This marks the most arrests in a single month for President Donald Trump’s second term. About half of those arrested are either convicted felons or have pending criminal charges, while the remaining individuals were arrested for violating U.S. immigration laws. The vast majority of those arrested are male, representing 86 percent of arrests in July.

The month of July marked the highest total number of arrests of President Trump’s second term, with 49,571 total arrests, according to data from ICE provided to the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project.

This represents a 15 percent increase in arrests compared to June of this year and a 70 percent increase compared to February.

The number of arrests of illegal aliens has ramped up rapidly since February of this year. In January, 12,330 arrests were made. In February, that number rose to 17,370, and in March, it reached 18,877. The Administration crossed the 20,000 threshold for total arrests within a single month in May, arresting 22,636 illegals. It crossed the 30,000 threshold in June with 30,436 arrests.

States like Arizona, California, Georgia, Florida, and Texas are already benefiting significantly from the Trump Administration’s efforts to arrest and deport criminals. In July, over 4,000 of the nearly 50,000 arrests came from California, and over 2,000 came from Arizona. Georgia saw over 2,000 arrests as well. The state of Texas saw over 12,000 illegal immigrant arrests in the month of July, and Florida saw over 7,000.

About half of those arrests in July — 24,147 individuals — were either convicted felons or had pending criminal charges, according to the data. The remaining individuals were marked as “Other Immigration Violators” for violating U.S. immigration laws.

The data is broken down by gender, and because immigration analysts have expressed concern about military-age men representing a significant share of recent illegal immigrants, it is worth noting that the vast majority of those arrested were men. In July, nearly 43,000 of the 50,000 total arrests were male, or around 86 percent. Women accounted for just over 6,600.

As for where illegal immigrants are being deported, over 9,000 of the total July arrests will be deported to Mexico once their deportation status clears, and over 2,000 will be deported to Honduras. That said, the administration has recorded deportations to a wide range of countries.

While August numbers have not yet been recorded, the Trump Administration is empowering ICE to ramp up deportations as the year comes to a close. The number of arrests of illegal immigrants is accelerating, with ICE looking to hire thousands of new deportation officers by the end of the year and the agency forming close working relationships with state and local law enforcement to facilitate deportations.

Recent survey data shows the American people back President Trump’s deportation initiative by over half, with an Economist/ YouGov survey from August 7–10 showing 53 percent of Americans believe all or most illegal immigrants should be deported. Independents and college-educated voters agree, supporting the deportation of all or most illegal immigrants by over half, according to the survey.

While Democrats have made opposing deportation a talking point, President Trump has been quietly delivering on his promise to make the United States safer and enforce the rule of law. The Administration has made significant progress in deporting illegal aliens from American cities, many of whom carry criminal records or pending criminal charges. It is interesting to note that in the year where mass deportations of criminals have spiked, crime is plummeting to 126-year-low, according to a Mid-Year report from the independent Council on Criminal Justice.

Manzanita Miller is the senior political analyst of Americans for Limited Government Foundation.

Everyone talks like they knew “Dolly” on a first name basis because in a sense, she belonged to everyone through her work, personal way of communicating and her giving.

Christians claim Dolly as theirs because of her expressions of faith.

Progressives claim her as theirs because of her support of loving others even if they're different from you.

Everyone claims her as their because she literally personifies the American Dream no matter what your politics. She came from nothing here in Sevier County where I get to live, and built herself an entertainment empire that will continue on likely until Jesus comes back.

Dolly's story gives everyone hope that with hard work and dedication, they can make it.

My reason for being on social media is primarily to be connected with the rodeo and ranching cowboy communities through Cowboys of the Cross. I'm writing this encouragement for you.

Whether you like country music, whether you were born 75 years ago or 15, you know who Dolly Parton is. Many of you have made the trek to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and I've seen many of you post right from Dollywood.

Whether ranching or rodeoing, we can't make it without hard work and dedication.

Being a Christian cowboy is the same thing. Where Dolly's success story gives us all hope in what we can achieve here, there's one more important hope we need to let her faith point us to and that's the hope that comes in Jesus Christ. It's an eternal hope where we know even if we don't make it here, there's something even greater waiting for us after this life if we put our hope in Jesus.

A saving faith in Jesus comes from this understanding: God, who we know is perfect, will not allow our imperfect sin into His presence. He will actually judge and condemn it. Jesus, as God's son, was sent to live in this world and eventually die on the cross as a sacrifice meant to take God's full wrath against all of our sins. When we believe in who Jesus was, and is, and what he did for us, we then need to repent of our sin with a sincere desire to be saved and forgiven from God's judgment. When we do this, God will no longer condemn us and we gain eternity with Him.

Dolly advocated kindness and to love everyone. This is how God does it—by giving everyone the same chance to be saved and spend eternity with Him, no matter who we are and what mistakes we've made. He loves us all and wants us with Him for eternity.

That's a hope that transcends the American Dream and gives us everything we need, success or failure in our own eyes or the eyes of others who wrongly judge us, to make it through this life and to the perfect one waiting for us.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Cowboys of the Cross is a rodeo/ bull riding ministry that leads cowboy church services at events and maintains an online presence to share the gospel and make disciples among the ranch and rodeo community. They can be found at CowboysOfTheCross.com.

However, one of the many problems with our political system is that, while most of us don’t fit neatly into a red or blue box, we’re forced to choose from candidates who do. Or at least they say they do, because that’s the behavior we reward with our votes.

You’ve seen those graphics in which a map of the US looks like a sea of red with blue patches, or a sea of blue with red patches, depending on what variable is being illustrated. But what if those graphics are totally misleading?

What if our nation is a sea of purple, with some areas shading into a reddish purple and others more bluish purple? It matters because I believe our values and beliefs are more similar than different, yet the candidates we have to choose from are forced to emphasize the differences.

Even if a staunch Republican becomes very unhappy with the direction the party is taking, the idea of voting for a Democrat may seem totally out of the question. Whether this voter grits their teeth and votes for the Republican anyway, or decides to stay home, the results are not representative of what that voter really wanted.

For example, my last column, describing the advantages of a single-payer healthcare system, helped me understand how realistic such a system could be and what broad benefits would be delivered to all citizens regardless of party.

Prior to writing it, when I heard the phrase “Medicare for all,” I honestly thought it was just a wacky progressive idea that was way too radical (socialism!). Now that I’ve learned more, I wonder, why can’t a Republican candidate present a case for single-payer healthcare reform? Does being Republican mean you have to support the profits of huge insurance companies at the expense of your constituents? Must voters reject a plan they believe would help their families merely because it came from the “wrong” party? Should the health of all our citizens be a partisan issue?

Two major Texas races, for Governor and US Senator, are good examples of this dilemma that many voters will face in November. This week I’ll discuss the gubernatorial race, in which Democrat Gina Hinojosa is challenging incumbent Greg Abbott, who is seeking a record fourth term.

I’m embarrassed to admit that when I first heard of her candidacy, I assumed it was a hopeless cause, because of both her relatively low profile and Abbott’s seeming lock on the office. It turns out, however, that her qualifications are impressive and her policy proposals are relevant to voters across the political spectrum.

Hinojosa is a civil-rights and labor lawyer, a former Austin school board president and a five-term member of the Texas House. Her policy proposals include replacing the STAAR test, ending the private-school voucher program, raising teacher pay, strengthening rural hospitals, preventing private-equity firms from buying up Texas homes and requiring large data centers to pay the costs they impose on our electric grid and water supply.

I don’t think those are proposals that appeal only to Democratic voters. The voucher program was strongly opposed by rural Republican legislators for years until Abbott targeted the holdouts in Republican primaries and helped defeat many of them. Stronger data center regulations, including more local control for counties, also are widely popular. After years of courting the industry with tax breaks, Abbott’s recent data center reversal is a sign that his business-friendly approach was no longer working to his advantage.

Hinojosa’s proposals have broad cross-party potential; they are issues that voters care about because they affect their daily lives. My sense, on the other hand, is that Abbott is offering sound bites meant to convince voters that he is on their side, even though much of his governing record has favored wealthy donors and powerful corporate interests. His strong-arm tactics, supported by deep-pocketed donors, are beginning to wear thin with voters who feel increasingly ignored.

For those who worry that Democratic victories will sweep us all into extreme policies and radical upheaval of our normal lives, there are two important points worth considering. First, we’re talking purple here, not blue. Every bill would still have to pass the House and the Senate. Voting for a Democratic governor would not be a vote for unchecked Democratic power; it would be a vote to make our state government negotiate over a different set of priorities.

Second, and possibly most important, when you think about how things are going for you and your family right now, do you feel that one-party government has served you well? Might a bluer shade of purple be worth a try, instead of continuing the status quo simply because it’s been there for so long? Our votes are what makes ordinary citizens as powerful as the big shots.

We can let them know that from now on, it’s not red or blue - it’s purple.

Susan Hull is a retired clinical psychologist, a horse trainer, and an independent voter. She urges you to check your registration – or begin the process of registering – at VoteTexas.gov. The deadline is October 5.

A decline in support for Democrats is significant among millennials and Gen Z — groups that combined now account for nearly half of all eligible voters in the United States. By the 2028 election, they will account for over half.

The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University indicates that in the Gen Z cohort alone, 50 million voters will be eligible to vote in November. The data shows that by the midterm election, nearly 8.5 million new voters who were ineligible to vote in the 2024 election will have aged into the voting pool.

But will they vote for Democrats? Data is mixed but vote intention and favorability for Democrats have declined significantly since 2022.

Part of this could be explained by younger voters claiming the Democratic Party has not gone “far enough” in stopping the Trump Administration. After all, 53 percent of Gen Z hold a favorable view of socialism. But Democratic identity and favorability are declining while Republican identity and favorability are largely stable.

Looking at the YouGov congressional ballot voting intention tracker, it is apparent that Democrats have not gained ground among Gen Z and millennial voters over the past four years. In fact, despite Democrats taking every opportunity to push the narrative that the Trump Administration has made life more difficult, young voters are less enthusiastic about supporting Democrats now than they were in the fall of 2022.

Among Gen Z, young voters are planning to support Democrats by 27 percentage points (53 percent to 26 percent). A full 16 percent are unsure. Compare this to late August of 2022 during the Biden Administration, when Gen Z planned to support Democrats by 36.6 points (56 percent to 19.4 percent).

This is not a significant swing toward the GOP, but it is evidence that even in an election year where Democrats have the opportunity to construct a narrative blaming Republicans for issues like inflation or the war with Iran, young voters aren’t necessarily buying it.

Part of that could be because some young voters don’t believe Democrats go far enough in pushing a radical progressive agenda, considering 53 percent of Gen Z hold a favorable view of socialism according to a Cato Institute–Morning Consult survey from June 25–26. Whatever the case may be, the Democratic Party has failed to rally young voters during an off-year election where Republicans are in control of the White House and Congress.

The Democratic Party’s favorability among Gen Z has also flipped upside down since the fall of 2022. Today, the party holds a net favorability rating of -5.7 points. In the fall of 2022, under the Biden Administration, young people had a much rosier view of Democrats. At that time, the party had a net favorability of +17.6 percentage points, with 51.7 percent holding a favorable view of Democrats and 34.1 percent holding a negative view.

The decline for Democrats among millennials (aged 30–44) has been pronounced compared to 2022 voting intention. Today, millennials plan to support Democrats by just 13.5 percentage points (48.9 percent to 35.4 percent). On August 30, 2022, millennials were pledging to support Democrats by 31 percentage points (55.4 percent to 24.1 percent). This amounts to shaving 17.5 points off the Democratic advantage compared to four years ago.

Overall favorability for the Democratic Party has also plunged among millennials compared to 2022, with the party’s net favorability sitting at -18.8 percentage points as of this writing. In the fall of 2022, Democrats’ net favorability was positive by 6 percentage points, with 47.3 percent holding a favorable view of the party and 41.3 percent holding an unfavorable view.

These numbers are supported elsewhere, too. In the 52nd Edition of the Harvard Youth Poll released this spring, Democratic Party affiliation had dropped substantially among young voters compared to 2018. Only 28 percent of young people identify as Democrats now, down from 40 percent in 2018. The survey showed “Strong Democrat” identity fell from 22 percent to 16 percent. Republican identity actually rose — from 21 percent to 25 percent.

Despite a perfect storm of events Democrats could capitalize on, from cost-of-living woes to the war with Iran, young voters appear apathetic about swapping Democrats into Congress. They do not appear to believe Democrats can or would do any better. Not to mention, data shows that on the issues the GOP has focused on — such as deportation of illegal immigrants, massive reductions in crime across major cities, slashing foreign aid to the lowest number since 2004, and a resurgence of the American manufacturing sector — voters are satisfied with the Trump Administration and Republicans.

This is not to say that Republicans should not prepare for a fight in November, but it means the tidal wave could be blunted. Long-term, a party losing its edge by double digits with the younger generation over a short four-year period does not bode well for Democrats.

Manzanita Miller is the senior political analyst at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.

I know from personal experience that many Texas veterans struggle to obtain disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Most VA personnel genuinely want to help veterans. But the sheer scale and complexity of the system can make clear guidance difficult to obtain.

Even in a major metropolitan area like Dallas-Fort Worth, veterans can struggle to find providers for medical treatment and disability claim examinations. Limited availability can mean long waits or onerous journeys for appointments. I’ve also heard troubling accounts of providers submitting inaccurate and, in some cases, allegedly fabricated information that can directly influence VA benefit determinations.

I’ve spoken with veterans who have waited years for decisions, only to have claims denied and find themselves paying out of pocket for medical treatment while fighting for the benefits they believe they are owed.

Some ultimately feel they have little choice but to hire private attorneys just to navigate the process.

Others give up because the maze of the VA benefits system is simply overwhelming. Many live in rural communities, where the nearest VA clinic is an hour’s drive. Others don’t know what benefits they’re entitled to. The more I discuss these issues with my fellow Texas veterans, the more I realize these experiences are the norm, not the exception, for veterans living in America toIn short, the status quo leaves veterans to suffer from two huge shortfalls — one in the quality of assistance available to them, and the other in the number of people allowed to help.

Some believe that the solution is reforming the VA, which could help with quality. Others think expanding Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) or providing them with more funding or experienced staff is the answer, which could help with numbers. Those ideas are worthwhile, but it will take time and extraordinary effort to get them off the ground. Another option can address both shortfalls by leveraging resources standing at the ready right now: allowing private services to guide veterans through our complex VA claims-filing and benefits process.

If outside professionals can responsibly assist veterans with the complicated process of filing paperwork or accessing benefits, that means more veterans can receive the benefits they’ve rightfully earned. There are currently more than 70,000 veterans in the VA backlog, and about 40 percent of the VA claims our veterans submit are not initially approved. In addition to asking who should help veterans, a better question is this: Why do we refuse to qualify the parties who are willing and able to help? If more organizations and professionals can assist veterans in navigating the system, if they can complement—not replace— the existing support network and reduce the current backlog, why would anyone stand in their way? The answer, I’m afraid, is obvious: The current system is designed to benefit traditional VSOs and maintain the status quo.

When I served in the Air Force, success wasn’t measured by who completed the mission—it was measured by whether our mission was accomplished. We should treat veterans’ benefits the same way. The mission should always be helping veterans, not protecting outdated institutions or the status quo. Our veterans deserve a benefits system that makes good on its promises, and we give them one by welcoming every partner who is willing and able to help.

Will Thomson is an Air Force veteran, pilot, husband, father of two, and financial advisor who lives outside Dallas. After serving his country, he dedicated his career to helping families prepare for their financial futures and believes veterans deserve the same level of personalized guidance when accessing the benefits they’ve earned.

Texas has more hungry people than any other state in America. And this is the 3rd year in a row for that. It’s called “overall food insecurity.” And FEEDING TEXAS, a “state wide network of food banks,” has the numbers. If you are food insecure, you have “limited or uncertain access to sufficient amounts of safe, nutritious food needed for an active and healthy life,” I was born in Texas. When I was a kid, and for years after that, Texas was a rich state, with booming oil and gas industries making millions along with other companies. And Texas is still rich.

Talk About Disgusting

On June 15, 2025, Texas had a “$24-billion-dollar budget surplus. So what is our state doing to help hungry people? It’s spending just a bit more than $200 million to feed them, so less than 1 percent of that $24 billion surplus. Most of the surplus money is going to business growth, property tax relief and border operations. The Texas Economic Development Corporation has a list of everything else being funded with that $24-billion-dollar surplus.

The Hunger’s Hurting

It’s hitting “roughly 1 in 5 people” in Texas. And it’s hurting children a lot. One in every 4 kids is going hungry – that’s 26.1% of little kids without enough food. And it’s not getting better. It’s getting worse. This July, “Texas had a food insecurity rate of 19.4%, an increase of 11% from last year.

Even More Damage

Last week, a worker from a San Antonio home services company came to our house, just off Polly Peak road outside Bandera, to do a test on our water well. He was a hard-working young guy, just 26 years old, really smart and friendly. Once he got the test done, I asked if he had kids. He said, “No, we can’t afford that.”

Really? It hit me hard. And it woke me up. Why would he say that? I jumped on the Internet to do some research. And I saw for the first time, just last week, the hunger slamming Bandera County, and the rest of Texas, because so many people are “food insecure.”

Here’s Help

If you need help to feed yourself and your family, or you know someone who needs that help, thanks to Bandera’s Silver Sage senior center, here’s a list of places it gave me that you can call:

• Out of the Way Community Corps in Lakehills 24/7 outdoor food pantry

• 830-346-1255

• 830-777-9713

• Lakehills United Methodist food pantry and free dinner every Monday night

• 830-751-2404

• Walker Community Church pantry (in Whartons Dock)

• 830-837-3517

• 830-796-3171

• Medina Food Pantry next to Keese's BBQ 2nd Friday every month

• 830-426-4847

• 210-273-8033

• Ridin' the River Cowboy fellowship food pantry • 830-460-0710

• St. Victor's Chapel in Lakehills food pantry various Saturdays

• 830-460-4712

• Silver Sage Meals On Wheels

• 830-796-4969 If you’re not food insecure, call to donate money if you can.

Jodie Sinclair is an award-winning writer who holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and resides in Bandera.

During my years in law en forcement, I learned that threats rarely arrive without warning. They develop when oversight lacks and weaknesses and vulner abilities are left unaddressed until a crisis is already underway.

That is why the rapid expan sion of illicit compounding should concern every American. As a for mer partner in a compounding pharmacy, I have seen how com pounding enables pharmacists to prepare customized medications for patients with specific med ical needs when commercially available options are unsuitable or unavailable, including during drug shortages.

However, in the case of GLP 1 drugs, what was intended to be a narrow and carefully regulated practice is increasingly being ex ploited by bad actors to mass-pro duce unapproved compounded drugs outside the traditional reg ulatory framework. The FDA has identified compounded products contaminated with harmful bac teria, containing unapproved ingredients not fit for human consumption, and made with research-grade substances never intended for patients.

These illicit compounding practices bypass the rigorous re view, manufacturing standards, and quality controls that Ameri cans expect from FDA-approved medications, creating dangerous gaps in oversight and enforce ment that allow unsafe products to enter the marketplace. These weaknesses are not abstract, they represent real vulnerabilities that can be exploited, making it hard er for regulators and law enforce ment to detect, deter, and stop harmful products before they reach patients.

From a law enforcement perspective, these gaps are not theoretical, they are opportunities. Criminal networks actively search for weaknesses in supply chains. When large-scale compounders operate without the same reporting and inspection requirements as traditional manufacturers, they create an unverified and largely unregulated parallel system. That system makes it harder for regulators to detect and stop dangerous products before they reach patients.

Even more troubling is the growing overlap between illicit compounding supply chains and those tied to transnational crime. Evidence shows that some of the same Chinese chemical manufacturers supplying unapproved compounding ingredients are also linked to the production of fentanyl precursors. Recent analysis has found that actors previously associated with fentanyl trafficking are now marketing peptide and GLP-1 ingredients through the same gray-market channels. Americans deserve better than a system where the ingredients used in their medications may originate from the same networks responsible for fueling the opioid crisis.

Congress has an opportunity to act before this threat escalates further. The Safeguarding Americans from Fraudulent and Experimental (SAFE) Drugs Act would strengthen oversight of high-volume compounding by requiring transparency in production, mandating FDA inspections before products are distributed, and closing loopholes that allow largescale operations to function without appropriate accountability. These reforms would bring greater visibility to a supply chain that currently operates with too many unknowns and would reinforce the integrity of our pharmaceutical borders.

As a retired Sheriff, I can attest that law enforcement is often called when the damage has already been done. But our responsibility is also to recognize emerging risks and act before they become crises. We have seen what happens when dangerous supply chains are allowed to grow unchecked. Illicit compounding presents a similar warning sign. Congress should act now to address this vulnerability, strengthen oversight, and protect the safety of American patients before this issue becomes the next public health emergency.

Sheriff Bob White (Ret.) is a 35-year law enforcement veteran and former Sheriff of Pasco County, Florida, where he served for over a decade after being elected to three consecutive terms.

“We are workers fighting to transform society: to win the battle for democracy, draft a new constitution, and create a democratic socialist republic.”

That is part of the 2026 platform of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a revolutionary document that is calling for a new Constitution of the United States. And it is dangerous.

Take note: This is neither a call for Congress to propose amendments to the Constitution, which would require two-thirds majorities and then three-quarters of the states to ratify, or for a convention of the states called by two-thirds of the states, still requiring three-quarters of the states to ratify, under Article V of the U.S. Constitution.

Instead, it is calling for a full replacement of the current Constitution outside the supreme law of the land under Article VI of the U.S. Constitution.

Why? In order to take ownership of the means of production and to confiscate wealth, according to the platform: “Establish public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries to ensure democratic control and accountability to the people. Enact aggressive wealth taxes on the richest individuals and corporations to spend on public goods and infrastructure.” What else would socialists be concerned with?

Why, that would violate the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which states no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.

Now, here, one might quibble and say that 100 percent wealth tax is not a deprivation without due process if Congress enacted it. Really?

What about a 100 percent life or liberty tax? What if Congress passed a law naming certain individuals criminals and subject to execution or life imprisonment simply because of their political affiliation? Due process?

No, this is Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s “general will”: “Each of us puts his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will, and, in our corporate capacity, we receive each member as an indivisible part of the whole.”

That is, democratic socialism, as described by DSA, is nothing remotely approaching constitutional, limited government. A government that can do whatever the majority wants. Take whatever it wants: Your life, your liberty and your property.

And the socialists won’t care that it’s all unconstitutional, they’re going to “draft a new constitution”, remember?

Businesses should be paying very close attention. Currently the S&P 500, the largest U.S. corporations, constitute about $61 trillion of market cap, which would all be surrendered to the new democratic socialist republic. Wall Street might become a homeless encampment for former CEOs.

And what would that new socialist utopia look like politically? A parliamentary system, on paper: “Replace the two-party system with a multi-party democracy. Expand the House of Representatives, implement proportional representation and ranked choice voting in all elections, and abolish the Senate.”

But there would be no more President, Electoral College or life-tenured Supreme Court: “Abolish the Electoral College. Replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.”

And, to guarantee that the socialists always win the elections, the franchise would be extended to anyone who can establish permanent residence: “Extend full voting rights to all permanent U.S. residents and restore the right to vote for incarcerated people and people with criminal convictions.” That’s another 17.4 million voters right there: 13 million permanent residents and 4.4 million felons.

In addition, immigration enforcement would end, dramatically expanding the franchise: “ABOLISH ICE… End ICE detention and deportations and punish federal agents' brutality. Legalize migration, grant amnesty for all immigrants regardless of status, provide a path to citizenship for all permanent residents, and end visa caps and quotas.” There’s another eventual 35 million foreign-born residents winding up on the voters rolls, too.

That tracks pretty well with historical precedent. When political parties explicitly call themselves socialist — in about 79 percent, or 34 out of 43 cases, an Americans for Limited Government Foundation analysis shows — usually that’s the end of competitive elections and the establishment of one-party rule Heck, even the military would be ended: “Defund the Department of War. End all foreign wars and close overseas military bases.” What would become of the U.S. nuclear arsenal of 5,177 nuclear weapons, one wonders? Maybe China and Russia will get those, or something.

Now, normally, such a radical plan would not be taken very seriously, except Democrats keep losing to democratic socialists in their primaries. The danger is not if the socialists lose, but if they win. Usually, totalitarians tell you exactly what they want to do — and when they do, we should listen.

Robert Romano is the Executive Director of Americans for Limited Government Foundation.

Big time. So was I. So were millions of Americans.

In 2004, we all watched that show “The Apprentice” on TV. It was a smashing success. Its first year on the air, it averaged 20.7 million viewers every week. It had up to 28 million viewers watching its last show that season. Those are 2024 New York Times research statistics.

The Show Was a Lie

And its producer knew it. But he made Trump look like one of America’s most successful business men. The New York Times called the show “The Star-Making Machine That Created Donald Trump.” Trump starred in it for 11 years. Before it even went on the air, “Trump had declared bankruptcy four times” according to a 2024 US News and World Report. He also declared bankruptcy “twice more” during its 14 seasons. But the show “….revived his business fortunes by creating the illusion that he was already doing great.”

He was famous for yelling ‘YOU’RE FIRED” at the end of each show to participants he judged “didn’t make it.” The show was on NBC every week for 13 years…” It made Trump rich. He earned “$197 million directly from The Apprentice”…and “an additional $230 million flowed from the fame associated with it…” according to a New York Times study of his tax returns.

By 2015, Trump was so famous, he left the show to run for President. On November 8, 2016, he was elected the 45th President of America.

Why Didn’t We Know?

In 2016, the Annenberg Public Policy Center of Pennsylvania reported the TV show, “played a key role” in getting Trump elected “because Americans consume more entertainment than news…” It provides ‘one-sided information flows’ about a candidate’s qualities.”

Confession of an NBC Executive In 2024 - John D. Miller – a former NBC marketing chief – publicly apologized for promoting Trump as a super successful businessman. He said he created ” a monster.” He said “successful CEOs were too busy” to be on the show every week. So he chose Trump.

Trump …”had plenty of time” every week to be on the show because his business was a failure. Yet Miller still put thousands of weekly NBC TV commercials on the air spreading the lie about Trump “to nearly every household” in the United States.

Here’s the Good News

In July 2026, CNN research showed voters are favoring Democrats in elections by an “8-point margin…” Trump became president again when there was a “sharp drop” in 2024 of Democratic voters in “growing cities.” That year “6.2 million fewer Democrats showed up to vote than in 2020,” according to Governing, an organization “devoted to making government work.”

We can return our country to peace and predictability this year if every eligible Democrat votes in November’s midterm election. We can win back the House and the Senate and hold Trump responsible for the Iran war he started that killed 18 American soldiers and wounded 685 soldiers so far and shut down the Strait of Hormuz, driving up gas and grocery prices and medical costs. We deserve a whole lot better.

Jodie Sinclair is an award-winning writer who holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and resides in Bandera.

That growth requires infrastructure.

Infrastructure growth requires more energy. More pipelines. More localized natural gas generation. More dispatchable power. More infrastructure that strengthens the reliability of our grid.

But only if that infrastructure is built the Texas way.

After nearly sixteen hours of testimony before the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce this past week, where lawmakers heard from landowners, industry leaders, regulators, and Texans who will live with the consequences of these decisions, I was left with one unmistakable conclusion.

Texas needs more infrastructure to strengthen grid reliability, but the 765-kV transmission line proposal is not the cure. It is the consequence. It is the bill coming due after years of energy policies that prioritized bending the knee to climate catastrophism and “all-of-the-above” energy sycophancy while ignoring the clear and obvious shortcomings of that approach.

After Winter Storm Uri, the consequences of overreliance on intermittent energy production should be clear to every Texan. I said it then, and it bears repeating today. We invested so much in renewable energy that we let the pilot light go out on reliable power. In response, all we’ve done is further the proliferation of intermittent power generation across our great state.

Texas needs to ask itself why the Permian Basin, one of the richest natural gas regions on Earth, now requires billions of dollars in new transmission infrastructure simply to sustain its growth and maintain reliable power. The answer is clear. Years of federal subsidies, regulatory pressure, and political mandates have distorted our electricity market.

Under the banner of an “energy transition,” Washington pushed policies designed to accelerate renewable generation, not because wind and solar alone can provide the reliability required to power a growing industrial and technological economy, but because the climate cult convinced policymakers there was no other solution. The tax credits and subsidies they imposed deliberately tilted the playing field against Texas natural gas and coal, undermining their competitiveness.

But let’s now discuss the greatest sin.

Instead of the beating heart of North America’s fossil fuel industry refuting the false notion that carbon dioxide emissions were to be embraced, not feared, Texas instead welcomed climate alarmism in the name of reaping the benefits of federal subsidy. Texas actively chose, through both state policy and advocacy, to proliferate the expansion of our federal debt in the name of greed at the expense of grid reliability.

That sin has distorted our energy market and brought us here.

It should not be possible that one of the most fossil fuel-rich regions on the planet is facing a growing need to import, rather than export, electricity because the proliferation of tax credit- backed renewable power has made local, dispatchable fossil fuel generation less economically viable.

What makes my skin crawl most is that these transmission lines are doubling down on that problem.

Rather than correcting market distortions and ensuring that the region producing our nation’s energy can power itself, Texas is considering a multi-billion-dollar transmission project to accommodate the shortcomings of intermittent, unreliable energy investments, and the harm they’ve done to our natural gas and coal industries.

Enough is enough. Ratepayers should not be asked to further subsidize this problematic plan, born from our grid’s growing reliance on renewable energy, to build the infrastructure required to compensate for its limitations.

For months, I have been one of the strongest advocates in Texas for defending data centers because I believe our state’s progrowth, pro-business principles require us to solve the challenges growth creates—not simply hit pause on economic opportunity. That is what Texas has always done. We don’t fear growth. We build the infrastructure necessary to support it, and we should build it the Texas way—or not at all.

I have consistently argued that new demand should be met by encouraging more localized, dispatchable natural gas generation, not by socializing costs or asking Texans to subsidize workarounds for a broken market.

That is why I oppose these transmission lines.

These transmission lines aren’t a free-market solution. They’re a government correction for a government-created distortion. Instead of restoring competitive conditions so reliable generation can once again be built where it’s needed, we’re proposing another multi-billion- dollar intervention to prop up the consequences of the last one.

Texas doesn’t need another expensive workaround. It needs the courage to fix the policies that created the problem in the first place.

Wayne Christian serves on the Texas Railroad Commission, the state agency that regulates the oil and natural gas industry. This piece originally ran on TexasScoreCard.com.

“We are bringing the Bible back into schools this week for the first time in 60 years,” SBOE member Brandon Hall, R-Aledo, said during a prayer session outside the hearing this week.

The new standards will be implemented in phases, starting with elementary schools in the 2030-2031 school year.

Republicans favor the new standards as a win for Judeo-Christian values and say the required lessons on Jesus, Abraham and Moses are intended not to evangelize but help children develop moral compasses.

Critics say the board is promoting Christianity at the expense of racial and religious diversity.

“Texas is telling millions of children that one religion deserves the government’s seal of approval, while everyone else is an afterthought,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

Cornyn: Closed primaries could backfire on Texas GOP U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is warning Texas GOP leaders that closing party primaries would be “paving the way to minority party status,” The Texas Tribune reported.

The Texas Republican Party and its top elected leaders are pushing to require voters to register with a party, thereby prohibiting them from crossing over in party primaries. Texas is one of 17 states with open primaries.

Cornyn, who was defeated for reelection in a runoff by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, commented on an op-ed published in The Dallas Morning News, sharing its title — “Closed primaries are a threat to Texas voters.”

He added, “Exactly,” and “Democrats haven’t turned Texas blue; Republican’s (sic) might.”

Paxton has joined the GOP’s pending lawsuit to strike down open primaries in court.

Supreme Court ruling could affect 147K TPS recipients The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that the Trump administration can revoke Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Haiti and Syria means more than 147,000 migrants in Texas under the program face imminent risk of arrest and deportation, the Texas Standard reported.

Texas hosts one of the largest concentrations of TPS holders in the nation, and University of Houston constitutional law professor Seth Chandler said the ruling has dramatic consequences for them.

“It basically streamlines the ability of the Trump administration to revoke TPS status, not just for the Haitians and Syrians who were litigating in the case the Supreme Court decided today, but with respect to Hondurans, Nepalis, Afghans and, perhaps critically for Houston, potentially Venezuelans as well,” Chandler said.

The decision could have economic consequences, since many immigrants in the country under TPS work in sectors already experiencing labor shortages. “If you look at our plaintiffs in the Syria case, for example, we have a highly sought-after pediatrician,” said Hussein Elbakri, attorney at the International Refugee Assistance Project.

He added, “We have somebody who is a special- needs teacher by day and is training to be a nurse at night. We have construction workers. We have people in the food-services industry, and we have many, many people, especially in the Haitian community, who are home healthcare workers.”

Tesla accused of allowing toxin release from refinery Two Texas property owners have filed a class-action suit against Tesla, accusing the company of dumping toxins from its lithium refinery near Corpus Christi onto their property, according to the Houston Chronicle.

They claim that Tesla has violated its state-issued wastewater discharge permit by allowing contaminated water to flow onto their property.

The company’s permit allows it to discharge up to 231,000 gallons a day of treated industrial water into Baffin Bay, according to state records. A review of the water leaking into a drainage ditch by a lab hired by the Nueces County Drainage District revealed two toxic metals — arsenic and the carcinogen hexavalent chromium, as well as elevated levels of other chemicals.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

Majority of Texans oppose data centers in their community

A new poll from the University of Texas’ Texas Politics Project indicates a majority of Texans oppose having data centers in their community, according to the Texas Standard. The state has become the nation’s top destination for data centers, which provide the infrastructure for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency mining.

The poll found 43% of Republicans oppose data centers, while 42% support their construction. More than 60% of people who identify as Democrats oppose new data centers.

“I think people are objecting for different reasons,” said James Henson, director of the polling center. “On one hand, lots of environmental concerns about water and resource use. But if you’re living next to these data centers or in the region… they have a big impact on people’s lives.”

Both Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have made regulation of data centers a legislative priority in next year’s session.

Texas GOP elephant lacked mandatory permit When Paige the elephant made an appearance at the recent GOP state convention in Houston, its owner did not acquire the required city permit to bring wild animals into the city, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Public records acquired by the paper indicate Trunks and Humps, the elephant’s owner, has been cited repeatedly for federal animal welfare violations and failed to apply for a permit before bringing Paige to the June 12 convention.

The elephant arrived as the finale to Abbot’s speech. A video of the event went viral after the elephant urinated on the convention floor.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com

Please call or email Cornyn as soon as possible to urge him to finally say NO to Trump.

Susan Hull Bandera, TX

As treatment begins, I’ll need to make major adjustments to protect my health. I’ll be stepping back from many public activities and limiting my time in larger groups. If you see me wearing a mask, avoiding handshakes or hugs, or keeping a little distance, please know it’s not personal. What I have isn’t contagious—these precautions are simply to protect me while my body heals.

With only about 55% lung capacity right now, I tire easily and need to pace myself. I’ll miss many activities and, truthfully, I’ll miss the hugs and handshakes most of all.

That said, I’m not disappearing. I’ll continue supporting the causes and organizations I care deeply about, including small-group activities, work behind the scenes, and my ongoing projects—including BanderaNewzJunky.com. I may stop by larger events briefly when I can, but I’ll be making decisions based on what’s best for my health.

One difficult decision is stepping away from hosting a foreign exchange student this year for the first time in many years. It saddens me, but I fully intend to return in 2027.

I’ve fought tough battles before and won through faith, determination, and stubbornness. That part of me hasn’t changed. I will still be involved with activities at the American Legion and in the background at the Medina Lake Cajun Festival.

Thank you for the support, prayers, friendship, and understanding. My door— and my phone—remain open. Small visits are always welcome as long as we respect these health boundaries.

This is simply a season of healing. I plan on winning this fight too.

Thanks!

Ron Clarke Lakehills, TX

He referenced that his article was in the tradition of Jonathan Swift’s famous satirical essay “A Modest Proposal.” Swift uses absurdity and exaggeration to expose the failures and arrogance of those in power. There is an important difference between Swift’s work and Mr. Flowers’ article. Swift’s satire was aimed at criticizing those in power on behalf of ordinary citizens. Mr. Flowers is not an outsider challenging authority. He is a sitting member of City Council criticizing ordinary people who disagree with expanding surveillance technology.

The irony is that Flowers’ article defends power and ridicules citizens questioning it.

Mr. Flowers attempts to frame opposition to Flock cameras as irrational by reducing privacy concerns to absurd extremes: banning phones, banning Ring cameras, eliminating technology altogether. Citizens raising concerns about privacy are not demanding Bandera “return to 1880” by banning or eliminating technology. They are raising reasonable concerns about privacy, oversight, data collection and how much government monitoring belongs in our small town.

Their concerns should be heard, not mocked or dismissed.

There is also a factual issue that deserves clarification. Mr. Flowers stated that the DMV state grant paid 100% of the cost and subscription for the Flock cameras. In reality, it was a 20% matching grant which was reimbursed upon receipt of documentation. The citizens were repeatedly told during discussions that the grant could only be used for Flock cameras and not for other programs or public safety priorities. This was not the case, and the public deserves a more honest and transparent conversation about how these funds were presented and whether other options were ever seriously considered.

Whether someone supports or opposes Flock cameras, this debate deserves seriousness and respect. Instead, the article reduces concerned citizens to caricatures by suggesting they somehow support criminals or oppose public safety itself.

The question is not whether law enforcement should have tools. Of course they should. The real question is where the limits are, who controls the information, and what protection exists for ordinary citizens. Do citizens have the right to debate legitimate public concerns without being mocked by elected officials?

Conversation is not a threat to democracy It’s part of living in a free country. Reasonable people can disagree about Flock cameras, but elected officials should probably spend more time listening to citizens than mocking them.

Laura Devenport Bandera

Data from the American Clean Power Association indicates the state has 54 wind projects stalled as part of a nationwide delay affecting 165 onshore wind projects.

President Donald Trump has long opposed wind power.

Energy experts such as Environment Texas Executive Director Luke Metzger say the administration is using the regulations, such as ensuring a wind project would not affect military airspace, as an attack on renewable power.

“It’s hard to see this as anything other than an effort to slow or stop wind power regardless of the consequences for consumers, the environment and grid reliability,” Metzger said.

In a statement, a Defense Department official said the military is still evaluating the projects.

The department’s evaluation of wind turbines “is inherently complex and time-consuming because it involves balancing two critical, and sometimes competing, interests: developing energy sources while ensuring military operations and readiness are not degraded or impaired to the extent an unacceptable risk to national security is created,” the official said.

R&D plays vital role in state’s economy

Texas is one of the top five states contributing to research and development, according to a recent report from the State Comptroller’s Office.

The federal Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates R&D’s contribution to gross domestic product “after accounting for the resources used to produce goods and services, employment and compensation from 2012 to 2023.”

The R&D value added by Texas businesses reached $29.2 billion in 2023, a 131% increase from 2012. Further, R&D in the state supplied nearly 195,000 jobs and $30.1 billion in wages, salaries and benefits in 2023.

Texas has 15 Tier 1 colleges and universities, the most in any state. In 2024, more than 11,800 patents were issued in Texas, the second highest in the country, after California.

“When investments are made in research, the returns multiply — strengthening our competitiveness, securing our future and improving the lives of all Texans,” said Fernanda Leite, interim vice president for research at the University of Texas at Austin.

First case in 2026 of West Nile virus reported The year’s first case of West Nile virus has been reported in a Harris County resident, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported. The virus is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes, though 80% of people infected with West Nile never experience symptoms.

“West Nile and other mosquito-borne illnesses are a fact of life in Texas in the warmer months, and all Texans should take precautions against mosquito bites to stay safe and healthy,” said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer A. Shuford.

She advised removing standing water from homes and yards, such as in buckets, old tires and other items.

The symptoms experienced by the unlucky 20% include fever, headache, nausea, muscle and joint aches, and fatigue. Though rare, West Nile virus can be fatal.

In the past five years, there have been 976 cases of West Nile in Texas, according to DSHS, with 106 deaths during that period.

Franklin Mountains State Park grows by 1,000 acres Franklin Mountains State Park, 15 minutes from El Paso, is now 1,054 acres larger to the east as the result of a new land acquisition, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reported.

“I am excited about this acquisition,” said Superintendent Cesar Mendez, “which extends the buffer zone all the way to Martin Luther King Boulevard, adding some lower elevation and flatter land to Franklin Mountains State Park and securing access points (trailheads).”

With 28,000 acres — or 43 square miles — the park is one of the largest urban wilderness parks in the world. It has more than 120 miles of trail and is a popular site with birders.

The acquisition helps safeguard the main mountain area of desert bighorn sheep habitat.

Federal aid for Panhandle wildfire victims The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a request for grant funds to assist victims of the Hungate Fire in Randall County, which has merged with the Chocolate Chip Fire, burning an estimated 14,000 acres and threatening more than 1,245 homes. Aid has also been granted for the Stinky Fire in Potter County, which has burned more than 2,500 acres and prompted evacuation of more than 500 acres.

“Texas has secured federal resources to further guard against wildfire threats in the Panhandle,” said Gov. Greg Abbott. “With this grant approval, Texas has additional tools to help Texans remain safe from wildfire danger.”

The approval of a Fire Management Assistance Grant makes the state eligible for 75% reimbursement from the federal government for eligible costs associated with wildfire suppression. These grants are available to states, counties and cities to support the mitigation, management and control of fires that threaten to become major disasters.

Broker imposter scams being reported Several attempted broker- imposter scams over the past few months have prompted the Texas Department of Banking to warn that such ruses could pose a significant threat to financial institutions and consumers.

According to a TDB news release, “consumers are targeted after conducting searches for high-rate investment opportunities. Individuals contacted by the fraudsters are often not existing bank customers and are located across the United States.”

Some red flags to look for are cold calls, an incorrect or bogus email address, low-risk/high-reward offers and unusual funding procedures.

Anyone who is targeted by a broker imposter is encouraged to contact the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority at finra.org.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com

Editor’s Note: This letter is in regards to last week’s Capital Highlights installment.

Gary Borders’ concise reporting regarding the continual legal wrangling over placing copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms (April 29 Edition) highlights an overly legalistic and atomizing tendency in our culture.

Judaism and its offspring Christianity are intellectual and historical taproots of our civilization which should be understood by all educated citizens.

Many of the founding fathers read Hebrew, Greek, and Latin so they learned the wisdom as well as the turmoil of history in the original. Our founding documents reflect that.

“All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator…,” are ideas based in the Torah and spread by Christianity. In the classroom setting, it is irrelevant whether students believe in either or any religion but very important that they understand the grand sweep of human history.

The Ten Commandments are a welcoming portal into our shared intellectual wealth. Some of your older readers will remember the film “The King and I.”

The mid-19th Century monarch in question was Mongkut or Rama IV. A serious Buddhist and monk for over 20 years, he invited Christian missionaries into his kingdom and supported their work in education and medicine. The Catholic French taught him Latin and astronomy and the Protestant Americans taught him English.

The King famously stated that what the Christians asked him to believe was foolish but what they asked him to do was noble. To this day, the King has the title of protector of all religions while concurrently serving as the head of Thai Buddhism. East and West can arrive at similar resolutions. Buddha taught the “Middle Path” and Aristotle the “Golden Mean.”

We beggar ourselves by getting into petty legal spats which cut us off from our glorious past. Cannot we be more like King Mongkut and put personal belief aside and respect and propagate the good? The young could use some guideposts with so much substance abuse in an often frivolous society.

Donald Stader Lakehills

Second: Despite President Trump‘s repeated statements to the contrary, he inherited a growth economy with reducing inflation. Now we have a slower economy with rising inflation. He promised to lower costs, yet his policies primarily benefited his family, friends, and the top 1% of wealth holders. Affordability is a key issue for so many working people living paycheck to paycheck. President Trump has often stated that he’d like to go back to the late 1800s. No doubt! That was the era of the Robber Barons who paid no income taxes and weren’t bothered with pesky regulations or worker protections or benefits.

Third: The No Wars President declared war on Iran which has also knocked prices through the roof. It’s also increasing the national debt more than $1 billion a day. That’s $1,000,000,000 daily. Additionally, President Trump‘s declaration of war was illegal and violated the Constitution. Lawlessness and erratic behavior do not seem to concern the Commander in Chief or the mostly unqualified members of his Cabinet or Republicans in Congress.

Fourth: the levels of grift and corruption in this administration will be a focus of historians for years to come. The Trump family is estimated to have gained more than $1 billion.

Fifth: the full Epstein files will eventually be released without redactions. The truth of Trump’s complicity will be exposed, as well as that of the other pedophiles.

Well, overall, President Trump’s first year in office hasn’t brought the happiness and wealth, or even stability we were promised, some promised to be in effect on his first day in office Many of us are anxious about the present and scared about the future.

Mary Lout Shleton Kerrville, TX

Dear Editor: I found the front page of your April 13 edition with the two contiguous articles concerning wrecks on Texas 46 to be somewhat ironic. In the center top we learn of a man convicted for killing a family of three with his vehicle. Immediately below to the right, the article highlights Bandera County Commissioners’ request to the Texas Department of Transportation to make major improvements to the very same highway in order to avoid the growing number of wrecks. We cannot fault the Commissioners for their action as they are elected officials responding to public pressure; however, motorists should not evade the responsibility of always driving prudently and safely regardless of conditions or the vagaries of others. A driver sentenced to prison for 17 years proves the point. We simply do not have a right to drive the posted speed limit and should always make speed and distance adjustments in the interest of public safety. In fact, the requested TXDOT improvements would require even more driver patience and prudence because of years of single lane traffic and “follow me” pilot car delays. The “definite timelines” requested by the Commissioners will probably fall into the same crater of rectal estimates made nebulous by unforeseen engineering complications and budget shortfalls experienced with other road projects. Intelligent driving would make immediate improvements regardless of when construction begins or ends. Albert Einstein once remarked that only two things are limitless, the universe itself and human stupidity and he wasn’t sure about the universe. Lets prove him wrong.

Donald Stader Lakehills

In February, the Trump administration waived more than two dozen environmental laws to clear the way for a 150-milelong wall through West Texas, including Big Bend and the adjoining state park. Opposition quickly arose from people and politicians from both parties.

The sheriffs of Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Presidio and Terrell counties — a mix of Democrats and Republicans — wrote an open letter that said: “Based on decades of combined experience working with this terrain, we believe that construction of a continuous physical border wall in the Big Bend region would not represent the most practical or strategic approach to border security in this area.”

Now, a map on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website no longer indicates plans to construct a physical wall in the Big Bend region. It is unclear if those plans are final, since the map has been changed several times in the past few weeks.

The rugged area historically has been the least-busy of the nine Border Patrol sectors, accounting for just 1.3% of the 237,538 apprehensions recorded along the entire U.S.-Mexico border during the last fiscal year.

State sued for lack of prison air conditioning The Texas government is now on trial in an Austin federal court to determine whether it must provide air-conditioning in state prisons, kut.org reported. Inmates and their attorneys have argued for decades that summer conditions — where temperatures can reach 110 degrees — constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

“The Constitution requires living conditions that are not exposing individuals to high heat levels, and the evidence has consistently shown that what (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) has done as an alternative has just not been effective,” attorney Brandon Duke said. “It’s not a solution.”

The state counters that it is bringing more AC online at its prisons. Plaintiff attorneys say at least five inmates have died in Texas from heat-related illness since 2023.

TDCJ officials said it would cost $1.5 billion to install air-conditioning systems at all state prisons, and that Texas lawmakers must approve the funding.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pittman is expected to rule from the bench after the trial concludes.

Camp Mystic files application to reopen this summer

Camp Mystic has filed an application with the state to reopen this summer, the Houston Chronicle reported. More than two dozen children and two camp counselors were killed in the July 4 flash floods that swept the camp. The Texas Department of State Health Services, which oversees camp licensing, said it has received complaints about the camp and that it will be “investigated for violations of the laws and rules governing youth camps.”

DSHS has been sued by the parents of nine victims who contend the camp was wrongfully licensed just two days before the disaster last summer, even though it lacked an evacuation plan. In a separate case, a Travis County judge has ordered Camp Mystic to preserve for future examination the cabins and grounds damaged in the floods.

Camp leaders are asking for permission to open its Cypress Lake campus, which they said is “in compliance with all aspects of the state’s new camp safety laws and has implemented additional safety measures that exceed the requirements of those laws.”

Texas public school teacher pay drops

A new report from the University of Houston Education Research Center indicates average pay for Texas public school teachers has dropped about $5,000 over the past decade, the Chronicle reported. The decrease comes even as the cost of living has increased during that time span.

“When we look at those regional differences, there are some increases across the state, but really what we’re seeing is that average teacher salaries haven't kept up with inflation,” said Toni Templeton, the Education Research Center's senior research scientist.

Average base pay for the state’s most experienced teachers, those with 11 or more years of experience, has declined from about $73,000 to about $66,000 in 2024-25, according to the report.

The Legislature has approved pay increases based on teachers’ years of experience, and those raises could show up in future studies.

SpaceX planning what could be biggest-ever IPO Elon Musk’s SpaceX is confidentially planning to sell shares to the public in what could be the largest initial public offering in history, the Austin American- Statesman reported. It has filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission that indicates it could raise as much as $75 billion in an IPO by July.

The confidential filing allows companies to get feedback from regulators without revealing information to competitors. However, SpaceX will have to release a public filing at least 15 days before its IPO “road show,” when it presents its financial plan to potential underwriters and institutional investors.

SpaceX has become the world’s leading commercial rocket launch company. Over the past five years, it has secured $6 billion in contracts from the federal government.

TDI helps stop $400 million Medicare scheme A Texas Department of Insurance investigator and crime analyst played a key role in arresting a Russian national who submitted $400 million in fake Medicare claims. Nikolai Buzolin established a durable medical equipment company in Houston in 2025. He is charged with stealing patients’ and doctors’ identities to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare Part C.

“A few of the patients checked their explanation of benefits and noticed that they were getting medical equipment that they didn't need. And it was coming from doctors they’d never met,” said TDI Fraud Unit investigator Sgt. Kevin Mannion.

FBI agents arrested Buzolin as he was boarding a plane in Los Angeles to Russia. He faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

“TDI works with federal, state and local partners to follow cases wherever they go, whether it's California or right here in Texas,” Mannion said. “We track them down, we shut them down and we help dismantle these criminal activities.”

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com

Raising awareness helps promote earlier diagnoses, better access to care, and increased support for research. Just as importantly, it reminds those affected that they are seen and not alone.

I encourage our community to take a moment this month to learn about rare diseases and support efforts that improve the lives of those living with them.

However, People can also be fooled by not being given all the information on a subject, “the rest of the story” as Paul Harvey used to say.

I, for one, do believe that the use of marijuana leads to other illegal drug use or at least the trying of other illegal drugs and the abuse of psychedelic drugs is a national health issue today. Psychedelic drugs are a hallucinogen and are illegal at the federal level but not in CA as you might have guessed. They cause profound changes in perception, mood, and consciousness, often called “trips.”

Just look at the West Coast where drug use is supported by State and Local governments. That’s scientific evidence. The majority of their liberal run cities have turned into drug shitholes and crime is rampant.. Decent people that can afford to are moving to other States by the busloads.

There is ample evidence of that. Yes, people who come to our country not to assimilate but to conquer—and to preach “convert or die”—do “make me a little jumpy, Jenny Hayden” (Starman).

What amazes me is the mainstream media and other liberal speakers has convinced people to put their life’s in danger to defend people that hate America, that steal our tax dollars, that Burn our property and Loot from us, that Murder us, that burn our flag, and who scream death to America and oppose those that are sent out to enforce our laws.

Those law enforcers are American Citizens that live among us with their families and are trying to protect us. If they had the cooperation of local officials, then they wouldn’t be forced to do these mass roundups that innocent people get caught up in.

Yea, I know she was only trying to run over Ice Agents. It’s not like she was doing something crazy like speaking freely at a Utah College Campus.

I mean don’t you have the right in the name of Social Justice to walk up behind the CEO of a corporation and shoot him in the back of the head? But of course, being a white conservative Christianmakesoneanuntrainedgoon and a mercenary nationalist i.e., a Nazi.

I just don’t get it. Many cultures eat animals that Western culture considers pets. The line between pet and food is not universal and is a complex product of human cultural and history and values. Even our society has pets what most consider food such as pigs, rabbits, geese and even fish. While some cultures do eat cats, dogs and horses, many of us would find it totally repulsive.

If you are accustomed to this in your culture and you arrive in a new country, your family is hungry and this food is just running free in the streets, well who knows for sure. The police in Springfield claim that there were no creditable reports of this happening.

By the way at time Ohio and the city of Springfield were solidly RED. Red for Republican. So, if it did happen, I doubt if it was widespread, and it probably helped out the city Animal Control Dept. Ugh!

Ms. Hull stated that if you search for recorded transgender children’s assaults or harassment of other children in restrooms that you won’t find any because there weren’t any. “Zero.” I am not sure what she means by “recorded” as recording devices are not allowed in restrooms. I think she means recorded, like in official reports.

Here’s what I found out. You won’t find any on just a plain old Google search because most Blue States say the reason that they block the reports is “ to protect the rights and privacy of students”. But you can find all kinds of stuff about other children attacking transgender children in restrooms. The reason, they state is that is necessary to report those attacks in order to protect the right of transgender children to use the restroom of their choice and to prevent future attacks.. There doesn’t seem to be any real concern about protecting the rights of non-transgender children. No surprise there, to me. So, I went to an AI application called Gemini. The free part. You have to be very specific and at least have some knowledge that something happened in CA or Va, or elsewhere, or you can’t find any info on transgenders attacking anyone. However, there is no problem finding info about attacks on transgenders. When I asked AI about its double standard of privacy, it informed me that it could no longer help me and if I wanted more info to try one of its paid apps.

Now, explain to me that Google and its Gemini App are not loaded to be Liberal Bias. Oh, please, you know it is!

5/28/21 Stone Bridge HS Ashburn VA -17-year-old male student who identified as a girl attacked a girl in the girl’s restroom. School Board hides assault and transfers student to Broad Run high school. Two months later the transgender attacks another young female. HE is convicted of rape.

Wyoming fox news.com/us/ transgender-Wyoming. transgender attacks 10 year girl in bathroom 9/23 Martin Luther High School In Riverside CA, Transgender student beats up girl in girls bathroom.

3/23 Kenosha Wisconsin, Sun Prairie School District, Naked Transgender student gets into shower with 14-year-year old girls in locker-room after swim class.

The reports are out there, but they are very hard to find due to the privacy laws protecting transgender minors and liberal bias of news blocking. I found several but didn’t refer to any that didn’t show either/or an e-mail contact, dates, or some basic info. Yes, please do fact checks as Ms. Hull suggested.

Yep, Some of the least dangerous people in the world are just wanting to live their peaceful life’s.

Just, Watch your Back and oncoming Vehicles.

John Schuetze Bandera Texas

Especially when one claims to be an Independent when their articles continuely just bash Republicans, Conservatives, Maga and Trump. It’s got to be even harder, claiming to be Purple.

As far as the Washington Post is concerned, we all know it leans far left. So, it’s no surprise that she incorrectly stated that they show Trump has voiced lies 30,573 times. A typical Lib doesn’t always tell the full story. Actually, it is the total of his lies plus his misleading statements that equaled 30,573. One might try Statista. It ranks as Center-Non-Bias and shows 103 lies for Trump.

Now, as far as Health Care for Illegals.

The Working Families Tax Cut Act (WFTCA) that was signed into law, cut nearly 200 Billion of Health Care spending dollars for Illegal Immigrants and Non-Citizens. That was enough to fund Children’s Healthcare for 10 years. The Dems were demanding the repeal of this law for their vote as a condition of keeping the government open for four weeks. It also closed the loophole that allowed CA to fund Medicare for illegals, and five other funding programs covering illegals and non-citizens. So much for immediate fact checking for the truth by Democrats. They find what they want to find and don’t report what didn’t want to find.

The WFTCA Sections are: 71109-10,71117,71201,71301-02, if you are interested in the specific programs and dollars involved for each.

I haven’t met any Maga people who abhor or who get confused by fact checking. I have met Liberals who fact check and then only report those parts of the facts that fit their narrative.

I am sure the outcry has been thunderous from the Left for Trump grabbing the Drug Lord down in Venezuela who was also the Dictator of the Country.

I don’t recall such an outcry when Obama went into Pakistan and pinched Osama bin Laden and then had him dumped dead in the ocean. How about when he used a drone to kill an American citizen in Yemen or the 3 other Americans that got killed by one of the 452 drones that he authorized to be used without congressional authorization. Then you have JFK over in Cuba with the Russian missiles and the Bay of Pigs, Reagan down in El Salvador and Nicaragua and Daddy Bush in Panama. We don’t know about Biden because he was Persistent about Secrecy undermining Transparency.

Minnesota is a good example of massive public funding in a Blue State. Maybe Elon could have caught that mess sooner if the outcry to put the brakes on stopping waste wasn’t so loud. It was racist and starving the poor.

If someone creates false evidence against you, files false charges against you and wrongly changes laws in order to just charge you with a crime, Is it vindictive to seek charges against them?

Sooner or later all Presidents are accused of acting like a King, except maybe Jimmy Carter. Biden was so charged as early as 2022 for his overzealous use of executive orders. He tried canceling student loans; he shut down oil leases on public land. he refused to enforce immigration laws, and he tried to end title 42 for starters.

Being called “the garbage floating in the ocean” probably isn’t is as bad as being called “the enemy within”, but it’s close enough for me.

Two attempts on our Presidents life, Charlie Kirk, Brain Thompson, attacks on Government and Law Enforcement, Burning, Looting and Murder by Antifa and Left -wing groups and the Right is at fault?

If you want statistics on political violence from our government, it’s still there. It depends on where you look and what they call it. FBI.gov=Hate Crimes; Congress.gov=Domestic Terrorism; Justice.gov=Domestic Terrorism: all =Political Violence.

I don’t consider myself a servant to Donald Trump or anyone else for that matter and I haven’t met a Maga person that does either.

In my opinion it takes quite a bit of arrogance for an independent professional to refer to Conservatives as stupid people who easily lie.

If this is what DEI teaches, then I respectfully suggest that one might take their Psychology Degree out to their Horse Barn and use it to clean up.

John Schuetze Bandera, Texas

Lo-Rena Scott Tarpley, Texas

I have listed a few reputable sources for further study below. They all have very similar definitions of ‘fascism’. For example, the Cambridge dictionary says this: ‘a political system based on a very powerful leader, state control of social and economic life, and extreme pride in country and race, with no expression of political disagreement allowed’.

Several such systems have arisen in recent world history: Mussolini’s Italy; Franco’s Spain; and Hitler’s Germany lead the list, with other, lesser known regimes extending the list.

In my last letter, I gave some detail about my family’s views on fascism and our actions against it, and mentioned how several other generations of Americans have actively opposed such regimes on battlefields around the world.

So, we ‘antifascists’ are here to stay (in greater numbers than you might expect) and will continue to actively oppose fascism wherever it rears its ugly head. Are you a fascist or an antifascist?

Disclosure: Any resemblances between the fascist regimes mentioned above, and the current administration in DC are, sadly, real.

‘Proud to Serve’ and ready to serve again, if need be.

James MacMillan Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Ret) Vietnam combat veteran Antifascist

• merriam-webster.com/ dictionary/fascism

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Fascism

• education.cfr.org/learn/ learning-journey/whatdoes- fascism-really-mean/ what-is-fascism#:~:text= What%20does%20 fascism%20mean?

• britannica.com/topic/ fascism

• dictionary.cambridge. org/us/dictionary/ english/fascism

I read with interest the recent Guest Column written by Jodie Sinclair. After reading the column I’ve come to the conclusion that Jodie probably is not a communist, just misguided. Jodie brought up WWII, which is a good place to begin. Why did the German people decide to follow Hitler? The reason was Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment. He knew that if you told a lie enough times, it became a truth to most people. There was an effort to discourage free thought – immediately discount ideas that don’t fit the party line.

Like Jodie I was born in the late 1930s and remember the war effort with paper drives and all manner of things to help win in both the Pacific and in Europe. I remember sitting close to the radio to hear Gabriel Heatter tell us the events of WWII. We always hoped he would begin with his famous opening line: “There’s good news tonight.”

One of the things I was able to do as I got older was to visit several of the Nazi camp sites in Europe. I visited the site of the initial hostilities of WWII and the Danzig area as well as the Japanese city of Nagasaki where the last atomic bomb of WWII was dropped. Visiting these sites was both emotional, educational and inspiring. Between reading and travel I learned so much about human nature and man’s inhumanity toward man.

It appears that Jodie is opposed to what President Trump is doing – but to be fair, we should take a much broader view of history. Look back to the Obama and Biden presidencies and see what was happening then. One example of questionable conduct was when Hillary Clinton began her campaign for President, and the infamous meeting that took place in the oval office when Obama, Biden, Comey, Clapper and Brennan all approved a plan by the Clinton Campaign to fabricate a relationship between Trump and Russia, all to detract from the emerging scandal involving Clinton’s personal email server. If you are unsure if these facts are correct, John Brennan, the Director of the CIA took careful notes detailing it all – including the motivation. The country suffered with this bit of nasty for years. Then open borders, and the lies that the border was secure. And then there is so much more.

Not only look back, but also ahead – the Antisemitic wing of the Democrat party is as rabid as any true Nazi. You best watch those folks; they are playing with fire. At Dachau, Flossenbürg and other sites, I saw the terrible remnants of what antisemitism and hate can produce.

Biden directed Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice to target enemies of his Administration, resulting in multiple indictments against Trump, and his supporters – that wrongfully cost many people their life savings and their livelihood. For what? Jodie listed two things we must do. I would respectfully ask that Jodie add number 3 and 4: 3) Try to have a conversation with someone you disagree with, and try to see events from their perspective.

4) Become a true researcher and search out truth. Do not rely on only one source for information – read several newspapers, watch multiple TV and cable channels, travel as much as you can and talk to people about what is happening to them. Remember the old song: “Don’t believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see.”

Looking at the totality of the Obama/Biden and the Trump Administrations reflects a clear difference. Trump is America first/follow the Constitution and Obama/ Biden were America last, marginalize anyone that objects. When you compare, there is no comparison.

Steve Porter Bandera, TX Steve Porter is a graduate of Boerne High School, lived the American Dream, and did a bit of travel before he retired to Texas.

Usually, Dennis Allyn’s cartoons are thought-provoking and funny.

Not so the one on 19 November. He totally misread and misrepresented the protest at the Courthouse on 15 November.

His cartoon shows a protestor holding a sign that says: ‘America Sucks!’. Had he but read some of the signs actually held by the protestors, he might have realized that they were anything but anti-American. They were antifascist. Even the banner headline on the front page clearly described the protest.

My father fought in Europe against the fascists. My father-in-law fought there, too. My Uncle fought in North Africa against the forces of fascism. I served in Vietnam in opposition to a regime that also displayed several characteristics of fascism. More recent generations have fought in opposition to regimes that could easily fit within the fascist definition.

I’m obviously not an artist, but here is a ‘cartoon’ I’ve drawn expressing my opinion.

Other propositions passed would allow judges to deny bail to people accused of serious crimes and create a $3 billion dementia research fund.

“This legislative session, we delivered the conservative victories Texans demanded,” Gov. Greg Abbott wrote in a statement. “And this November, Texans showed up to enshrine them in the Texas Constitution.”

Nearly 3 million cast ballots statewide Texans showed up in record numbers for the offyear election Nov. 4. Unofficial statewide returns indicate nearly 3 million cast ballots – about 15% of all registered voters in the state, the Austin American- Statesman reported.

That appears to set a record for off-year election turnout in Texas, driven in part by key local issues in larger counties, such as Travis and Bexar.

The statewide leader in voter turnout was tiny Loving County on the Texas- New Mexico border, where more than half of the county’s 140 registered voters cast ballots.

Nelson fighting GOP lawsuit over closed primaries The state’s top election official is fighting a GOP lawsuit that seeks to restrict the state’s primaries to registered party members, the Texas Standard reported. Republican Secretary of State Jane Nelson in her filing said that decision should be left up to state lawmakers, not the courts.

She said that a court ruling now, with the March primaries just a few months away, would “confuse voters, unduly burden election administrators or otherwise sow chaos or distrust in the electoral process.”

The Texas Republican Party claims the state’s open primaries violate a constitutional right to freedom of association. Key Republicans, such as Attorney General Ken Paxton, complain Democratic and independent voters are casting ballots in Republican primaries to back more moderate candidates.

Closing Texas primaries would require overhauling the state’s voter-registration system, requiring changes in state law and taking years to implement, the Standard reported.

Lawmakers filed at least six bills in 2025 to close the primaries but all failed. Nelson said state legislators could take the issue back up in the 2027 session.

Texas sees significant increase in whooping cough The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting a steep increase in pertussis, or whooping cough, this year. Early data indicates Texas has had more than 3,500 reported pertussis cases through October, four times the number reported over the same period last year.

This is the second straight year the state has experienced high increases in pertussis cases, according to DSHS.

Pertussis can cause serious and possibly life-threatening complications in infants and young children who are not fully immunized. About one-third of babies younger than a year old who contract pertussis need to be hospitalized.

Pertussis is a highly contagious illness with early symptoms akin to the common cold. It can lead to extended coughing fits that can last for weeks or even months.

Texas to buy 54,000 acres for new state park The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission last week accepted a gift of a 54,000-acre ranch in the western Hill Country, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The Silver Lake Ranch, about 125 miles west of San Antonio, is being acquired from the Moody Foundation.

“We actually haven’t been using it for a long time,” Elle Moody, with the foundation, said in an interview before the formal vote by the parks commission. “But hopefully it will be in the near future for camping and paddling and mountain biking. So we’re really looking forward to opening it up to the wider public.”

The parcel, located in Kinney and Edwards counties, would be second in size only to Big Bend Ranch State Park, at 300,000 acres and purchased in 1988.

“This is exactly that kind of property that could really help expand or meet the demand for recreational opportunities on public land in Texas,” said Luke Metzger with Environment Texas. “I swear, that’s just some of the prettiest country I’ve ever seen in Texas. It’s just gorgeous out there.”

The money to purchase the ranch would come from the state’s new Centennial Parks Conservation Fund, established in 2023 when voters agreed to allocate $1 billion to create a dedicated revenue stream to increase the state’s parks inventory.

State exceeds 3 million registered businesses Texas has set a record high by exceeding 3 million registered businesses, Gov. Greg Abbott announced.

“This milestone shows the true strength of the Texas economy. Texas is the land of freedom and opportunity where businesses and workers can chart their own path to succeed and thrive,” he said.

The number of registered business entities in the state has more than doubled since 2015, when 1.4 million businesses were registered.

The total includes both businesses incorporated in Texas and out-of-state entities conducting business here. The largest classification is in-state, limited liability companies, or LLCs.

Major Texas airports see flight reductions during shutdown Four Texas airports will have the number of daily flights reduced by 10% by Nov. 14, as the government shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers, working without pay, increasingly call in sick or are otherwise absent.

Various news reports Monday indicated there may be a light at the end of the tunnel, with movement in the U.S. Senate signaling an end soon to the shutdown.

The Dallas Morning News reported the reduction at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport could mean 96 fewer flights a day, or more than 13,000 fewer seats. Dallas Love Field is seeing cuts of 20 flights a day, or roughly 3,000 seats.

In Houston, both Houston International Airport and William P. Hobby Airport also have seen flight reductions.

The airports have experienced major delays during the shutdown.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com

The government shutdown is now entering its second month. Democrats say they will not vote to reopen the government unless the subsidies are extended. Republicans say they will not consider extending the subsidies until federal workers start getting paid again.

Nearly 4 million Texans signed up for ACA coverage during the last enrollment period, a number that health experts predict will drop by as much as 1 million if the subsidies end.

Most people who choose ACA are not able to obtain employer-sponsored insurance – the most common method – or they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid.

The nonprofit health policy group KFF projects Texans who now receive the ACA subsidies will see their premiums rise by 115%, or $456 a year, if they are not extended.

Paxton sues Tylenol company over autism claims Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the makers of Tylenol, accusing Johnson and Johnson of failing to warn women about the potential risk of taking acetaminophen while pregnant, claiming it is a possible cause of autism.

The Texas Standard reported the lawsuit is the first of its kind from a state government. It comes a few weeks after U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discouraged pregnant women from taking the drug.

Paxton, who is running in the GOP primary against incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, said in a statement that “by holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.”

There are conflicting medical studies concerning the effects of acetaminophen on pregnant women. Brian Lee, a Drexel University epidemiologist who headed one of the largest studies, said that while more research is needed, “The needle is pointing strongly toward there being no causal effect of acetaminophen use during pregnancy on autism.”

Poll: Many residents oppose sending Texas soldiers to other states A poll released last week shows slightly more than half of Texans do not support Gov. Greg Abbott’s deployment of National Guard soldiers stationed in Texas to cities outside the state, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Politics Project found 51% oppose the deployment with 43% strongly opposed. Only 41% support the move, with 24% strongly supporting it.

Abbott last month agreed to send 200 Texas troops to Chicago at Trump’s request. However, a judge blocked that deployment, and the troops remain stationed outside the city.

‘Financial literacy’ class now required in high school Texas is now the 30th state to offer financial literacy classes, with a half-credit to be offered starting with the graduating class of 2029, according to The Dallas Morning News. The Texas Education Agency plans to send school districts a list of companies that will offer free curriculum.

John Pelletier, director of the Center for Financial Literacy in Vermont, says the extra classes address what he terms “financial fragility.” He notes lack of proper money management is a key reason only half of Americans could come up with $2,000 in an emergency.

He added the pandemic showed how unemployment levels could jump almost overnight, leaving people who have not saved or are in serious debt at greater risk of financial catastrophe.

Court: Texas judges not required to perform same-sex weddings In a comment added to the state’s judicial conduct code, the Texas Supreme Court said that Texas judges who decline to perform a wedding ceremony based on a “sincerely held religious belief” are not violating the state’s rules on judicial impartiality, keranews.

org reported.

This could have statewide implications for gay marriage and possibly play a role in a federal lawsuit attempting to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in 2015.

Texas Supreme Court clerk Blake Hawthorne said the court cannot comment on the rule change.

“The order speaks for itself, and the court cannot comment on its connection to pending litigation,” Hawthorne said.

Hundreds of ‘zombie’ wells found in single Texas county Researchers at the University of Houston have identified more than 600 non-operating oil wells in Reeves County — known as “zombie wells” — that are either leaking or are at high risk of doing so, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Two related problems – uncapped orphan wells and plugged wells that leak – pose a serious threat to Texas groundwater, as oil, salty wastewater and other fluids can contaminate aquifers.

With hundreds of thousands of wells across Texas, the potential for leaking wells is high, officials said. The researchers hope to pair machine learning – a subfield of artificial intelligence – with satellite imagery, wastewater-injection data and wellbore data to identify which wells pose the highest risks.

The Texas Railroad Commission announced last month the number of orphaned wells in Texas has increased by almost 1,400 this year, topping more than 10,000 for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com

At the July 4th floods, mental health teams were there. In the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting, they were there. Every single day, our mobile crisis outreach teams work side by side with police departments and sheriff’s offices, responding to some of the most vulnerable moments in people’s lives. When someone is in crisis, when families don’t know where to turn, when the emergency is invisible but no less urgent—these professionals are the ones who respond.

They are deployed to every disaster, large and small. They are the calm voice that talks someone back from the edge. They are the trained professional who knows that not every crisis requires handcuffs, but every crisis requires compassion. They bridge the gap between emergency response and long-term healing, understanding that trauma doesn’t end when the immediate danger passes.

First responders come in many forms. They wear badges and carry the tools of their trade. They drive patrol cars and unmarked sedans. They speak the language of de-escalation, trauma-informed care, and evidence-based intervention. Our mental health crisis teams are firefighters for the soul, paramedics for the psyche, and anchors of stability when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

Yet they remain the unsung heroes of our community. While their work is often conducted away from cameras and commendations, its impact reverberates through families, neighborhoods, and lives saved. They operate effectively because they must, quietly because that’s what the work demands, and tirelessly because our community needs them.

It’s time we expand our understanding of what it means to be a first responder. It’s time we acknowledge that mental health professionals don’t just support first responders; they are first responders. They deserve our recognition, our resources, and our respect.

The next time crisis strikes our community, remember: help arrives in many forms. And some of the most powerful responders carry no weapon other than expertise, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to seeing every person through their darkest hour.

Sincerely, Tod Citron Chief Executive Officer Hill Country MHDD Centers Kerrville Editor’s Note: This letter is in response to Susan Hull’s column in last week’s Bulletin.

Newspaper Headlines proclaim that the President has issued a “massive, sweeping, wide ranging” executive order on something or the other. But during the Biden Administration no one was hollering that such a “massive, sweeping, wide-ranging” Executive Order was issued by one man. Yes, all President’s, not just Republican are responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress. Not to make the laws, but to enforce them. At least, that’s what it says under Article II of the Constitution. Trump is not the first President to use his office to believe his office was invested with Kingly powers. Both President George W Bush and President Barack Obama used executive orders to grant themselves extraordinary powers to deal with terrorism. Lawmaking done by the President is a clear usurpation of the powers granted to Congress and the States.

Ms. Hull is correct about Congress setting a separation of powers in the Constitution. She is also correct that we conservatives would be concerned if Obama and Biden did things like Trump and would have a great outcry..

However, because most Democrats are probably not concerned or just never seem to remember, here are some Constitutional Violations by Clinton, Obama and Biden.

Chrysler Bailout, contravened bankruptcy laws favoring a junior creditor over secured ones Affordable Care Act-passed without direct congressional approval IRS Political Profiling Labor Board appointments during Congressional recess overturned by SCOTUS The weaking of sexual harassment allegations and free speech on College Campus Clean Power Plan was deemed EPA overreach by SCOTUS Waters of the US order was also ruled an overreach First Amendment Violation with the Net Neutrality Act (Internet) EPA’s Cap and Trade policy on carbon emissions was declared a violation because Congress had already refused to pass such a bill.

Obama declared: “We’re not just going to be waiting for legislation... I’ve got a pen. And I’ve got a phone, and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward” No, Left outrage with that little speech.

Clinton aide Paul Begala once boasted: Stroke of the pen, law of the land. Kind of cool.”

Yep, Cool with the Left. Trump: I have an Article II, where I have a right to do whatever I want as president.”

The Left has a STROKE!!! But that’s our weakness on the right, we don’t accept everything blindly as claimed and we do admit that our leaders can make mistakes and sometimes have a big mouth.

Then there are the little things like the Russian Hoax, collusion with Social Media Companies to limit Conservatives voices, hide damaging evidence during an election, false gov. reports to newspapers, destroying sim cards, smashing cell phones, bleaching computers, private servers for gov. computers, destroying e-mails, government records in cars and garages and pushing a Presidential candidate through with no primary election. Dangers to Democracy? Not if the Left does it.

The Left says the Right are racist, bigots, sexist, fascist, deplorable, floating garbage and a threat to democracy. That’s if we just disagree with them. Then they kill a Christian man who just tried to talk with them . They have tried to kill our current President, twice. They killed the first President from our party because of his stance on slavery. BS to their argument that the parties have switches beliefs. Remember Martha Vineyards. How can you support a party of Baby Killers, child mutilators, city Burners, Looters and Murders and law enforcement haters in the name of social justice?

As far as the Health Care issue is concerned, Both sides of the aisle speak between the lines. The reality of how people get health care doesn’t match either side’s portrayal.

Yes, The Federal Gov, prohibits the spending of taxpayer money to provide healthcare for illegal aliens. They are ineligible for federal health care plans including Medicaid and Medicare and Insurance plans under the Affordable Care marketplace. However, Federal Money will pick up the tab if they go to a hospital to get care. The Blue States and Cities even pass laws to give benefits to illegals. Give me a break, whose money are they using?

The extension of covid era subsides lowered premiums and lower qualifications to add other people to the plans. . Republicans in Congress claim the Pandemic is over and the extensions were too high, As for me, the Democrats can stay out of the Republican Primary.

Sources: CATO Institute Blog Article 11/01/23 about King Biden US Constutition.net

John Schuetze Bandera, Texas