in Hidalgo County, the district has taken on the southeastern portion of the county, trading in parts of McAllen for cities like Donna and Weslaco.

And instead of running up to Floresville and Seguin, the district now incorporates parts of the Coastal Bend, including Beeville, and stretches to rural areas between San Antonio and Houston. 

De La Cruz is running against Tejano musician Bobby Pulido, a moderate Democrat and Latin Grammy Award winner. Despite the heavily pro-Trump result in 2024, Democrats believe a combination of their candidate’s star power and crossover appeal, and an expected leftward shift by Latino voters, makes the seat flippable.

• Population race/ethnicity: 81% Hispanic, 15% Anglo, 2% Black, 1% Asian
• 2024 presidential results in district: Trump +18 (Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.6%)
• Counties in district: Aransas, Bee, Brooks, DeWitt, Goliad, Gonzales, Hidalgo, Jim Wells, Lavaca, Refugio, San Patricio
• Cities in district: Edinburg, McAllen, Weslaco, Pharr, San Juan, Mercedes, Alice, Beeville, Donna, Portland, Hidalgo, Alamo, among others

Campaign site

Monica De La Cruz

Republican , incumbent

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $5.27 million
• Total spent: $3.42 million
• Cash on hand: $2.46 million

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Congressional Leadership Fund
• Choose Freedom Inc.
• American Action Network
• Americans for Prosperity

Experience:

• U.S. Congresswoman since 2023
• Former insurance agent
• Owned an insurance agency

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• Speaker of the House Mike Johnson

Policy stances:

• Complete infrastructure along the southern border and reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy for migrants
• Support oil and natural gas jobs, cut regulations that increase the cost of energy and support the safe use of nuclear energy
• Protect Medicare and Social Security

In the news:

• With costs up, healthcare a defining issue in South Texas’ battleground House races
• After Monica De La Cruz helps migrant teen in ICE custody, Texas man seeks similar aid for fiancee
• Texas GOP Rep. Monica De La Cruz joins Democrats in vote to pass three-year ACA subsidy extension

How to contact or learn more:

877-469-1210

info@monicaforcongress.com

Monica De La Cruz for Congress

P.O. Box 4603

McAllen, TX 78502

Campaign site

Bobby Pulido

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $ 2.96 million
• Total spent: $1.8 million
• Cash on hand: $1.16 million

💰 Major donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• House Majority PAC
• Unrig Our Economy

Experience:

• Tejano musician and actor

Endorsements:

• Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico
• Blue Dog PAC
• Latino Victory Fund

Policy stances:

• Take on corporations that have raised prices and cut red tape for small businesses
• Secure the border through attacking the drug trade and expanding vetting hubs in Central America, while creating a reasonable path to legalization for people who want to contribute to the U.S.
• Hold Mexico accountable for water treaty obligations

In the news:

• South Texas Republican builders warn of voter backlash in November if aggressive ICE tactics continue
• As Democrats eye South Texas upset, Bobby Pulido faces scrutiny over ex-bandmate’s child sex offense
• In South Texas, quinceanera dig becomes campaign fuel for Tejano musician Bobby Pulido

How to contact or learn more:

Bobby Pulido for Texas

PO Box 1604, Edinburg, TX 78540

info@bobbypulidofortexas.com

— Gabby Birenbaum

23rd Congressional District

With the tumultuous fall from grace of former Rep. Tony Gonzales, Texas’ 23rd Congressional District became the state’s sole vacant seat. Now, a tight race is in store between a Democratic hopeful and Gonzales’ two-time primary challenger. 

Gonzales resigned from the U.S. House in April after revealing he had an affair with an aide who later died by suicide. But public outcry over the tragic saga wasn’t the only thing threatening an end to his five-year congressional career. Gun rights activist and YouTuber Brandon Herrera came just 400 votes shy of ousting Gonzales in the 2024 primary runoff. This year, he finished ahead of the incumbent in the March Republican primary by less than 1,000 votes, and Gonzales dropped his reelection bid days later before the runoff could take place. 

But Democrats hope the nomination of Herrera, a candidate much further to the right with controversies of his own, like edgy jokes about the Holocaust and derogatory comments about women, will come back to bite the GOP.

This November, Herrera will face San Antonio attorney and former teacher Katy Padilla Stout, a first-time candidate who triumphed in the Democratic primary with a majority of votes against three contenders. The district voted for President Donald Trump by a 15-point margin in 2024, and it was largely unchanged by the state’s redistricting the following year. Democrats have set their sights on flipping the seat in lieu of Herrera’s history and Hispanic voters’ apparent leftward shift since Trump began his second term. 

Polls show Herrera just two points ahead of Padilla Stout. The two candidates will offer District 23 Texans the choice between two starkly different platforms, diverging especially on gun control, immigration and abortion rights.

Population race/ethnicity: 60% Hispanic, 30.5% white, 6% Black, 4% Asian

2024 presidential results in district: Trump +15 (56.8% Trump, 42.0% Harris)

Counties in district: Bexar, Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Edwards, El Paso, Frio, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Loving, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Reeves, Schleicher, Sutton, Terrell, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Ward, Winkler, Zavala

Cities in district: San Antonio, El Paso, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Horizon City, Uvalde, Pecos, among others

Campaign site

Brandon Herrera

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $1.96 million
• Total spent: $1.64 million
• Cash on hand: $309,000

💰 Major donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• Herrera loaned his own committee $420,000
• No Going Back PAC, Trump-affiliated super PAC that registered with the FEC Sept. 1 – $46,000
• Freedom Caucus Fund, a hybrid PAC – $39,724 (in outside spending, separate $5,000 individual contribution also made)
• Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz – $19,000

Experience:

• Runs a YouTube channel about guns, internet memes and politics
• Owns a small arms manufacturing company near San Antonio
• Worked with President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer. Also Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Pat Harrigan, Eli Crane, Lauren Boebert, Mary Miller and Chip Roy
• Texas State Reps. Brooks Landgraf, Brent Money, Mitch Little, Matt Morgan, Valoree Swanson, Carrie Isaac, Keresa Richardson, Ben Bumgarner, Helen Kerwin, Joanne Shofner, Wes Virdell
• The Freedom Caucus Fund, Gun Owners of America, Texas College Republicans

Policy stances:

• Strengthen border security by opposing spending bills that reduce funding for Border Patrol and immigration enforcement. Would seek to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy and limit asylum opportunities
• Cut taxes, spending and regulation. Herrera signed on to the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, created by the group Americans for Tax Reform during the Ronald Reagan administration with the former president’s support in 1985
• Defend gun rights, especially national concealed carry reciprocity, which is the policy of recognizing individuals’ permits from other states. Would oppose new firearms restrictions and red flag laws that allow a judge to order the temporary removal of firearms from individuals deemed dangerous
• Protect unborn life by opposing government funding for abortion access. Upon being sworn in, would sponsor a bill requiring medical practitioners to provide life-saving care to babies who survived abortion attempts
• Enact term limits. Plans to co-sponsor a constitutional amendment limiting members of the House to three terms and members of the Senate to two
• Protect homeschooling rights and distribute funding to students at parochial and private, as well as public schools
• Oppose spending on foreign wars. Would vote to return troops from Syria, Iraq and other places where the U.S. is militarily involved
• Protect Social Security and Medicare by opposing cuts and supporting the expansion of investment options for younger workers

In the news:

• Brandon Herrera gets Trump endorsement for 23rd Congressional District
• U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales forced into runoff by Brandon Herrera amid affair scandal
• Gun rights YouTuber Brandon Herrera to challenge U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales again in GOP primary

How to contact or learn more:

info@brandonherreraforcongress.com

Brandon Herrera for Congress

11844 Bandera Road

Box 499

Helotes, TX 78023

Campaign site

Katy Padilla Stout

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $485,000
• Total spent: $314,000
• Cash on hand: $171,400

💰 Major donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• American Bridge 21st Century, also known as AB PAC – $268,000 against Herrera
• Emily’s List, a PAC supporting pro-choice, Democratic women – $16,000
• Fair Shot PAC, affiliated with House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Massachusetts – $9,500
• Rory Gates, prolific political donor and middle child of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates

Experience:

• Former teacher who taught elementary school students at Northside ISD
• Became an attorney and built a practice focused on child welfare and education law. Currently works at her family firm in Carrizo Springs
• Member since 2017 of the Bexar County Child Welfare Board, which aims to strengthen protections for vulnerable children

Endorsements:

• Texas U.S. Reps. Greg Casar, Joaquin Castro, and former Reps. Beto O’Rourke and Sylvestre Reyes
• Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. secretary of transportation under President Joe Biden
• Texas State Teachers Association and Texas American Federation of Teachers
• Texas AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union Texas

Policy stances:

• Oppose building the Big Bend border wall to preserve the natural beauty of the region and demand transparency from the Department of Homeland Security
• Reduce cost of living by implementing a tax code that empowers the middle class, reduces poverty and doesn’t cut taxes on billionaires
• Expand Medicare to all Americans, strengthen the Affordable Care Act and invest in federal community health centers to improve access for rural and urban families
• Create universal pre-Kindergarten education and support families by raising the minimum wage and requiring paid parental leave
• Fight climate change by rejoining the Paris Climate Accord and centering policies on established climate science
• Restore and expand the Voting Rights Act and create measures to promote voter registration and accessibility. Encourage regulation on voter intimidation and last-minute changes to voting procedures
• Provide reasonable pathways to citizenship and establish humane and fair vetting practices for immigrants
• Curb gun violence by establishing universal background checks, banning bump stocks and implementing red flag laws
• Protect reproductive rights and limit government intervention in women’s health and medical procedures

In the news:

• National Democrats add former GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales’ district to Texas congressional target list
• Pete Buttigieg endorses Democrat Katy Padilla Stout in race to fill former Rep. Tony Gonzales’ seat
• National gun safety group dives into San Antonio’s gun-centric congressional race

How to contact or learn more:

info@katyforcongress.com

Katy Padilla Stout for Congress

24165 IH-10 West

Ste. 217-509

San Antonio, TX 78257

— Will Hammann

28th Congressional District

Democrat Henry Cuellar has represented the 28th Congressional District, anchored in his hometown of Laredo, for over 20 years, from its days as a blue stronghold where Republicans sometimes failed to field a candidate to its recent conversion to a swing seat that both Donald Trump and Cuellar won in 2024.

Such are the politics at the southern border, where political coalitions are changing quickly and voters’ politics remain fluid. Cuellar held on to his seat in 2024, winning the district by a 6-point margin even as Trump carried it by 7 percentage points. But Republicans redrew it to incorporate more of the McAllen area and drop the San Antonio area, which brought in more Trump voters — but, Cuellar says, also slightly increased the percentage of voters who cast a ballot for a House Democrat in 2024.

Cuellar has worked this territory for decades, and believes his style of retail politics and Trump’s falling approval rating among Latino voters will keep the district in Democratic hands. But Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, a former Democrat who switched parties after the 2024 election, believes voters in all parties are ready for change, especially given Cuellar’s 2024 federal indictment for bribery and money laundering. Cuellar has denied the allegations against him, and his legal case was resolved when Trump granted him a pardon last year. 

The election pits two longtime elected officials — well known to people in Webb County — with lengthy records against one another in a district Republicans are eager to flip.

Population race/ethnicity: 91% Hispanic, 7% white, 1% Black, 1% Asian

2024 presidential results in district: Trump +10 (Trump 54.8%, Harris 44.4%)

Counties in district: Atascosa, Dimmit, Duval, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Starr, Webb, Zapata

Cities in district: Laredo, Mission, McAllen, Pharr, Palmview, Rio Grande City, Roma, among others

Campaign site

Henry Cuellar

Democrat, incumbent

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $2.23 million
• Total spent: $1.15 million
• Cash on hand: $1.13 million

💰 Major donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• House Majority PAC
• Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC

Experience:

• U.S. congressman since 2005
• Former Texas secretary of state and Texas state representative

Endorsements:

• Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
• LUPE Votes (“Endorsed with conditions”)

Policy stances:

• Issue direct refund payments to individuals to offset tariff-induced inflation and tax burden
• Secure the border and deport violent criminals without spending billions on detention facilities and detaining children and longtime residents with families
• Eliminate provisions and loopholes that reduce individuals’ Social Security benefits

In the news:

• Cuellar and Tijerina spar over who delivers for a South Texas district redrawn to favor the GOP
• Cuellar and progressives form tenuous alliance amid Trump’s immigration crackdown
• After Trump pardon, Rep. Henry Cuellar restored to homeland security funding post

How to contact or learn more:

info@henrycuellar.com

P.O. Box 6147

Laredo, TX 78042

Campaign site

Tano Tijerina

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $1.28 million
• Total spent: $510,000
• Cash on hand: $765,000

💰 MajNational Republican Congressional Committee

Congressional Leadership Fund

American Action Networkor donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• National Republican Congressional Committee
• Congressional Leadership Fund
• American Action Network

Experience:

• Webb County judge (county executive) since 2015

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• House Speaker Mike Johnson
• Sen. Ted Cruz
• Gov. Greg Abbott

Policy stances:

• Securing the border by stopping illegal crossings and supporting law enforcement, while pursuing bipartisan immigration reform
• Lower taxes for families and small businesses and cut regulations
• Position South Texas as a leader for AI and technology while protecting water, land and rural communities

In the news:

• Cuellar and Tijerina spar over who delivers for a South Texas district redrawn to favor the GOP
• Flores, Tijerina go hard on border politics at convention
• Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina launches run for Congress, seeking to flip South Texas district red

How to contact or learn more:

info@tanoforcongress.com

P.O. Box 450170

Laredo, TX 78045

— Gabby Birenbaum

34th Congressional District

The GOP is again eyeing the seat of Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, this time after Republicans redrew his district to be more GOP-friendly. South Texas lawyer Eric Flores has his party’s full support to take it.

The district has been highly contested since the resignation of former Rep. Filemon Vela in March 2022. After the seat was briefly flipped in a special election that summer, Gonzalez won it back in November and narrowly held on the following cycle. He’ll have to work harder yet this year, as the 2025 redistricting dyed Texas’ 34th Congressional District redder by trading Democratic-leaning areas near McAllen for Republican turf around Corpus Christi.

In the Democratic primary, Gonzalez stood firm against a democratic socialist challenger in Etienne Rosas, besting him by 25 points. Gonzalez, who served three terms out of the 15th District before switching to the 34th, has established himself as a staunch moderate, and explicitly distanced himself from democratic socialists who’ve made notable electoral gains in congressional primaries this cycle, especially in New York. 

Eric Flores, formerly an assistant U.S. attorney in the region, came out strong in his first election with a landslide win in the GOP primary against Gonzalez’s rival from the last two cycles, former Rep. Mayra Flores (no relation), who briefly held office after winning the 2022 special election. Republicans see favorable odds for Eric Flores heading into November against Gonzalez in a district that, based on its new borders, voted for President Donald Trump by 10 points in 2024. 

Flores also has the full support of his party. He’s endorsed by Trump, top GOP House leaders like Speaker Mike Johnson, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The two South Texas candidates have proven to be robust fundraisers in what is expected to be a tight race.

Population race/ethnicity: 77% Hispanic, 19% White, 2.5% Black, 2% Asian

2024 presidential results in district: Trump +10 (54.6% Trump, 44.5% Harris)

Counties in district: Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg, Wallacy, Nueces

Cities in district: Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Harlingen, San Benito, Kingsville, among others

Campaign site

Vicente Gonzalez

Democrat, incumbent

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $3.8 million
• Total spent: $2.34 million ($925,000 of which was used to repay himself for loans to his previous campaigns)
• Cash on hand: $2.53 million

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC — $55,850 against Flores
• Billionaire financiers Steve Mandel, Joshua Bekenstein and Louis Bacon
• Roger Altman, former United States deputy secretary of the treasury

Experience:

• Earned his GED after dropping out of high school, and went on to eventually receive his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law
• Served as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C., while in law school
• Founded his own law firm where he carries out litigation against corporate abuse

Endorsements:

• Former Rep. Filemon Vela
• LUPE Votes (“Endorsed with conditions”)
• Texas AFL-CIO 
• Texas AFT, the National Education Association
• Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND

Policy stances:

• Safeguard senior benefits and programs providing financial security and healthcare access 
• Defend women’s rights by improving workplace protections, healthcare access and equal opportunity initiatives
• Invest in education by supporting educators and expanding access to resources for students
• Protect veterans’ access to benefits, healthcare and other resources
• Strengthen rural and urban access to healthcare, including prevention, mental health services and long-term care
• Spur job growth by investing in growing industries, protecting local businesses and supporting workforce development initiatives

In the news:

• This South Texas Democrat won big in the primary. But November is going to be a lot tougher.
• “Somebody needs to get fired”: Vicente Gonzalez blasts Dem strategy on abortion, trans issues
• Vicente Gonzalez defeats Mayra Flores to hold onto South Texas congressional district

How to contact or learn more:

vgonzalezforcongress@gmail.com

Vicente Gonzalez for Congress

PO Box 6270

Brownsville, TX 78523

Campaign site

Eric Flores

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $2.75 million
• Total spent: $2.07 million
• Cash on hand: $683,000

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Flores loaned $576,500 to his campaign
• No Going Back PAC, Trump-affiliated super PAC that registered with the FEC Sept. 1 – $273,785 against Gonzalez
• Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC – $273,785 against Gonzalez
• Americans for Prosperity Action – $276,308 for Flores, $53,362 against Gonzalez
• Billionaire and prolific GOP donor Paul Singer

Experience:

• Former Texas Army National Guard infantry captain who took part in logistical operations supporting border patrol
• Served as assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, McAllen Criminal Division
• Currently a partner of a statewide law firm leading litigation for Texas municipalities and school districts

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• Gov. Greg Abbott
• Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both R-Louisiana, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota
• U.S. Reps. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, and Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie

Policy stances:

• Support energy, agriculture and shipping developments in South Texas and the Coastal Bend by opposing federal regulations that slow projects and by drawing federal funds to the region
• Lower the cost of living. Would limit federal spending to curb inflation and support affordable housing development
• Improve infrastructure by securing federal funding for roads, bridges, ports and broadband in rural communities
• Defend water resources by seeking federal investments in South Texas water infrastructure and pushing for long-term regional water planning
• Advocate for veterans by reducing Veterans’ Affairs wait times, expanding access to medical and mental healthcare and supporting funding for veterans’ benefits and disability claims
• Safeguard seniors’ benefits. Would oppose taxing or cutting benefits and would support expanding access to prescription drugs and protections against financial exploitation
• Protect South Texas farmers and ranchers. Would push for crop insurance and disaster relief and oppose trade policy that hurts agricultural markets
• Invest in small businesses by seeking tax relief, cutting regulation and supporting workforce development

In the news:

• Flores vs. Flores: GOP primary for South Texas congressional seat hinges on who can beat the Democrats
• Eric Flores trounces Mayra Flores in District 34 Republican primary
• GOP Army veteran announces challenge to Democrat Vicente Gonzalez in South Texas congressional district

How to contact or learn more:

info@ericflores.com

Eric Flores for Congress

PO Box 84

San Benito, TX 78586

— Will Hammann

35th Congressional District

When Texas Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map last year to carve out more seats for the GOP, they turned the San Antonio-based 35th Congressional District from a safe Democratic seat, which U.S. Rep. Greg Casar currently represents, into one Trump would have carried by 10 points in 2024. Democrats have decided to fight for it anyway, with hopes to turn the House blue, making the new 35th one of the most closely watched midterm races in the state this fall.

With no incumbent on the scene — Casar is running in the 37th District — the race will yield a new voice in the Texas delegation. Republican Carlos De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran, San Antonio gym owner and brother of U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, faces Democrat Johnny Garcia, a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy and self-described old-school moderate. De La Cruz won his May runoff over state Rep. John Lujan by 15 points after Trump endorsed him; Garcia, backed by the Blue Dog Coalition, cruised past educator Maureen Galindo by nearly a 28-point margin.

The race, which the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates as “Lean Republican,” is a bellwether for the durability of Trump’s 2024 gains with Hispanic voters — who make up a majority of the district — in a midterm without him on the ballot. Leaders from both parties are watching intently from Washington: National Democrats are bullish on Garcia, while House Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned for De La Cruz in the district in late August and called the seat “the whole enchilada.”

Population race/ethnicity: 57% Hispanic, 31% white, 9% Black, 3% Asian

2024 presidential results in district: Trump +10 (Trump 54.6%, Harris 44.2%)

Counties in district: Bexar, Guadalupe, Karnes, Wilson

Cities in district: San Antonio, Cibolo, Converse, New Braunfels, Schertz, Seguin, Universal City, among others

Campaign site

Carlos De La Cruz

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $1.05 million
• Total spent: $776,000
• Cash on hand: $272,000

💰 Notable donors and outside spending support this cycle:

• Defending Our Values PAC, a super PAC: 1.5 million
• Defend American Jobs, a super PAC: $572,000
• Strong PAC, funded by Club for Growth Action: $486,000
• Ross Perot Jr.
• Roger Penske

Experience:

• Served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and conducted drug-interdiction/counter-narcotics operations against cartels at the Texas-Mexico border
• Operates a San Antonio kickboxing gym with his wife

Endorsements:

• President Donald Trump
• House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Whip Tom Emmer
• Sister and U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, along with other GOP members from Texas: Lance Gooden, Michael McCaul, Brandon Gill, August Pfluger
• National Border Patrol Council

Policy stances:

• Secure the border by giving Border Patrol “the tools, manpower, and support they deserve,” while at the same time welcoming legal immigration
• Ban members of Congress from trading stocks while they legislate
• Protect Social Security and Medicare for seniors by opposing wasteful spending cuts to the programs
• Expand U.S. energy production by rolling back “radical green regulations” to boost oil and gas output, framing it as a path to lower prices, energy independence and job growth
• Support agriculture workers by pressing Mexico to meet water-treaty obligations to agricultural communities and cutting regulations he says let foreign competitors undercut U.S. producers
• Use Texas energy to power AI growth by tapping into Texas’s oil, gas and power production

In the news:

• Democrat Johnny Garcia to face Republican Carlos De La Cruz for redrawn Texas district
• San Antonio Democrat outraises Trump-backed opponent in red-leaning district
• ​​Republican Carlos De La Cruz announces run for redrawn 35th Congressional District

How to contact or learn more:

info@carlosforcongress.com

Carlos De La Cruz for Congress

Attn: Legal Counsel

P.O. Box 2072

Universal City, TX 78148

Campaign site

Johnny Garcia

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

• Total raised: $932,000
• Total spent: $609,000
• Cash on hand: $323,000

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Project 218, a super PAC affiliated with the progressive American Bridge 21st Century: $1.4 million
• BDA PAC, a super PAC aligned with the moderate Blue Dog Coalition: $775,000 supporting Garcia and $475,000 opposing primary foe Galindo
• SD 2026, the super PAC behind Save Democracy 2026: $270,000 supporting Garcia, $210,000 opposing Galindo
• Longtime Texas state Sen. Judith Zaffirini , D-Laredo
• Texas personal injury attorney Adam Loewy

Experience:

• Bexar County Sheriff’s Office public information officer
• Nearly two decades at BCSO, with positions including jail guard, patrol deputy and hostage negotiator on the SWAT crisis negotiation team
• Led the Inmate Worker Program, a second-chance initiative for rehabilitation, as a corrections officer

Endorsements:

• Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
• U.S. Reps. Greg Casar, Joaquin Castro and Lloyd Doggett
• Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico
• Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar and former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg

Policy stances:

• Lower costs by ending the “Trump tariffs,” which he ties to grocery and gas prices and says are threatening San Antonio manufacturing jobs at Toyota and other plants
• Strengthen the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicaid in Texas
• Expand apprenticeships and workforce training that “pay while you learn” for skilled trades, nursing and manufacturing
• Boost local law enforcement funding, drug treatment and mental health resources, and support gun violence prevention legislation
• Ban congressional stock trading

In the news:

• Outside spending blitz defined the close of Texas’ District 35 Democratic runoff
• How Johnny Garcia rose from sheriff’s deputy to a high-profile congressional candidate
• ‘The whole enchilada’: House Speaker Mike Johnson says all eyes are on San Antonio’s new congressional district

How to contact or learn more:

info@votejohnnygarcia.com

P.O. Box 14117

San Antonio, TX 78214

— Samanta Habashy

Disclosure: Adam Loewy, Domingo Garcia, Shelby & Brooks Landgraf, Texas AFT and Texas State Teachers Association have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.

For the 72-year-old, the cost of everything — from gas and groceries to homeowners insurance and healthcare — have gone up. So it was a welcome surprise when Lindsley, a retired bookkeeper, received her tax bill last fall to find the property taxes on her home in an unincorporated part of Hays County had shrunk by more than 40%.

The chief reason: the amount in school property taxes she owed fell to $0.

“I was ecstatic,” Lindsley said. “I’m like, ‘this is the only thing in my life that’s going down.’ I can actually afford to pay.”

As Texas Republicans vow on the campaign trail to once again wage war on the state’s high property taxes, among the highest in the nation, a clear victor has already emerged: older homeowners. In the wake of additional cuts the Legislature passed last year, some 60% of Texas homeowners age 65 and up no longer pay school property taxes, the largest portion of property owners’ tax bills, according to an analysis by state Sen. Paul Bettencourt’s office.

“People have paid a lifetime of taxes,” Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who authored many of the state’s property tax cuts, said at a Senate committee hearing earlier this month. “When they finally pay zero, and they realize it’s not a mistake, it’s a great day for them.”

In recent years, state lawmakers have sent billions of dollars to school districts to drive down their tax rates, put tight limits on how much cities and counties can raise property taxes without asking voters and boosted tax breaks for homeowners. Now, nearly 2.4 million Texans no longer pay school property taxes.

Lawmakers last year boosted the state’s homestead exemption on school district taxes — or the amount of a homeowner’s primary homestead value that can’t be taxed to pay for public schools — to $140,000. Coupled with a boost in the state’s senior homestead exemption, which also applies to homeowners with qualifying disabilities, homeowners age 65 and up can get $200,000 shaved off their home’s taxable value.

Those efforts resulted in the statewide average school tax bill for general homesteads dropping by 13.6% to $896 last year, according to Bettencourt’s office. For seniors, it fell some 33% to $380. Some 40% of the state’s homeowners no longer pay property taxes, per his office’s estimates.

As Texas voters feel pressure from the rising cost of living, Texas Republicans appear eager to pursue more property tax breaks. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said last year he wants to extend the senior homestead exemption on school property taxes to people age 55 and up, while boosting the exemption offered to every homeowner. Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott has proposed eliminating school property taxes for all homeowners, which has sparked fairness questions over who will ultimately be on the hook for Texas property taxes.

Some already see the existing tax-cut scheme as unfair. Younger conservatives, in particular, have argued the state’s tax-cut hawks have focused enough on providing tax relief for older homeowners — as younger folks have struggled to buy homes in Texas — and now should focus on providing relief to other kinds of taxpayers. 

“We don’t begrudge older generations for not wanting to be taxed out of their homes,” said Derrick Wilson, chairman of the Texas Young Republican Federation. “But it does seem foundationally unfair to grant tax relief to an older generation that’s been voting for bonds and things that we still have to pay for.”

Tax policy experts on both sides of the aisle agree and view the disproportionate benefit to senior homeowners, who tend to have more wealth than younger generations, as a wealth transfer from younger Texans to older Texans. 

That transfer occurs because to pay for school property tax cuts, Texas lawmakers have used surpluses of state revenue funded by other taxes everyone else — including working-age adults struggling to make ends meet — is paying.

“There are a lot of younger people that maybe would need the relief more than those who are retired and have a lot of savings,” said Janelle Fritts, senior policy analyst with the conservative Tax Foundation’s Center for State Tax Policy.

No one whom The Texas Tribune spoke to wants to take away tax breaks for older homeowners, whose fixed incomes and lack of access to affordable housing to downsize has made it harder for them to pay for everyday expenses. 

Seniors also wield considerable political influence, giving politicians more impetus to deliver benefits to them. Lawmakers and advocates for older adults have long fretted about the possibility of taxing older adults out of their homes.

But, it’s not clear how much more in tax breaks lawmakers can pay for. Already, state budget watchers have warned that lawmakers’ overall approach to property taxes may be unsustainable amid a slower economy. State lawmakers put $51 billion toward cutting school property taxes last year — an amount they’ve committed to every two years going forward that has made even some Republicans nervous.

The population of older Texans is expected to nearly double in the coming decades, from about 3.9 million in 2020 to 7.5 million in 2050, according to population projections from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. As Texas ages, the cost of property tax breaks for older homeowners will grow even faster than breaks all homeowners receive, according to the Texas comptroller’s office.

“Nobody likes taxes,” said Spencer Banzhaf, a professor at North Carolina State University who has studied age-based property tax exemptions. “Anyone would like to get out of their taxes if they can. And I think seniors have been very successful at that in this case.”

The case for older homeowners getting breaks

The cost of virtually everything Lindsley spends money on has gone up.

Her homeowners insurance premium more than doubled because her roof is more than a decade old. She found a cheaper plan, though it was still more expensive than the rate she paid before her previous insurer raised her premium. It’s also gotten more expensive to insure her 2014 Toyota Corolla and to fill up its gas tank, and she now takes fewer errand trips to save on gas. Lindsley stopped buying beef as prices surged, but just one bag of groceries can still add up to more than $100, she said. Her health care costs, too, have grown.

Between Social Security and an annuity, Lindsley brings in about $4,400 a month. She’s able to make ends meet now, but she said she worries costs could eventually grow beyond what she’s able to comfortably afford. 

“I just hope it doesn’t get much worse,” said Lindsley, who, despite having no school property tax bill, still paid more than $1,000 in other property taxes on her $546,000 home last year.

Many seniors are on fixed incomes and rely heavily on Social Security, which often doesn’t fully cover the cost of essentials like housing, healthcare, food and transportation. They might have more wealth given higher home values, but that wealth isn’t liquid. And not everyone is able to save for retirement.

More than half of older adults in Texas live below the Elder Index, a calculation by the Gerontology Institute to measure the income older adults need to cover basic expenses. 

Of those Texans, 28% are below the federal poverty line, said Caitlin Covey, director of the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging at the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Gerontology Institute. The rest are too well off financially to qualify for additional public assistance, but not well off enough to make ends meet.

“They’re making it, but they’re making it in a really fragile set of circumstances,” Covey said.

Many Texas seniors are “cost-burdened,” meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on keeping a roof over their head. Across Texas’ major urban areas, at least 30% of Texans age 65 and up are considered cost-burdened, regardless of whether they own or rent their home, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Even if they’ve paid off their mortgage, homeowners still face housing costs like utilities, property taxes and insurance. A homeowner in Travis County, for example, who has paid off their home still faces about $904 a month in those kinds of costs, according to the Elder Index. 

“Just because you own your home and it looks like you’re wealthy on paper doesn’t mean you have the cash flow to absorb” increases in other costs, Covey said.

In the past, lawmakers have argued they need to target breaks toward older homeowners to help insulate them from rising property values, which can often translate into higher tax bills, as the state has grown. Lawmakers have pitched breaks as a reward for older homeowners who have spent a lifetime paying property taxes.

To some extent, homestead exemptions as a way to cut property taxes will always benefit older people. Homeowners skew wealthier and older, so if the state only offered the general homestead exemption without an additional break for seniors, seniors will still benefit. 

In rural areas, that benefit is compounded because of lower property values. Many rural counties are seeing more than three quarters of their senior homeowners no longer paying school property taxes, owing to lower property values, according to Bettencourt’s office. Smaller but still considerable shares of older homeowners in urban and suburban counties no longer pay school property taxes.

“People who have paid property taxes in the same community for 45 years have contributed quite a bit financially,” Covey said. “Some would argue that this is giving them a break that they’ve earned, and not just giving them a break because of their age.”

Are senior tax breaks fair? 

Tax policy experts across the political spectrum note that older homeowners tend to be better off financially, and government spending at the federal level is heavily tilted toward helping seniors, so tax breaks are just a further leg up. While many seniors struggle to afford property taxes, many are wealthy enough to afford them, they argued.

“We want folks who have trouble paying their property taxes to get some sort of help,” said Shannon Halbrook, a fiscal policy expert at Every Texan, a left-leaning think tank. “But at the same time, if you can comfortably afford to pay your property taxes, then you should.”

Texas’ property tax-cut regime constitutes a generational wealth transfer because the burden of propping up the property tax cuts falls on younger generations, who are paying state sales tax that then gets passed along to older homeowners in the form of tax cuts, experts said.

More broadly, the state’s tax-cut regime has largely favored homeowners, though lawmakers have also pursued other cuts they argue also benefit businesses and renters. Policy experts fret that renters and business owners will increasingly be on the hook to pay the state’s property taxes.

“If that homestead exemption is so effective, and a lot of homeowners aren’t paying school property taxes, that means that mostly other classes of property are going to be taking up that burden, whether that’s commercial property or that’s renters,” said Fritts, the Tax Foundation analyst.

Bettencourt contests that framing, arguing that everyone pays property taxes, whether they know it or not. The cost of property taxes is baked into the cost of paying rent or a bag of groceries.

Lawmakers’ goal has often been to ensure that older Texans can remain in their homes and aren’t forced to sell and uproot from their community, leaving behind social bonds. But that comes with side effects. Research shows the more in tax cuts a homeowner receives, the less likely they’ll sell that home. That means fewer homes on the market, which drives up overall home prices, making it harder for younger would-be homebuyers to gain a foothold and find a home they can afford.

Meanwhile, seniors might be saddled with a home — and the associated costs — that no longer serves their needs.

Lindsley may sell her home sometime in the next five years, she said. It’s a two-story house with a spiral staircase, and she’s getting older, she said. It might eventually make sense for her to sell and find a one-story house or condominium in the Dallas area, closer to her family, she said.

“I’m thinking about it, but I love that house so much,” Lindsley said.

Policy experts and advocates for older adults argue city officials and state lawmakers need to legalize housing types other than single-family homes on large detached lots and large apartment buildings. That includes making it easier to build more accessory dwelling units, duplexes and smaller apartment buildings that would give seniors downsizing options. Texas lawmakers last year passed laws aimed at allowing more homes to be built, including homes on smaller lots. Abbott wants state lawmakers to make it easier to build accessory dwelling units when they convene next year. 

Allowing more housing options would enable family members or caregivers to live closer to their older relatives, said Jessica Lemann, manager of advocacy for AARP Texas. 

“There are a lot of people out there that would be happy to downsize, but they still want to stay in their community,” Lemann said. “They may be willing to leave their 2,000, 3,000 square-foot home to go to something smaller, but they don’t want to have to leave their community.”

Potential solutions

If lawmakers want to deliver more in tax breaks to seniors, there are more targeted ways to go about it that don’t depend on payors reaching a certain age, tax policy experts from both sides of the aisle said. 

Texas could enact a “circuit breaker” that essentially caps someone’s property tax bill when that bill exceeds a certain percentage of their income, regardless of whether they own or rent. That would ensure that tax relief flows to older homeowners who really need the help while also providing direct relief for older Texans who rent, something Texas’ current tax-cut approach doesn’t do.

State legislators have occasionally flirted with the idea, but abandoned it because Texas doesn’t have a way to administer the benefit — chiefly an income tax, which is used in other states that have such programs to verify a person’s income and deliver the benefit. However, some states like Washington and New Hampshire don’t have an income tax but still provide “circuit breaker” tax programs. 

Texas lawmakers have argued that renters benefit from lower school tax rates made possible by $38 billion in state spending to drive down local tax rates, but it’s unclear just how much landlords pass off those benefits to renters. 

“If you want to really focus on the folks who need tax relief the most, I think using income is a very appropriate way to do that,” Halbrook said.

As part of his reelection platform, Abbott has proposed getting rid of school property taxes for all homeowners. Some young conservatives, including Wilson, see that as a way to get rid of gaps between younger and older homeowners. But doing so would be highly expensive, detractors have noted, and would likely require the lawmakers to raise the state sales tax rate to pay for it. And under Abbott’s plan owners of other property like apartments, stores, factories and warehouses would still have to pay school property taxes.

In the meantime, homeowners aren’t going to turn down a tax cut. But some acknowledge how important their share can be to paying for services.

Steven Klinek, a Pharr homeowner, turned 65 in June and hopes to see savings on his tax bill he can use to pay for groceries and other expenses.

But Klinek, who retired from United Parcel Service in 2020, said he’s never minded paying property taxes even as his tax bill rose in previous years. Klinek cites the fact that his youngest son earned two years of college credit through the local district’s dual-credit program with South Texas College, partially funded by property taxes. That saved Klinek substantial tuition costs for his son, who’s now a senior at the University of Texas at El Paso owing to the program.

“I see what my community does with their tax dollars,” Klinek said. “I see it on paper, I see it in my pocketbook, and I see what happens to kids. So that’s why I don’t have a problem paying my property taxes.”

Disclosure: AARP Texas has been a major financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. Every Texan has been a financial supporter within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.

In what is widely viewed as the biggest scandal in Premier League history, the independent panel determined that the United Arab Emirates-backed team committed almost all of the 115-plus violations it was accused of during a period in which City changed the landscape of the world’s most popular soccer league. That included 80 from 2009-18 for alleged financial misdeeds and another 35 from 2018-23 for allegedly not cooperating with the investigation.

City’s alleged financial wrongdoing — made possible in part through what the league said were “sham” commercial deals — was worth more than 900 million pounds ($1.19 billion). Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the ruling showed City “systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade.”

“This disciplinary case, and this decision, are the most significant in Premier League history,” Masters said.

City now faces severe sanctions that could include a huge points deduction or even expulsion from the league, causing heavy reputational damage to its Abu Dhabi ownership.

The Premier League said sanctions will be decided during a separate hearing held by the independent commission at an unspecified date.

The club plans to appeal

City has always denied wrongdoing and said in a statement that it was “disappointed and surprised” by the ruling. It plans to appeal the verdict and said it would be “relentless” in its fight to clear its name, which would further drag out a case that has already run for more than three years.

Any appeal by City would have to be made by Friday, the league said.

In an internal video to City staff — obtained by broadcaster Sky News — the club's CEO, Ferran Soriano, went into detail about why he felt the verdict was wrong.

“This has gone on for so long that it is important to remind ourselves that the whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation: that the owner's personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi,” he said. “This is just not true. Irrefutable evidence has been provided to the Premier League commission that shows it could not happen and that it did not happen."

A drawn out investigation

The allegations first arose in 2018 from leaked club emails and documents, and the Premier League initiated its case more than three years ago. Tuesday’s findings come after it emerged last week that the accusations against City were expected to be upheld following an exhaustive process.

City is accused of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009-18 — a span in which it emerged from the shadow of its crosstown rival, Manchester United, won three titles and signed some of the world’s best players, including Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne.

The violations included failing to provide accurate financial information and submitting inflated figures for sponsorship deals out of Abu Dhabi, hiding payments and breaching financial rules established by the Premier League and UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, intended to keep clubs financially stable by not spending beyond their means.

On top of that, City faced many other charges of failing to cooperate with the investigation between 2018-23.

"An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period,” the league said, “and the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the league’s investigation.”

Regarding the sponsorship deals, the league said: “Manchester City arranged ‘sham’ contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with a number of its commercial partners, as well as relying on ‘sham’ agreements with others, to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs.

“The club,” the league added, “filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from its auditors and football regulators.”

The purpose of City's “schemes” was to “artificially inflate the club’s revenues, and reduce its costs, by more than £900 million ($1.19 billion) during the affected period, to appear to comply with financial rules,” the league said.

The finding suggests that City’s rise to the top of the English game, fueled by investments from Abu Dhabi that delivered by its expensively assembled, star-studded squads, was achieved at least in part by evading the league’s financial regulations.

An outpouring of anger

The panel's findings have plunged English soccer into chaos, with rival clubs calling for compensation for lost earnings and threatening to sue, and fans and even some other teams' players wondering whether City should be stripped of titles.

There’s also the question of whether City’s top stars, like Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki, will stay at the club and what the future holds for Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family who bought City in 2008 and has gone on to own a group of worldwide teams — under the City Football Group banner — including New York City FC and Melbourne City.

City has always maintained its innocence, saying in 2023 when the charges were laid that there was a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.”

Even over the weekend, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said there remained a ”confidence and intent in proving the club’s innocence.”

The appeal could end up in the High Court in London if City feels the process in the case was unfair.

Melbourne City FC reaction

On Wednesday league officials in Australia said they’d wait to see how the fallout from Manchester City’s financial situation develops, believing it’s too early to raise concern around A-League club Melbourne City FC, which has been owned by the City Football Group since 2014. Since then Melbourne City has won the league in 2021 and 2025.

Australian Professional League chief executive Steve Rosich said the APL, which operates the top domestic men’s and women’s competitions, had never investigated Melbourne City regarding its financial matters.

“No it doesn’t concern us,” Rosich said. “There is further work to follow and findings to follow in the legal process, so we’ll consider that. The international football economy is intertwined, so all parties will be reviewing that.”

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The alliance could be well positioned to threaten the dominance of President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party over the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority — but only if the first national elections in 20 years actually happen, which is very much in doubt.

Abbas has said parliamentary elections will be held Nov. 28 in Gaza and the West Bank. But he has repeatedly delayed elections, most recently in 2021, when Fatah appeared headed for defeat. When Hamas won the last elections, in 2006, Israel and Western countries boycotted its government, fueling months of unrest that led to its takeover of Gaza the following year.

Islamic Jihad deputy Secretary General Mohammed al-Hindi confirmed the formation of the electoral alliance in a rare interview with The Associated Press in Istanbul on Monday. He said it would support “a unified national list” that could be made up of independent figures rather than members of the groups.

It would include a bloc led by Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah security chief who was exiled in 2010 after a bitter falling-out with Abbas and had previously been driven from Gaza by Hamas. Dahlan has since cultivated close ties with the UAE, where he serves as an adviser to the ruler.

The UAE was the driving force behind the 2020 Abraham Accords, and Dahlan himself has extensive contacts with U.S. and Israeli officials, making him an unlikely ally for Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which have fought Israel for decades. The alliance appears to be rooted in shared frustration with Abbas.

New alliance takes aim at Abbas

Abbas’ leadership of the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy over parts of the occupied West Bank, is deeply unpopular among Palestinians who see it as autocratic, corrupt and ineffective.

The 90-year-old Abbas has clung to power since his own mandate expired in 2009, while Hamas continues to control parts of Gaza three years into a brutal war with Israel.

Dimitri Diliani, spokesperson for Dahlan’s Reformist Democratic Faction, stopped short of declaring a formal alliance but confirmed the factions are assembling a list that would transcend their political differences. The Palestinian Authority under Abbas “has failed Gaza and the Palestinian people everywhere,” he said.

He said several other Palestinian groups are also part of the initiative and there are efforts to bring “all other factions and independent professionals into uniting around one national rebuilding program.”

Hamas said in August that Dahlan and Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya had met in Cairo and discussed ways to “end the monopolization of national decision-making and formulate a comprehensive national strategy.”

Hamas and Fatah officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Past attempts at Palestinian unity have failed

Al-Hindi said the decision to launch the alliance came after attempts to bring together all factions in a “dialogue for internal consensus on the overall Palestinian issue” failed to bear fruit.

There have been multiple attempts over the years to bring Hamas and Islamic Jihad into the Fatah-led Palestine Liberation Organization, the highest body representing the Palestinian cause internationally, but all have foundered.

A main sticking point has been the PLO’s recognition of Israel. While Hamas officials have said they are willing to accept a Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem — territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war — they have stopped short of recognizing Israel, while Islamic Jihad takes a harder line.

Both are considered terrorist groups by the U.S. and other Western countries, which have voiced support for Palestinian democracy over the years while rejecting any government that includes Hamas. Fatah and Hamas are the most popular factions by far, though many Palestinians are frustrated with both.

Al-Hindi said his group — which has historically not participated in elections run by the Palestinian Authority — will not directly run any candidates but will “support a national list that is agreed upon.”

Violence is ongoing in Gaza and the West Bank

The scheduled elections come at a precarious time.

In the West Bank, attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians have intensified. In Gaza, a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 has halted the heaviest fighting, but the Israeli military has seized control of more of the territory and continued strikes, which it says are in response to threats.

More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Hamas started the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage.

Under a U.S. plan for implementing the ceasefire, armed Palestinian groups were to give up their weapons while Israel would withdraw from the enclave. Al-Hindi said his group, along with Hamas, had agreed to the plan and blamed Israel for blocking it.

“When Israel’s obligations in the first phase (of the agreement) are achieved, we will move on to talk about the second phase, which includes the issue of weapons,” al-Hindi said.

Islamic Jihad official says Oct. 7 came as a surprise

Islamic Jihad took part in the Oct. 7 attack and held Israeli hostages, but al-Hindi said the group was not involved in planning the attack or given forewarning by Hamas. The night before, he said, Islamic Jihad members held a commemoration of the group’s founding and many stayed up late.

“In the morning, we were surprised by the media reporting what happened, but as a resistance movement, we were quick to participate in these confrontations,” he said.

With tens of thousands dead, Gaza largely reduced to rubble, and most of its population displaced, al-Hindi acknowledged that “some voices began to express doubts and say, ’What has the resistance brought down on the Palestinian people?'”

But he insisted that the Oct. 7 attack had been necessary to prevent the plight of the Palestinians from being completely sidelined as the UAE and other Arab countries had moved to normalize relations with Israel.

He also acknowledged that Iran — long a main source of support for Palestinian militant groups — is now preoccupied by the ongoing war and a U.S. economic blockade. But al-Hindi said his group will continue with or without Iranian support.

“As long as there is no political horizon to solve the Palestinian issue and attempts continue to flee from the Palestinian cause in the region, the future will be resistance,” he said.

___

Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard urged Americans in a message ahead of U.S. midterm elections to take to the streets and rally against Donald Trump, claiming the U.S. president's war in the Middle East has failed.

Pakistan vowed to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthis by “whatever means,” and in the occupied West Bank, settlers rioted to prevent a Palestinian man escorted by the Israeli military from returning to his home.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. Full coverage is available here.

US targets Iran’s military supply chain with new sanctions

The United States is targeting people and companies around the globe that it accuses of being financial facilitators or enablers of Iran’s military supply chain.

The Trump administration is pushing forward with economic warfare against Tehran at a time when renewed diplomacy between the two countries remains uncertain.

The Treasury Department action Tuesday is part of the administration’s “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign, aimed at severing “critical financial lifelines” for the already heavily sanctioned Iranian government.

Ten individuals and entities based in Iran, Hong Kong and Pakistan now face sanctions over accusations of procuring weapons and weapon components for Iran as it fights its now seven-month war against the U.S.

By Farnoush Amiri

An Iranian spokesman advises Americans to reconsider their leaders

Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, spokesman for Iran's Revolutionary Guard, said that the only way for the war in Iran to end is for Washington to admit defeat and leave.

He spoke at a news conference Tuesday in Tehran, reading from what he called a “letter to the American people.” The message was apparently meant for the U.S. public just weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections for the U.S. Senate and Congress — a vote in which Trump’s Republican Party faces fierce headwinds as it looks to maintain control of Congress.

Later, in remarks to The Associated Press, Mohebbi urged Americans to reconsider their leadership and take to the streets and protest Trump's policies to denounce what he called the U.S. government’s warmongering policies.

He accused the United States of using Iran’s nuclear program as a ruse to “plunder Iran’s wealth” and to turn the country “back into a colony.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s currency fell to a new record low Tuesday, with traders in Tehran exchanging more than 2.5 million rials to the U.S. dollar. The currency has repeatedly reached new lows since the war began in February.

Major Saudi pipeline is once again operating

A crucial oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia that was shuttered by the kingdom earlier this month after coming under attack is once again operating, a Saudi government official said.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said operations are near pre-attack levels and that the East-West pipeline should be running at full capacity within a few weeks. The kingdom relies on the pipeline to move its crude from oil processing facilities on the Gulf to ports on its western, Red Sea coast.

Saudi Arabia blamed an Iran-backed militia in Iraq for the drone attack that forced the temporary shutdown of the 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) pipeline.

Satellite imagery indicated tankers on Sunday loaded some 12.5 million barrels of oil at the Yanbu export terminal, which is supplied by the East-West Pipeline, and the nearby terminal at Al Muajjiz, the data and analytical firm Kpler said in a report.

Pakistan vows to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthis by ‘whatever means’

Pakistan will use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the country’s defense minister said Tuesday, offering one of Islamabad’s clearest indications yet that it could become directly involved in the widening regional conflict.

Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif declined to say whether Pakistani forces had already participated in airstrikes. He said, however, that Pakistan’s military capabilities would be available to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

“I’m not going into detail, but obviously when I say that we are bound by this arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, that means whatever means are available at our disposal, they’ll be available to Saudi Arabia also. I think that’s a categoric statement,” Asif told reporters during a visit to Rome when asked whether Pakistan had been involved in airstrikes against Iranian operators in Yemen.

Saudi-backed Yemeni forces hit the Houthi homebase of Saada with intense airstrikes

Airstrikes by Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces on Tuesday pounded Yemen’s northwestern province of Saada. They were the most intense daily attacks on the homebase of Iran-backed Houthi rebels in recent weeks.

Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the government forces had launched a total of 35 airstrikes on Houthi positions in the last 24 hours.

Earlier, Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that at least 20 airstrikes had targeted different districts in Saada alone.

Settlers block a Palestinian man from returning to his West Bank home

Over a hundred Israeli settlers scuffled with Israeli soldiers who were trying to escort a Palestinian man to his home in the West Bank village of Jalud.

The homeowner, Mahmoud Tubasi, told the AP that the soldiers initially brought him to his home but rioting settlers forced him to leave with his family in a military vehicle. He said he still can't access the house, which settlers have besieged for two months.

Israel’s military acknowledged that the overnight mission to return the family “was not completed” and said three officers were injured by settlers who threw rocks, blocked roads and set Palestinian property on fire.

Israeli police said they arrested three settlers suspected of participating in the riot, which was condemned by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gidon Saar and President Isaac Herzog.

The Israeli military has struggled to quell the latest wave of settler violence. Rights groups have accused the military of colluding with the settlers.

Four killed in separate Israeli airstrikes, Hamas commander dead

Israeli strikes Tuesday in the Gaza Strip killed four people, including a Hamas commander, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.

A strike early Tuesday on an apartment west of Gaza City killed two people and wounded five others, officials at Shifa Hospital said.

Israel said the overnight strike targeted Izz al-Din Bik, a commander in the Hamas militant group. Israel Defense Forces said Bik was involved in plotting attacks and recruiting new members. Hamas released a statement confirming the death of al-Bik, claiming he was one of the main overseers of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel, which killed over 1,200 people.

On Tuesday afternoon, an Israeli airstrike in the Jabaliya refugee camp north of the Gaza Strip killed one and injured several others, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. A separate strike at around the same time east of Gaza City killed another, officials at Shifa Hospital said.

Israel’s military did not immediately respond for comment on the afternoon strikes.

The deaths were the latest since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago.

___

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index, or PMI, climbed to 50.1 from 49.8 in August, China’s National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday. The index reading, based on an official monthly survey of companies, was in line with what economists had expected.

PMI is measured on a scale of between 0 and 100 and a reading above 50 reflects an expansion.

Several subindexes remained in expansion territory. The subindex on production rose to 51.7 from 50.4 in August. The subindex on new orders was at 50.5, down slightly from 50.6, while new export orders eased to 50.0 from 50.1.

A separate private survey, the RatingDog PMI, also showed China’s manufacturing PMI advanced to 52.1 in September from 51.5 in August, indicating improvements in the manufacturing sector.

Wednesday’s reports came ahead of China’s weeklong October national holiday in which domestic consumption and spending are closely watched by policymakers.

They also followed new key measures announced in China on Tuesday to support its economy, including new subsidies for Chinese homebuyers’ mortgage interest payments.

China’s economy has been under growing pressure of a slowdown as domestic demand and investment remained sluggish, in part hit by weaknesses in the property sector, even as the global artificial intelligence boom has buoyed Chinese exports of high-tech goods.

“Manufacturing has been a relative strength this year, though it has mostly been driven by external demand as domestic consumption and investment lag,” Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at ING Bank, wrote in a commentary.

Some economists believe China is on track to surpass last year’s record $1.2 trillion trade surplus. Recent improvements in U.S.-China relationships, including a two-month extension of a trade truce between the two superpowers until January, are likely to help improve bilateral trade.

Polo had struck the Mexican state of Baja California Sur in the morning with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (177 kph). It crossed the Gulf of California and weakened to become a tropical storm as it moved inland to the northeast.

By Tuesday evening, the New Mexico Department of Transportation reported flooded roads and debris on highways across the state, while parts of Arizona had become especially drenched, leading to several water rescues.

That is after storms rolled through parts of the U.S. Southwest overnight Monday, saturating the ground, which can make flooding worse.

Later in the week, the flood risk is expected to move into parts of the central U.S., according to the National Weather Service.

Southwest US sees heavy rains and floods

Bands of rain continued to sweep across the U.S. Southwest, causing desert rivers to surge and usually dry arroyos to rage with floodwater.

The potential failure of the dam in south central New Mexico prompted evacuations in three small communities with hundreds of residents along the Rio Grande. People in Rincon, Salem and Garfield were told to seek higher ground immediately “before conditions worsen.” Residents were later told to evacuate from nearby Hatch, home to prized green chile crops, and farther north in Placitas.

Wide swaths of the U.S. Southwest were under flood watches as the complex system of tropical weather spread northeast from Mexico, with Polo as the main event.

“Definitely looking at the chances for urban flooding,” weather service meteorologist Carter Greulich in Albuquerque said. “Don’t drive through flooded roadways. Remain out of the arroyos, especially in our urban areas.”

A person stranded on top of a vehicle in floodwaters west of Phoenix was rescued Tuesday morning. Video taken by Arizona Fire and Medical Services showed a helicopter lowering a rescuer to a person clinging to their overturned car. And in Zion National Park, in Utah, a helicopter rescued three people in Heaps Canyon after flash flooding hit.

North of Phoenix, a truck was swept away in a wash. The driver got out safely, Maricopa County sheriff’s officials said.

The rocky, desert area typically gets less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain annually with little vegetation to soak it up, making flash flooding a perpetual risk.

The Bureau of Land Management in Arizona also reported significant flooding and damage to access roads in a national conservation area and a sand dunes recreation area in the southeastern part of the state.

Back in Utah, the East Fork of the Virgin River near Zion raged with chocolate floodwater and a shipping container floated downstream.

In the small town of Orderville, Utah, where flooding began Monday night, Sabrina Dubay was driving home when her partner called and told her to stay away.

“The river came in and swept around the entirety of our house,” Dubay said.

A camper, snowmobile trailer, and other items from Dubay’s yard were swept away by the river. Neighbors and friends arrived to dig a trench around the house as the water rose around their home.

“It was coming in through our front doors,” she said.

An unusually soggy September across the region set the stage: When the ground is saturated, rainfall has nowhere to go but run off.

“Runoff is likely going to start much quicker and lead to those flooding impacts quicker,” Greulich said.

By late Tuesday, rain had started in parts of the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. Parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa were under flood watches, with flooding possible through at least Thursday.

Baja California residents were ‘lucky’

Hurricane Polo pummeled Baja California Sur with powerful winds and rain as it made landfall.

After Polo passed over the small fishing town of Puerto San Carlos on the Baja California peninsula, residents waded among downed trees through ankle-high water that flooded some homes. Seeing their roughened community largely intact brought relief to those who had prepared for the worst.

Shopkeeper Elbia María Bachomo, 40, picked through furniture strewn through her home. She and her three children had gathered their clothes quickly and left for a shelter Monday as water began flooding into their home. Her husband was out on the water fishing for sardines when Polo hit. Bachomo said he was fortunate to escape alive.

“I thought, ‘Oh no, what are we going to come back to? We will be left with nothing.’ But we were lucky,” she said.

Hundreds of people were in shelters Tuesday in Baja California Sur, but they were expected to return to their homes.

Meanwhile, the hurricane center reported Tropical Storm Rachel was moving parallel to Mexico’s coast Tuesday and was expected to become a hurricane soon. The storm was about 300 miles (482.8 kilometers) west-southwest of Lazaro Cardenos with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (112.6 kph). It was moving northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).

In the central Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Nolo was starting to slow Tuesday but still threatened dangerous conditions for parts of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a marine conservation area. The storm moved northward after drenching parts of the Big Island over the weekend.

Pacific storm activity has been above average this year. That is consistent with El Niño years.

___

Hill reported from Las Vegas and Brown reported from Billings, Montana. Martin Silva Rey and Eduardo Verdugo in Puerto San Carlos, Mexico, Megan Janetsky in Mexico City, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Julie Walker in New York, Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado, Mikella Schuettler in Phoenix, Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Eugene Garcia and Gregory Bull in Hilo, Hawaii, contributed to this report.

Cam Schlittler pitched another playoff gem against the Red Sox, and Ben Rice also burned their hometown team with a late grand slam and six RBIs as the New York Yankees opened this Wild Card Series rematch by romping to a 9-0 victory Tuesday night.

With the Yankees minus star slugger Aaron Judge because of a calf injury, Rice homered twice, doubled and had four hits to power the offense. Schlittler, a clear frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award, struck out 10 in a dominant performance reminiscent of the one that ended Boston's season last year.

Rice and Schlittler were both raised among Red Sox fans in Massachusetts and went to college in New England before getting plucked by the Yankees out of Boston's backyard in baseball's amateur draft.

“Pretty remarkable,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously that’s been a storyline for a couple of years now. For them to go out and have that kind of night together to start this postseason, pretty amazing and kind of hard to grasp a little bit, frankly, but I’m certainly glad we have those two.”

Rice was actually a Yankees fan while growing up outside Boston.

“Wearing the Yankees jersey to the first-grade picture day probably got some weird looks,” he said.

“Definitely adds, like, a cool little layer to it, and for Cam, too. It’s always fun playing against them. And having a solid game against them is pretty cool.”

No. 9 batter Austin Wells drove in two runs and 21-year-old rookie George Lombard Jr. had three hits for New York in his postseason debut.

Schlittler, who led the American League with a 1.95 ERA, allowed only two singles and one walk in 6 1/3 innings without letting a runner reach second base. He threw 117 pitches — 10 more than his previous career high and most by a Yankees postseason starter since Hall of Fame lefty CC Sabathia threw 121 in the 2012 AL Division Series against Baltimore.

“I got a little greedy,” Boone said.

The major league high this season was 120 by Dylan Cease for Toronto at Boston in July.

The 25-year-old Schlittler retired 13 straight batters before a two-out walk in the fifth, bringing several chants of “MVP! MVP!” from the sellout crowd of 48,437 in the Bronx. He walked off the mound to a standing ovation after yielding a one-out single in the seventh, and Paul Blackburn promptly got Ceddanne Rafaela to ground into an inning-ending double play that preserved a 2-0 lead.

New York outhit Boston 12-3 in the fifth postseason shutout since 2002 for the Yankees, who led the majors in ERA this year for the first time since 1957.

Game 2 in the best-of-three series at Yankee Stadium is Wednesday night, when a victory would send New York into a best-of-five Division Series against AL East champion Tampa Bay.

Going into this postseason, Game 1 winners had advanced 15 times in the 16 best-of-three Wild Card Series since the format was implemented in 2022. The only exception was the Red Sox last year.

Boston and New York have split six previous postseason matchups. The Yankees took last year’s Wild Card Series between the longtime rivals on the strength of Schlittler’s dominant performance in Game 3, when the rookie struck out 12 over eight innings in a 4-0 win.

Schlittler has said he received on-line abuse before some of his outings against Boston. He’s used it as motivation.

The right-hander is 4-1 with a 0.47 ERA and 49 strikeouts in six career starts against the Red Sox — including the playoffs.

“It's very well known that if you want to be a legend, which is obviously the goal, you’ve got to do it in the postseason,” Schlittler said.

Rice gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead with a 423-foot solo homer into Monument Park in straightaway center field on the third pitch from left-handed reliever Erik Miller, who replaced Payton Tolle with two outs in the fifth after the rookie starter threw 83 pitches.

The 27-year-old Rice added a run-scoring single with the bases loaded in the seventh and a grand slam to right-center that capped a five-run eighth.

The 16th slam in Yankees postseason history gave Rice six RBIs, matching the franchise record for a postseason game accomplished by four other players.

Rice also homered in Game 2 of last year's Wild Card Series. He led New York with 41 homers, 97 RBIs and an .897 OPS this year in his third major league season.

“I’ll remember getting a W versus the Red Sox. There’s nothing better than that,” Rice said. “I’ll remember Cam going out there and just being lights out, like he always is. I’ll remember the atmosphere. It was just an awesome night. Great way to kick off the series.”

Up next

Red Sox RHP Sonny Gray (18-5, 2.72 ERA) faces one of his former teams Wednesday night when he makes his seventh postseason start and first since 2023 with Minnesota.

LHP Max Fried (5-5, 2.80 ERA) pitches for New York. The three-time All-Star was limited to 20 starts this season because of two stints on the injured list with a bruised left elbow. He threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings in the Wild Card Series opener last year.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Large swaths of seats, especially in the upper deck, sat empty while right-hander AJ Blumbaugh delivered the game’s first pitch at 4:10 p.m. The bottom two levels were much fuller than the upper deck, but many seats in the lower two decks were also empty.

The announced attendance was 34,011, in a park with a capacity of 40,963.

All those empty seats are a rare sight in a stadium that is normally packed for the postseason. And some of the fans that did show up weren’t too happy with the performance of the home team with boos raining down on the Astros in the first and second innings as they fell behind 3-0.

“It’s extremely frustrating as a home player,” first baseman Christian Walker told The Athletic. “We’re here, playing at home; we need cheers. We need energy. We don’t need boos. What purpose does that serve in that moment? Whatever fans are feeling, we’re feeling it tenfold. We’re the ones out there. We’re the ones in the fight. We worked our butts off this whole season to put ourselves in this spot, and for guys to get booed, it’s frustrating.”

Reliever Bennett Sousa was subjected to some boos after spiking two breaking pitches in the seventh inning.

“This team has laid a lot on the line to be in this position to give the fans a playoff game — a playoff series," Sousa told The Athletic. “We want their support.”

Major League Baseball has previously had trouble filling stadiums for some afternoon games in the wild-card round. When Cleveland hosted Detroit last year, the series opener started at 1:08 p.m. with 26,186 in attendance. All three games in that series were played in front of fewer than 30,000 fans. The Tampa Bay Rays drew just 19,704 for an ALWCS opener against Texas in 2023 that started at 3:08 p.m., the lowest attendance for a non-COVID MLB postseason game since the 1919 World Series.

Houston returned to the playoffs after missing out last year despite finishing 81-81. It's the first time a team made the postseason without a winning record in a non-shortened season.

The Astros averaged 30,519 fans per game during the regular season, which ranked 14th in the majors.

Houston fought through an injury-plagued season to reach the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years. The Astros reached the American League Championship Series seven straight times from 2017-23 and advanced to the World Series four times, winning championships in 2017 and 2022.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Discussion

At 500 PM AST (2100 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Fay was located near latitude 23.7 North, longitude 48.2 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the west-southwest near 12 mph (19 km/h), and this motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days.

Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast, and Fay is forecast to dissipate in a day or so.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1011 mb (29.86 inches).

Watches and Warnings

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Land Hazards

None.

The incident could further inflame tensions between the Koreas, which have no working military hotlines or other emergency communications channels as North Korea hardens its stance toward Seoul while expanding its military nuclear program.

Three South Korean soldiers were injured in two explosions on Sept. 21 near the military demarcation line in the western section of the Demilitarized Zone, a heavily fortified border buffer zone between the Koreas that's commonly known as the DMZ.

The statement by Kim Yo Jong came after South Korea’s military on Monday announced a preliminary assessment that the blasts were caused by North Korean mines following a joint inspection of the site with the U.S.-led United Nations Command.

UN Command says North Korea violated armistice agreement

The South Korean joint chiefs said South Korean and U.N. investigators discovered another North Korean mine Tuesday during a follow-up inspection. The U.N. Command said Wednesday that North Korea had violated the armistice agreement that ended fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War. The agreement prohibits both sides from committing any hostile act “within, from, or against” the DMZ and bans military or civilian personnel from crossing the military demarcation line without authorization from the armistice commission.

The U.N. Command said it was addressing the violation through established mechanisms but didn’t elaborate.

Kang Hyunwoo, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff’s director of operations, said the military “strongly urges” North Korea to apologize for the blasts and take “responsible measures” to prevent a recurrence. South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said the South would consider unspecified “corresponding measures” if a complete investigation confirms the North was responsible.

Kim calls Seoul's claims a ‘farce’

Kim Yo Jong, who is considered possibly the second most powerful figure in Pyongyang, called the South Korean assessment a “conspiratorial farce,” accusing Seoul of making groundless claims to create a pretext for provocation against the North.

North Korea in recent years has added mines, anti-tank barriers and other front-line fortifications, raising concerns in the South about the growing presence of North Korean soldiers near the border. Kim criticized the South for broadcasting warnings and firing warning shots at North Korean troops conducting front-line fortification work, insisting “our soldiers have never crossed the border.”

“If the (South Korean) military gangsters fire at our soldiers carrying on the permanent project for the southern border, not warning shots, our border units will take immediate and merciless retaliatory action,” she said.

The recent explosions, which took place about 10 meters (yards) south of the military demarcation line, came during an operation to establish a patrol route through a densely vegetated area. The route was intended to allow future inspections with the U.N. Command after South Korea since last year detected “terrain changes” that may have resulted from North Korean minelaying.

The DMZ is a 248-kilometer (155-mile) strip and one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders, with an estimated 2 million land mines, barbed-wire fences, tank traps and combat troops on both sides.

In August 2015, another spate of land mine blasts that maimed two South Korean soldiers and sharply raised tensions between the Koreas.

The Koreas then traded threats, staged weapons demonstrations and resumed border propaganda broadcasts before days of marathon talks eventually pulled them back from the brink. North Korea issued a vague expression of regret over the soldiers’ injuries at the time but has never clearly accepted responsibility.

With the Red Sox trailing after losing the opener of the best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Yankees 9-0, Gray will face a fan base on Wednesday night that gave him the Bronx brush-off in 2017 and 2018.

“There’s a lot of people and a lot of players that can have one bump in the road and not get back on the tracks,” he said Tuesday. “And for me, there’s been bumps along the way and that may have been a little bit of a bigger bump than others.”

Approaching his 37th birthday, Gray tied for the major league lead with 18 wins this year along with a 2.72 ERA, his best in a full season. He took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning against the Yankees at Fenway Park in June as the Red Sox completed a four-game sweep that sparked their turnaround from a 32-46 start to an 87-75 record and a playoff berth.

Gray has pitched at Yankee Stadium twice since leaving the team and done well both times. Most recently, he pitched three-run ball over 6 1/3 innings in Boston’s 5-3 win in the Bronx on June 5.

“He’s had a great career, and someone who I was never super comfortable facing,” Red Sox teammate Trevor Story said. “He’s a pitcher to its finest degree.”

Gray reached a nadir in New York before rebounding. He's been an All-Star twice since and has 143 wins over 14 seasons.

“Anytime he’s out there, we feel good about it," Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said. “But having him out there tomorrow, obviously the season’s on the line for us, and he can handle that.”

He was 15-16 with a 4.52 ERA for the Yankees, who acquired him from Oakland in July 2017. He notoriously was dropped from the rotation in August 2018 after he smirked when fans booed as he walked off the Yankee Stadium mound in the third inning of a 7-5 loss to Baltimore.

Gray had a 6.98 ERA at Yankee Stadium in 2018 and a 3.17 ERA on the road.

“It’s kind of like one of those things that you have a snowball or whatever, right?” Gray said. “There’s a snowball that kind of starts rolling down a hill. If you don’t ever stop it, then the snowball just gets bigger and bigger and bigger, and it picks up traction and it just gets more snow. And it just continues to go down this thing. And then the bigger the snowball gets, the harder it is to stop it or take a step back.

"And for me, it just took me to get away and get myself into a different environment and then reflect on those things.”

Pitching for Cincinnati (2019-21), Minnesota (2022-23) and St. Louis (2024-25) revived his career. Then he was traded to the Red Sox last November, putting him in position to pitch for the Yankees' biggest rival.

"New York was, it just wasn’t a good situation for me, wasn’t a great setup for me and my family,” he said during a December Zoom news conference. “I never wanted to go there in the first place.”

Now he'll be back, trying to outpitch the Yankees' Max Fried and extend the first-round series to a decisive third game.

“I do know that playing here made me a stronger person, made me a better man, a better husband," he said. “Ultimately, it made me a better pitcher, a better baseball player.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

“My independence will always be paramount,” said Raman, a city council member who is trying to oust her fellow Democrat, Mayor Karen Bass. If elected, “My focus will be on what I believe is best for Angelenos.”

Her comments came during a forum co-hosted by the Jewish Federation Los Angeles at a time when the party has been deeply divided over the war in Gaza and aid to Israel. Raman also faced questions about her interview with progressive commentator Hasan Piker last spring in which she responded “I do, yes,” when asked by Piker if she believed Israel had committed genocide. In contrast, when Bass was asked whether using genocide was appropriate, she said, “No, I don’t.”

Raman defended her appearance with the Piker, saying it was important to connect with voters across the political spectrum “who might not see you in other places,” such as TV news programs. She said she recognized genocide is “a deeply painful word” but said she was compelled to speak out after seeing images of "the targeting of hospitals, the deaths of children,” prompting murmurs in the audience.

Raman and Bass fielded questions separately on stage on issues from homelessness to police staffing, with mail ballots heading to homes in early October. Voters are weighing whether to stick with the unpopular incumbent or turn to the little-known city council member as the city contends with a housing shortage and the long-running homeless crisis with the 2028 Olympics on the horizon.

The contest has raised the possibility that the nation’s second most populous city could follow New York’s lead, where democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor, capping a stunning ascent for the far-left state lawmaker who promised to transform city government to restore power to the working class. Yet in LA, no celebrity swirl has gathered around Raman in her first run for citywide office.

Raman — who is backed by DSA's Los Angeles chapter — noted that the group had been critical of her approach to housing and some of her votes on policing matters. "I've proven myself to be an independent voice," she said.

Appearing before a heavily Jewish audience, both candidates promised to use the post to work against antisemitism.

Bass speaks about deadly wildfire

Bass, the first Black woman to hold the post, is fighting to keep her job after a rough first term in which she suffered sustained fallout from the deadly Palisades Fire, the most destructive in Los Angeles history that ignited when she was out of the country. In June, a fire east of downtown in a massive frozen-food warehouse left neighbors to endure weeks of foul smells and frustration.

Bass reflected on her travails during the Palisades fire, saying that not being in the city was “very, very painful.”

She called it “one of the worst moments I have experienced,” adding later, “Lesson learned.”

Raman, who endorsed Bass before reversing course and entering the race herself, is testing if voters in the heavily Democratic city want to move further to the political left to address long-running problems of homelessness, buckled streets and climbing rent and home prices. She's railed against “the broken status quo.”

The race earlier garnered national attention for the candidacy of Spencer Pratt, a Republican who starred on “The Hills” and had lost his home in the Palisades Fire. His campaign was lifted by videos that supporters generated with artificial intelligence, though he failed to qualify for the November election.

In a city known to shrug at local politics, the race to take charge at City Hall has been overshadowed by ongoing turmoil in Washington, the fight for Congress, two wars, anxiety over inflation and the Los Angeles Dodgers gearing up for another playoff run.

After the fires, “There are a bunch of people who don’t want to vote for Karen (Bass) and they are wrestling with what to do,” said veteran Democratic strategist Bill Carrick. As a council member, Raman is not widely known and “the decibel level of this campaign is unbelievably low.”

The fall campaign has been lowkey

With mail ballots scheduled to arrive at homes in early October, typical markers of election season — yard signs, TV ads, billboards and bumper stickers — are rarely seen. Data compiled by AdImpact shows the campaigns have spent or booked only a sprinkle of airtime and digital messaging so far through Election Day.

Bass took office in 2022 promising to contend with an out-of-control homeless crisis, but the problem remains in plain view in most neighborhoods. Figures released in July showed homelessness increased over the previous year, after taking a dip. Bass faulted the Trump administration for cuts and policies “that pushed more people onto the streets.”

During her time in office, the city has weathered federal immigration raids and witnessed a continuing exit of Hollywood jobs, while residents complain about dirty, crumbling streets and homeless encampments.

Raman, who could be the first South Asian woman in the job, says that while City Hall has favored powerful insiders, “working people pay the price in higher rents, depleted services and a city that has stopped working for them.” She has promised to speed up housing construction, bring back entertainment industry jobs and improve services in a city known for an unresponsive City Hall.

One of the unknowns in the race is where Pratt's supporters will go, if they vote at all. Pratt finished with about 25% of the vote, several points behind Raman. He's continued to criticize both candidates on social media.

“Truly the Dumb and Dumber election. So sad for LA. Dark times ahead, folks,” he recently posted on X.

Nancy Ninette Mutoni said Burundi would accept only people who were not facing prosecution and had no links to terrorism. She spoke during an event attended by government officials in Ngozi.

Mutoni did not say when the deportees would arrive or how many people Burundi had agreed to receive. She said preparations were underway to provide accommodations and help the deportees live in local communities.

“Receiving them requires serious planning — where they will stay, what they will eat and how they will live alongside the local population,” Mutoni said.

The Trump administration has expanded third-country deportations as part of its immigration crackdown, sending people to countries where they are not citizens and may never have lived. The United States has sent deportees to several African countries, including Eswatini and South Sudan.

A U.S. appeals court ruling last week threw the program into question. Lawyers for immigrants said a flight carrying about 70 people had been scheduled to travel from Louisiana to Burundi, Rwanda and the Central African Republic but was canceled.

The ruling did not prohibit third-country deportations but required that people facing removal have a meaningful opportunity to raise concerns about possible persecution or torture. The Trump administration has defended the policy as necessary when deportees’ home countries refuse to accept them.

With Republicans struggling to overcome President Donald Trump's low standing, Democrats are on the offensive in Republican strongholds like Texas and Florida, and even eyeing contests in deeper-red Kansas and Mississippi. Many Democratic leaders predict that the House majority is all but theirs, and that the Senate majority, almost unthinkable a year ago, is nearly in their grasp as well.

In the midst of such confidence, however, Democrats are ignoring glaring vulnerabilities that threaten to undermine the unstoppable blue wave they say is coming.

Look no further than swing-state New Hampshire, where Democratic leaders are sounding the alarm about political challenges that could jeopardize Rep. Chris Pappas' campaign for an open Senate seat and undermine the party's ability to win races around the country.

Democrats point to Republicans' overwhelming financial advantage that is allowing them to dominate the airwaves in the closing days of the campaign. At the same time, the Democrats' brand remains deeply unpopular, and they have virtually no margin for error in midterm races that are playing out largely in Republican-leaning states.

New Hampshire Democratic Chairman Ray Buckley says that national Democratic leaders “have consistently been overly optimistic” as they look to expand the midterm map. He's particularly worried about his state's Senate contest, where Republicans are investing far more resources than Democrats.

“There is reason for concern,” Buckley said. “We don’t want to let this one slip away because they were sending resources to some other unicorns — some other state that’s just not possible.”

Despite such warnings, there is little sign of concern among senior Democratic officials, who point to Trump's poor standing with voters who are frustrated by the war with Iran and surging costs with Republicans in control of Washington.

“It’s nothing we’re doing. We’re winning because they’re losing," said Democratic pollster John Anzalone. “And they’re losing dramatically with every action the president has taken.”

There is almost no state where Democrats cannot compete in November, he said: “America is the battleground state.”

Democrats are short on cash and goodwill

For all the Democrats' confidence, the party's brand remains deeply unpopular and fundraising is lagging.

More than half of voters, 55%, have a “strongly” or “somewhat” unfavorable view of the Democrats, according to a Fox News poll from September. A similar share, 58%, say the same about the Republican Party, while about 6 in 10 voters have a negative view of Trump (62%).

At the same time, about half of registered voters say the Democratic Party is “too far to the left,” according to a recent New York Times/Siena poll.

As the election approaches, few Democratic leaders acknowledge there is a problem.

In an interview, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., pointed the finger at Republicans when asked about issues with the Democratic brand.

“We’ve made a much better case than them, and that’s why it looks like we’re going to win a bunch of House seats and probably win back the Senate,” Kelly said. “Right now, I think the Republican brand is the one that’s damaged.”

And yet Democrats are struggling to keep up with Republican fundraising.

Flush with campaign cash, Republicans are dominating the airwaves over the final weeks of the campaign. There isn’t a single state that features a top-tier Senate contest in which Democrats are spending more than Republicans.

Nationwide, Republicans are spending $1.63 billion on campaign advertising between Sept. 1 and Election Day compared to $1.19 billion for Democrats, according to data compiled by AdImpact as of Monday. The Republican advantage, nearly 40% nationwide, is actually larger in some key states.

In Texas, for example, which features competitive races for the Senate, House and governor, Republicans are spending $262.4 million statewide between Sept. 1 and Election Day compared to $76.9 million for Democrats, AdImpact found. In Ohio, which also hosts pivotal elections for Senate and governor, Republicans are outspending Democrats $258.8 million to $160.4 million. And in Florida, which features competitive races for governor and the House, Republicans are spending $99.3 million against the Democrats’ $47.9 million.

The Republican advantage isn’t as egregious in New Hampshire as some other states, but it is significant. AdImpact finds that Republicans are outspending Democrats in New Hampshire $41.2 million to $35.4 million statewide.

Pappas, the Democrat in the New Hampshire Senate race, acknowledged the Republican spending advantage and warned that his state must remain a priority for his national party.

“The majority won’t be flipped if we don’t hold this seat in New Hampshire, so it’s really critical to the overall map,” he said during a campaign stop.

Democrats

face ‘an identity crisis’

Pappas met on Tuesday with small business owners, including Amber Morgan, who owns Fortin Gage Flowers in Nashua. She said the uncertainty created by the Trump administration’s tariffs have been hard for her business.

But Morgan, a Democrat, is not surprised that New Hampshire's Senate race is close, given that Republicans are running the well-known former Sen. John E. Sununu. She said the Democratic Party has its faults as well.

“I think that the message for so long has just been, ‘We’re not Trump,’ and we’ve had a bit of an identity crisis in terms of what we actually stand for," Morgan said.

She is not alone.

Nationwide, the NYT/Siena poll found that about 6 in 10 registered voters who identify as Democrats say their party is divided, while only about 4 in 10 Republicans (37%) say the same about the GOP. Roughly 6 in 10 Republicans (61%) describe their party as united, compared to about 4 in 10 Democrats (40%).

But money remains the Democrats' dominant concern as the Republican spending advantage grows.

Steve Marchand, a Democratic consultant and former New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate, said Sununu has benefited from national money that got redirected from other states that are no longer seen as top targets, while Democrats were slower to invest.

“Democrats, including Pappas, became increasingly frustrated that national Democrats treated it like a fait accompli, like ‘you guys have it up there, we’re going to other states,'" Marchand said. "And a lot of us Democrats were saying, ’Hey, Sununu is going to be formidable, and New Hampshire is not a right-down-the-ticket kind of state.'”

Fred Osterholtz, a sales engineer at one of the businesses Pappas visited, said he’s worried about the huge amounts of money being poured into the race on Sununu’s behalf as well. But he was impressed with Pappas' focus.

“I think he’s starting to find some of the messages that will resonate," Osterholtz said. "I didn’t feel that way six months ago, but with the world stage the way it is — the costs, the inflation — they’re latching onto the right things I think.”

___

Peoples reported from New York and Sloan reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed.

San Antonio’s District 6 Councilman Ric Galvan filed a council consideration request (CCR) almost a year ago to have city staff look into the impact data centers have on city resources and look at the possibility of requiring data centers to use recycled water.

Water is used to cool down the industrial servers that data centers use for extended periods of time.

Water is also used to produce power for the facilities.

KSAT attempted to speak to Galvan about the recycled water proposal, but his office sent a statement.

In it, Galvan said he wants to keep data centers from using any drinking water, and in order for a mandate on recycled water usage by data centers can move forward, San Antonio Water System (SAWS) must adopt a policy first, specifically outlining that that is what data centers must do.

Donovan Burton, the senior vice president of water resources and governmental relations for SAWS, said when talking about data centers in the city, there must be a distinction made between existing data centers and future AI data centers and their water consumption.

He said 23 of the existing data centers in the city account for a very small amount of the water pulled from the city’s water supply.

“The existing data centers are very small (and have a) very, very small footprint. In fact, they’re using about .1% of our potable water supply,” Burton said.

He said it is the future AI data centers that could potentially use a lot more water, and added SAWS’ Recycled Water Network could help data centers comply if the recycled water use became an official requirement.

“Our Recycle Water Network has been in place for over 20 years,” he said.

He explained that it is 130 miles of purple pipeline that specifically carries recycled water that is used and paid for by contracted, non-residential customers.

“The recycle water programs, after (water) has been used, we treat it and put it into a purple pipe network that goes around ... a good portion of the entire city,” Burton said. “That network then takes it from three different plants, and we can move water back and forth.”

SAWS headquarters, CPS Energy, Toyota, the San Antonio Zoo and the River Walk are among the multiple big entities and attractions that are connected in part or entirely to SAWS’ Recycled Water Network, and you can tell by the designated purple pipes present on or near the respective properties.

Burton said if a recycled water use restriction is implemented, data center owners would have to choose to obtain a permit from SAWS and enter into a contract for a specific amount of water to connect to the purple pipeline.

But he shared there is another option data centers have that can be a conservative measure.

“Some of them are going to a closed loop (water) system, which will end up using a lot less water,” Burton said.

An internet search on what a closed loop water system is yielded a general definition, describing how data center use the same water or a cooling liquid through sealed pipes to absorb heat and as it moves along the pipe path it removes heat from servers over and over again without pulling in or using fresh water.

Until further notice, Burton said SAWS will continue its forward strategy.

“It’s a matter of making sure that that works for all future customers, not just a very few one or two or five data centers or anything else,” he said.

In the statement sent to KSAT, Galvan said he asked SAWS leadership to come up with a possible plan to move forward with the water usage restriction for new data centers.

The statement went on to say he is interested in hearing from SAWS this week as to whether or not the board has made any movement on the proposal over the summer.

Jonquel Jones had 21 points and 13 rebounds and the No. 8 seed Liberty beat the top-seeded Lynx 87-71 in Game 2 of their WNBA playoff series Tuesday night. New York became the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the league’s 30-year history.

The WNBA has undergone a number of different playoff formats. And in many of the formats, it wasn’t possible for those seeds to match up. However, in 2022 the league changed to the current format in which the top eight teams play in the quarterfinals.

“It feels good, we understand who we are as a team,” Jones said. “We're not listening to outside noise, we understand that we can do a lot of great things. We feel like we can play with anybody and beat anybody. That’s the mindset we have moving forward. It feels good to make history. It had to be done for us to advance. It’s nice to say it’s been accomplished, but we have a lot of work to do."

Breanna Stewart added 21 points and Sabrina Ionescu had 18 for the Liberty, who await the winner of the Atlanta-Washington series. The Dream are up 1-0 and play at Washington on Wednesday night. The semifinals begin Sunday.

A year after losing in the first round to Phoenix after going up 1-0 in that series, New York was determined not to have that happen again.

The Liberty were up five points after one quarter and led 40-35 with 2:39 left in the half. New York scored nine of the final 11 points in the second quarter to go up 49-37 at the break.

New York was up 52-39 with 6:26 left in the third when Stewart drove to the basket and was hit in the face by Olivia Miles as she tried to block the shot. Stewart was down for a minute as the officials reviewed the play and upgraded the play to a Flagrant-1 foul.

As Stewart walked off the court, she raised her hands to the sellout crowd of 17,593, who serenaded her with M-V-P! chants. Stewart hit both free throws.

Minnesota couldn't get closer than seven points the rest of the way.

“New York is a great basketball team,” said Courtney Williams, who led Minnesota with 18 points. “You dig a hole for yourself and try to get out of it. We wanted to go on a run, but they had answers for everything.”

The Lynx's season ended in disappointment again. The Lynx had the best regular-season record, but just couldn't put it together against New York. On Monday, Cheryl Reeve won the league's Coach of the Year and Miles was a unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year.

Miles struggled in both games against New York. She had five points, missing seven of her eight shots in 17 minutes, on Tuesday night. The Liberty's size and ability to protect the rim bothered the stellar first-year player.

Reeve said she offered encouragement to her star rookie after the game.

“As I told her. When was the last time a rookie led the first place team? Never happened before,” Reeve said. “That's what we shared with her. This hurts for her.”

Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride each added 14 to for the Lynx.

___

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

The 1,476 people being sent back are among 5,000 Myanmar nationals who will be repatriated in stages from Malaysia, where 10,388 Myanmar nationals were being held at immigration detention depots nationwide as of Aug. 15, according to Malaysia’s Home Ministry.

Buses believed to be carrying Myanmar returnees arrived at a stadium in Manjung town in Malaysia’s central Perak state early Tuesday, amid tight security. Ships believed to be from Myanmar were docked at the nearby Lumut naval base.

Home Ministry official Makhzan Mahyuddin was quoted by national Bernama news agency as saying the returnees included 1,370 men, 79 women, 20 boys and seven girls, and were aged between eight and 60.

The ministry said they would be sent back safely on two Myanmar navy warships and a hospital ship. It is unclear if any of the returnees were minority Muslim Rohingya, who are rejected by the Myanmar government. The ministry didn't provide further details of their identities and circumstances, but stressed that their return was voluntary, although this wasn't verified by any party.

“This move also sends a clear signal that the government is serious about addressing irregular migration and the issue of undocumented foreign nationals through law enforcement, repatriation and more systematic management and data collection,” the ministry said in a statement.

Many refugees in Malaysia come from Myanmar's Rohingya minority

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and rights groups slammed the repatriation, saying the security and humanitarian situation in parts of Myanmar remains volatile and returnees could face serious risks such as persecution and forced military conscription in an active war zone.

Myanmar is involved in an armed conflict and political instability following the military’s seizure of power in 2021.

Malaysia is home to about 215,600 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR, including about 126,000 Rohingya who make up one of Southeast Asia’s largest refugee communities. Despite hosting them, Malaysia is not a party to the U.N. Refugee Convention and treats refugees as undocumented migrants.

The government recently launched a system to register refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia and to build a biometric database, as it seeks to manage and regulate the population independently from the UNHCR.

Rohingya have faced growing public hostility in Malaysia due to their growing numbers, fueled by concerns over jobs, public services and security.

Malaysia says Myanmar must accept the refugees' return

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has defended the repatriation policy as a diplomatic effort to find a long-term solution, saying Malaysia cannot host refugees indefinitely and Myanmar must take responsibility for its citizens.

Anwar said he plans to invite Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing to Malaysia to discuss the long-running refugee and undocumented migrant issue that has dragged on for decades.

“I am inviting him to say that we can be friends and trade, we can accept Myanmar, but Myanmar must accept them back,” he said in a podcast posted online Sept. 16. “To me, that’s better diplomacy than just shouting angrily at Myanmar.”

The Burmese Rohingya Organization UK, based in London, slammed plans to negotiate with the junta.

"Anwar Ibrahim is making a deal with the devil. Refugees’ lives are being used as currency in a deal with the same military responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes,” said the group's president Tun Khin.

Myanmar Foreign Ministry official Han Win Aung has said the plan follows repatriation operations in 2021 and 2022, when Myanmar received more than 1,100 of its nationals stranded in Malaysia.

He said the repatriation involves genuine citizens and is not about bringing back the Rohingya people, who are not recognized as an ethnic group in Myanmar and denied citizenship.

Malaysia's Home Ministry said in the statement that subsequent repatriations would proceed once identity verification, documentation, logistics and operational coordination between the two countries are finalized.

Two advocacy groups, Amnesty International and Asylum Access, in a joint statement urged the government to halt repatriations, saying the government's new system must not be used to fast-track unlawful deportations. Rights groups have also urged the government to restore the UNHCR’s access to detention centers to screen vulnerable refugees.

Maria Salazar, who lives on the city’s West Side, said the storm left her neighborhood looking like “a war zone” after trees were uprooted and fell through her roof.

Weeks later, Salazar is still waiting for repairs to be completed. She said she hopes the work will be finished within the next few weeks, barring any setbacks.

With more rain in the forecast, Salazar said her first concern was whether the unfinished portions of her home could withstand the weather.

Her carpenter told her the repairs should be able to handle the rain, but Salazar said she remains nervous, particularly because of a tree near her home.

“My neighbor has a tree; I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said.

The latest storm threat is expected to be driven more by heavy, widespread rain than destructive winds, according to KSAT’s Weather Authority. The rainfall could create a risk for flooding in parts of the area.

For Salazar, the possibility of more rain brings back memories of the damage she experienced last month.

“I’m hoping we don’t get any water, but I have PTSD, so I have towels ready and candles going,” she said.

Salazar said the storm uprooted trees that fell onto her home and caused significant damage. The repairs have cost her more than $16,000, not including cosmetic improvements.

She is now focused on protecting what she can, including items with sentimental value that remain inside the damaged portion of her home.

Among those belongings are her daughter’s quinceañera items from about 15 years ago, along with photographs and photo albums.

Because the damaged area is not safe to enter, Salazar said she cannot retrieve the belongings unless she can reach them from outside.

With another storm approaching, she is considering getting a tarp to help protect the area.

Read also:

• Gov. Greg Abbott discusses how Texas will prepare for this week’s flood threat
• How school districts plan for inclement weather during athletic events

Earn-a-Bike serves children ages 7 to 12 and is offered at four locations, through six programs, across San Antonio. Two programs are held at University Health’s Vida location, while two others are hosted at the YMCA Najim on Roosevelt and another two are held at SAISD schools.

The programs at University Health Vida and at the YMCA are free to the community, while the programs at Irving Dual Language and Mission Academy are exclusive to students who attend those schools.

The program is one of the community partnerships supported through University Health’s Institute for Public Health.

“It’s an incentive-based program to help educate youth between ages 7 and 12 on health and wellness and being active,” Trish Menchaca, Earn-a-Bike’s program manager, said.

Menchaca said the program is designed to keep children engaged while teaching them about their health and environment.

Each week, participants attend a lesson focused on topics such as nutrition, mental health, physical health, bike safety, air quality and more. The children also receive healthy snacks and take part in activities connected to the lesson.

“We have experts in their field teaching diabetes prevention, teaching air quality,” Menchaca said. “There is a lot of need for some type of inclusion of activities for kids after school that is free and available.”

For parent Jake Lemeron, the program offers his children a chance to learn about healthier choices in a setting that is accessible to families. One of his children has already completed the program, and his 7-year-old is now participating.

“We want them to learn more about healthy habits,” Lemeron said. “In this day and age, we do eat a lot of fast food and everything, so they might think that’s the normal, so we want them to understand that there’s other options out there.”

The program being completely free is a major factor for families participating.

“For us, having it free, it’s the difference between doing it or not doing it,” he said.

The need for programs like Earn-a-Bike is underscored by University Health’s 2023 South Bexar County Community Health Needs Assessment. The report found that south Bexar County faces higher poverty rates along with lower food access, less accredited childcare capacity, fewer healthcare providers, lower insurance rates and less broadband access than Bexar County overall.

The assessment also found that residents identified food security and exercise, affordable healthcare, finances, education and housing stability as key community priorities.

University Health said its Institute for Public Health is using the findings to guide partnerships with community organizations. The goal is to make it easier for nonprofits and other groups to reach residents in areas with the greatest needs.

Earn-a-Bike’s final incentive is designed to keep children active beyond the classroom. At the end of the program, each participant earns a bicycle, helmet, light and lock.

The children do not simply receive the bicycles, they build them with help from volunteer mechanics, learning how the parts work and how to care for the bikes.

“When they get their bike, they build it from scratch,” Menchaca said. “It comes out of the box, and a mechanic comes and works with them, and they build every screw, tire, brakes, everything. So, it’s that sense of ownership that really gets them excited and motivated to use their bike.”

This year, 90 children are expected to receive free bikes. About 100 volunteer mechanics and community members are expected to help the children build them before their first group ride through the Mission area on Oct. 24 at the YMCA on Roosevelt.

“That’s a great motivation for the child to want to show up every week,” Lemeron said.

Organizers said they are looking for additional community partners and volunteers as they work to expand access to the program across San Antonio and, eventually, south Bexar County.

Read also:

• New pre-school opens for far West Side families
• Boys & Girls Club says East Side clubhouse will remain open; up to $350K in TIRZ money secured
• Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides $500,000 to UTSA pediatric cancer research group

Kimberley Winn said she first started noticing problems within the last year. Her home was built in 2021.

The floor is uneven enough that visitors have tripped, she said.

“I started noticing when people were coming over and they were walking, their shoe would get stuck and they would trip. It started out with one or two places and now as you can see it’s the whole floor,” Winn said.

She said she also has a shower that isn’t draining properly, and doors that became so misaligned she had to hire someone to fix them so they would close.

“I had to have someone come in, and they had to readjust the frame because I couldn’t get it to lock. I couldn’t get the deadbolt to lock anymore,” she said.

Winn said she asked for her floor to be sealed and was told it could not be done.

“I had asked them to come out and seal my floor, but they said that was impossible with all the shifting,” she said.

The work across the street is part of a Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) project, with Jordan Foster Construction serving as the subcontractor. Whether that work has anything to do with the problems at Winn’s home has not been determined.

“I feel like someone should be held responsible for the money and damages to my house. The house is not old and we’re looking at several thousands of dollars of damages,” Winn said.

Winn said she has documented the changes, taken pictures and hired an attorney. After trying to get answers herself, she reached out to KSAT.

While a crew was at her home, the project manager for Jordan Foster Construction walked over and asked what was going on, then connected KSAT with the company’s risk and safety team. She said that in cases like this, the company would send a third party to Winn’s home to help determine what is happening and who, if anyone, is responsible for the damage.

Read also:

• ‘Driving on I-35 is absolutely terrifying’: San Antonio drivers say highway debris is a constant hazard
• 6 breaks in 6 years: Clay soils make NW Side street a challenging environment for water mains, SAWS says

The Southern California theme park said it is permanently shuttering the ride after nearly 20 years. Six Flags recently settled a wrongful-death lawsuit from the family of a 22-year-old man who died after riding the coaster in 2022, and three more lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries were filed last week.

“While X2 consistently passed a multitude of safety tests, we have decided to close the ride because we believe it’s the right thing to do,” park President Brian Oerding said in an online announcement. “Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously.”

The ride has been closed since the evening of July 12, after two women who rode the coaster less than a week apart both needed to be rushed to the hospital after they exited.

One of them, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, collapsed shortly after the ride ended and was found to have massive brain bleeding inside her skull that required emergency brain surgery. She remains in a vegetative state in the hospital, unable to speak or move and dependent on a ventilator. Her family filed a lawsuit against Six Flags on her behalf.

Her attorneys said more than 100 people have claimed they got brain injuries from the roller coaster in the past two years and that the closure of X2 would not keep them from continuing to file lawsuits.

“Closing the ride protects future guests, and we welcome that. But it does nothing for the people who have already been hurt,” attorney Gary Dordick said. “Six Flags must now take responsibility for them.”

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health opened an investigation into the ride after the July incidents and said it remains ongoing.

According to the Six Flags Magic Mountain website, the X2 roller coaster reaches a top speed of 76 mph (122 kph) and has a total length of 3,610 feet (1,100 meters). The seats rotate 360 degrees “so your body will be flipping around the entire time,” and the ride features two “raven turns” — half loops that turn into sheer drops midway.

It debuted at the park in 2002 under the name X as the world’s first “fourth-dimension” roller coaster and reopened in 2008 as X2 with new trains and special effects. The uniqueness of the ride drew thrill-seekers from around the world and garnered a fervent fanbase.

The park settled a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old who died the day after he rode X2. He was taken to the hospital after the ride with severe brain bleeding. The medical examiner’s office said his death was from blunt head trauma. The case was settled at the end of August, a few days before the trial was scheduled to start.