MRT (free): 3 Remain Missing in Kerr County // Zerwas, Davis Named Lone Finalists for UT Chancellor, President // Special Session Begins // AFD Staffing Reduction?
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
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BY: @MattMackowiak
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TOP NEWS
“Number missing from Hill Country floods down to 3,” Texas Tribune's Ayden Runnels — “More than two weeks after catastrophic July Fourth floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, authorities reported Saturday that nearly all of the people who had remained on the list of missing persons have been verified as safe.
As recently as Monday, rescuers were still trying to find an estimated 101 people. But by Saturday, the official count of people missing had been lowered to three.
The officials did not give an update to the total number of people who died because of the floods. On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott said the statewide death toll was 135.
In a press release, the city of Kerrville wrote that many of the people missing had been located "through extensive follow-up work among state and local agencies."
“This remarkable progress reflects countless hours of coordinated search and rescue operations, careful investigative work, and an unwavering commitment to bringing clarity and hope to families during an unimaginably difficult time,” City Manager Dalton Rice said.
Still, officials said that local, state, national and international search teams are continuing to conduct recovery operations.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said during a commissioners court meeting Monday that the search for missing people could take up to six months, but setting a time estimate is also difficult.
“How long is it going to take? I mean, who knows?” Leitha said.
Abbott said Monday most of those still considered missing were people who did not check into hotels or campsites. Abbott said many of those people were added to the list of people who haven’t been located after friends and family reported them missing.
“Those who are missing on this list, most of them, were more difficult to identify because there was no record of them logging in anywhere,” Abbott said.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s top official, said during a county commissioners court meeting earlier Monday that local officials don’t know the exact number of how many visitors who traveled to the Guadalupe for the holiday weekend had been caught in the flood.
“We don’t know how many of them there are,” Kelly said. “Don’t be discouraged when you hear that number, we’re doing the very best we can, but it is an unknown at this point.”
On Saturday, Kelly said he was grateful for the rescuers who have worked tirelessly over the past two weeks.
"To every member of law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency management, and supporting agencies — thank you,” Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said. “Your dedication, professionalism, and compassion have brought comfort and answers to so many."
Recovery teams have been thoroughly scouring large debris piles for any people who were swept into the Guadalupe after it swelled in the pre-dawn hours July 4 following heavy rain. Those efforts were been hindered further by continued rain and flooding in areas already impacted by the initial floods, pausing searches across the Hill Country." Texas Tribune
“John Zerwas sole finalist for UT System chancellor; Jim Davis lone candidate for UT-Austin president,” Texas Tribune's Jessica Priest — “The University of Texas System Board of Regents named former Texas Republican lawmaker John Zerwas the sole finalist for the position of chancellor during a brief telephone meeting Monday.
They also named interim University of Texas at Austin President Jim Davis as a sole finalist for that job.
Rather than do a national search, regents said they would create a committee of faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members, along with the presidents of two other UT System schools, to offer the board advice and an evaluation of Davis.
“We're extremely excited about the process for these two gentlemen,” said Board Chair Kevin P. Eltife. “We think they'll do an outstanding job for UT System and the flagship, and we look forward to working with them.”
State law requires the board to wait 21 days before voting to confirm the appointments.
The UT System is undergoing a major leadership shake-up at a time of heightened political scrutiny of higher education. This year’s legislative session saw the passage of laws limiting faculty’s influence over curricula and hiring as well as restricting on-campus free speech.
Chancellor JB Milliken announced in May he was leaving to become president of the University of California. His departure prompted the appointment of Zerwas, then the system’s executive vice chancellor for health affairs, to take over the role.
Zerwas, who is a doctor, represented Fort Bend County in the Texas House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019. He spent part of that time as chair of the House Higher Education Committee.
The University of Texas System enrolls more than 256,000 students at its academic and health institutions across the state and has an annual operating budget of $30.9 billion, making it one of the largest public university systems in the U.S.
In January, UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell announced he was leaving to become the president of Southern Methodist University, a smaller, private university in Dallas." Texas Tribune
#TXLEGE
“Flooding tops agenda at Texas Legislature special session,” Dallas Morning News' Philip Jankowski — “Lawmakers had filed at least 15 bills related to the recent Hill Country floods as the Texas Legislature opened a special session Monday.
The bills include proposals to address building standards for youth camps located near some floodplains, emergency warning systems and creating a statewide real-time emergency communications platform.
The proposals come as a joint committee of House and Senate members will meet on Wednesday to take testimony on the floods in the first hearing since the July 4 flooding claimed the lives of at least 135 people, including 27 girls and counselors at Camp Mystic in Kerr County.
Gov. Greg Abbott has called on lawmakers to improve early warning systems, strengthen emergency communications, provide relief funding and streamline regulations related to responding to disasters.
Democrats have cried foul on the inclusion of redistricting on the special session agenda, which they said has the potential to upend the work on the floods.
“Homes remain damaged, families displaced and recovery efforts ongoing,” read a statement from the Senate Democratic Caucus. “We must be laser-focused on helping Texans rebuild – not on political maneuvering to save an unpopular president in the next election.”
Both the House and Senate have convened special committees to examine the flooding. They will hold their first meeting on Wednesday at the Capitol, in what is expected to be a lengthy hearing of testimony.
Next week, lawmakers will travel to Kerrville for a second hearing focused on gathering testimony from those affected by the floods.
Kerr County was hardest hit in the July 4 floods that swept through homes along the Guadalupe River. Local officials said three people remain missing as the recovery effort heads into its third week.
Abbott had initially signalled he would call a special session of the Legislature that appeared as if addressing hemp-derived THC would be the focus after he vetoed an all-out ban of the substance at the last minute.
Flooding jumped to the top of the list as Abbott and political leaders, including President Donald Trump, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz have toured the disaster zone.
Abbott and Trump have deflected on questions over whether more could have been done to save lives ahead of the floods.
Those questions might first be addressed during the upcoming hearings, which Abbott has suggested could take on an investigatory role." DMN ($)
“Texas GOP lawmakers lead summer sprint to redraw US House maps and address deadly floods,” AP's Nadia Lathan — “Texas Democrats showed up Monday for a special session but left open the possibility of walking out as a means to derail an unusual summer redrawing of U.S. House maps that would help protect Republicans’ slim majority in the 2026 elections.
President Donald Trump wants Republicans in the coming weeks to engineer as many as five more winnable congressional districts in Texas — a high-risk, high-reward redraw that would put them on better footing before the midterm elections, when the party of the incumbent president often loses House seats.
At the Texas Capitol, Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows gaveled in a 30-day session and appointed a committee to oversee what is already escalating into a contentious battle over the state’s voting maps. Democrats promised to fight the redraw but they are heavily outnumbered in the Texas Legislature, leaving them with few paths of resistance.
“Democrats are going to keep all options open and will do whatever is necessary to protect our communities,” said Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu of Houston, the House Democratic leader.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott added redistricting to a lengthy agenda he gave to lawmakers in ordering them back to the Texas Capitol. That list includes addressing Texas’ catastrophic floods that killed at least 135 people and has put Kerr County officials under scrutiny over why residents were not given more warning.
Abbott, a three-term governor, cited “constitutional concerns” brought by the Justice Department for redrawing the maps, which is typically done once every 10 years. The letter claims four districts in the Houston and Dallas metro areas, key Democratic strongholds, were racially gerrymandered the last time the maps were drawn in 2021.
During a debate to begin the redistricting process, Republican Sen. Phil King, who is chair of the committee, fielded queries from Democrats who questioned the purpose of creating new maps.
“The intent that we are here about today is to respond to the governor’s call that we take up congressional redistricting in this special session,” he said. “I have the highest level of confidence that we’re not going to pass a bill out of the committee or off this floor that violates the Voting Rights Act.”
Democratic party leaders on Monday identified filibusters or walking out — which would deny Republicans enough members for a quorum — as some of their limited options to block redistricting efforts, which they said will disenfranchise Democratic voters.
Texas Democrats in 2021 gridlocked the state Capitol for 38 days by refusing to come to work in protest of proposed voting restrictions. When they returned, the measure passed.
Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to arrest those who attempt to walk out on top of the $500 a day fines lawmakers face for breaking a quorum.
Andrew Mahaleris, an Abbott spokesperson, did not comment on redistricting in a statement Monday.
“While partisan activists focus solely on political issues, Governor Abbott is dedicated to delivering results on issues important to Texans, such as flood relief, property tax cuts, and the elimination of the STAAR test,” he said, referring to a standardized exam for Texas students.
There are some concerns that rigging the map too much, known as gerrymandering, could backfire on Republicans. If too many Democratic voters are sifted into Republican districts, it could make them more competitive than they otherwise would be.
The state is also tangled in litigation with civil rights groups who allege the maps were racially gerrymandered in 2021
Texas currently holds 38 seats in the House, of which 25 are held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats, while one seat remains vacant from the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner and will be filled in a special election later this year.
Ohio Republicans are also considering redrawing their House maps and California Gov. Gavin Newsom floated the idea of his state doing the same, although that authority rests with an independent commission, rather than the legislature, in the Democratic-controlled state." AP
“State Rep. Josey Garcia's husband charged with drug and weapons offenses,” San Antonio Express-News' Nancy M. Preyor-Johnson — “The husband of state Rep. Josey Garcia was arrested near San Antonio International Airport and charged with drug and weapons offenses.
Police pulled over Ramon Alberto Salcedo, 38, at 2:45 p.m. Friday in the 9700 block of Airport Boulevard, according to a preliminary incident report obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.
Officers “initiated a traffic stop for an observed traffic violation” and “located drugs, drug paraphernalia and a weapon inside” the vehicle, a black 2013 Lexus GS, the report states. It does not say what the traffic violation was.
Salcedo was charged with possession of a controlled substance between 4 and 400 grams, a second-degree felony; unlawfully carrying a weapon, a class A misdemeanor; possession of marijuana under two ounces; and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A judge set his bail at $18,500. Salcedo posted bond and was released.
In an interview with the Express-News, Garcia and Salcedo decried what they said was a wrongful arrest. They said officers recovered from the car a handgun registered to Garcia and prescription medication for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with Garcia's name on it, which was stored in her luggage. Garcia, an Air Force veteran with 20 years of service, said she takes the medication for PTSD.
“They're getting him on controlled substance, which is my prescription medication with my name on it, and he has the ID card with my name on it and two ID cards with his name and my name on it, because he's my military dependent,” Garcia said.
Garcia and Salcedo said the marijuana drug paraphernalia charge stems from the officers’ discovery of CBD products belonging to a nephew of theirs who is the owner of the Lexus. The products were legally purchased, they said.
Garcia, a Democrat, represents Texas House District 124 on San Antonio's West Side. After the catastrophic July 4 floods in Kerr County, she mobilized more than 600 veterans and volunteers to lead a grassroots relief operation.
Garcia has been in the field daily, organizing search and rescue efforts and delivering aid to flood-ravaged communities. She said that just before he was pulled over, her husband had dropped her off at the airport so she could pick up a rental car for use in the flood relief effort.
Garcia said her husband did not mention her name until officers found his state-issued spouse ID card, which bears her name, and asked him about it.
She said officers told her husband he was pulled over because he was driving a car with an expired registration. Garcia said the registration was valid, though the tag displayed on the vehicle was out of date. Garcia showed the Express-News receipts that she said indicated her nephew renewed the registration in January.
“It was a wrongful arrest,” she said.
Salcedo said he remained calm and cooperative but was denied the opportunity to call his wife and was handcuffed for a prolonged period in the heat.
Salcedo said he is an Army combat veteran and a Purple Heart recipient. He said it was the first time he had been arrested. He and Garcia have been married 10 years and have eight children.
As of Monday, Garcia said her firearm had not been returned.
“That strips me of my ability to protect myself,” she said. “As an elected official, I have had death threats. I have been physically accosted. And I can’t just go buy a new gun.”
The San Antonio Police Department declined to comment." SAEN ($)
STATE GOVERNMENT
“Texas Attorney General’s Office tells Bexar to ‘phase out’ court system,” San Antonio Express-News' Patrick Danner — “The Texas Attorney General’s Office encouraged Bexar County to ditch its embattled Presiding Court while rebuffing a request to provide legal representation in a Texas Supreme Court case challenging the system.
The county should “voluntarily phase out its rotating docket system before the Supreme Court of Texas compels you to act,” Austin Kinghorn, deputy attorney general for civil litigation, wrote in a June 17 letter obtained by the San Antonio Express-News. The “broken” system is unfair to litigants and judges, he added.
The Supreme Court is expected to amend judicial administration rules to replace the civil district courts’ system, which assigns pretrial hearings to different judges, with one that assigns each case to a particular judge to oversee from start to finish.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock in February asked the court’s advisory committee to study instituting a statewide requirement that each case be assigned to a particular judge. Most counties do it that way, but Bexar and Travis counties are the notable exceptions.
Blacklock’s request came after state District Court Judge Christine Hortick challenged Bexar’s Presiding Court system, which she has described as inefficient and costly even though it’s been in place for more than six decades.
Hortick attempted to opt out of the system last year, but her superiors — Judge Jacqueline “Jackie” Valdés, the local administrative judge, and Senior District Judge Sid Harle, who presides over the multicounty 4th Judicial Administrative Region — ordered her to remain in the system under the threat of being held in contempt.
Hortick complied with their directive but is challenging their order. Her case is before the Supreme Court after the 4th Court of Appeals denied her bid to leave the Presiding Court system.
In a May 23 email to the attorney general’s office, Oscar Leos, general administrative counsel for Bexar’s juvenile district courts, asked the office whether it would represent Valdés in Hortick’s case.
Kinghorn, the deputy attorney general for civil litigation, replied that the office “cannot in good faith defend” the county.
The rotating docket systems — also referred to as central-docketing systems — “lead to inconsistent rulings and jurists unfamiliar with the cases before them,” Kinghorn sad in the letter. Judges presiding over a hearing often have not had the opportunity to read the pleadings in advance and are “sometimes unprepared to substantively engage with the issue before their court.
“The constant rotation of cases — some months or even years old — leaves well-meaning jurists scrambling to learn what a case is about, understand the underlying claims, and analyze the history of prior decisions from other judges in a desperate hope to make a fair and consistent ruling,” Kinghorn added.
He also said the county’s Presiding Court system “violates the law” and creates significant difficulty for the lay public to navigate.
Valdés declined to respond to Kinghorn’s letter Monday but said she is working with her general counsel on submitting a response in Hortick’s case by July 28, as the Supreme Court has requested.
Ten of Bexar’s 14 civil District Court judges signed a resolution July 3 supporting the Presiding Court system.
Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, who served 26 years as a state District Court judge, said this month that dismantling the system will cost the county from $4 million to $9 million. That includes the cost of new courts and new personnel. He called it an “unfunded mandate” that will have to be paid for by local taxpayers. Hortick has said she believes the figures are inflated.
On July 8, Bexar County commissioners unanimously approved a motion related to possible replacement of the central-docketing system. The motion wasn’t spelled out, but Sakai said it allows him to consult with an attorney “to assess the legal position of the county.”
He had not consulted with an attorney as of Monday morning, a spokesman said." SAEN ($)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
“Austin firefighters sound alarm over proposed staffing reduction,” Houston Chronicle's John Lomax V — “Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo plans to ask commissioners to approve a small tax hike to support the county’s early childcare programs.
If approved, the proposed increase would go before voters as a ballot initiative in November. The "penny tax" would add roughly $10 in property taxes for every $100,000 in assessed value, Hidalgo told the Houston Chronicle.
“The proposal is a penny tax on the ballot in November to be able to continue and expand three specific programs on early childhood education,” Hidalgo said. “Within all of these, there's special attention given to kids who are homeless, kids who are in foster care, or those who are victims of domestic violence ... The sense is that if there's a good investment, it's this one.”
Among the initiatives is the Early Raising Educational Access for Children in Harris County program, or Early REACH, which provides free childcare for children ages 4 and under. The proposed hike would also fund a program aimed at improving the quality of early education county-wide, and one that provides summer camp programming.
The proposal came amid concerns over the county’s expected $270 million budget deficit for the coming fiscal year. Initially projected to be around $130 million, the deficit ballooned to more than twice that number following commissioners’ commitment to raise county law enforcement’s compensation to match that of the Houston Police Department.
The City of Houston in May approved raises for its more than 5,000 police officers, which sparked fears of a mass exodus from county law enforcement agencies, such as the sheriff’s office and eight constable precincts, if Harris County did not match the newly set pay scale.
Commissioners Court created Early REACH in 2022 and launched the program in June of the following year with around $26 million in COVID-era relief funds. The program, according to its website, was intended to create a “new approach to funding child care” and provide some fiscal relief for centers impacted by the pandemic.
“Our investment in early childhood was the largest investment of American Rescue Plan Act dollars of any county or city in the country ... That money all runs out at the end of next year,” Hidalgo said. “If we don't find a way to fund these programs this year, we'll be forced to end them.”
Early REACH functions by contracting directly with daycares and preschools to subsidize funding for qualified families. The program provided free childcare to around 800 children and has since reached its funding capacity, according to its website.
The proposed tax increase will generate roughly $60 million, which Hidalgo said will fund the county's trio of childcare initiatives and provide room for expansion.
Early childcare is something that’s not normally under the purview of county government, which primarily deals with infrastructure and budgetary concerns.
A spokesperson for then-Commissioner Jack Cagle, a Republican whose seat was flipped in 2022 by Commissioner Lesley Briones, said in June of 2022 that he did not believe childcare was a “proper function of county government.”
But it’s not entirely without precedent. Voters in Travis County approved a similar tax hike in November to support access to affordable child care and similar programs for low-income families.
Officials lauded the Austin-area program as a bold first step toward providing support to families and at-risk children. Travis County Judge Andy Brown told the Austin Monitor the program set “a precedent for meaningful support to working families and the economic health of our community.”
"The brain development of kids in those ages is so huge, is so important," Hidalgo said. "It also lets folks go to work, who need to, who want to, and it produces better equipped workforce from these kids who are now going to have better outcomes."
Although Hidalgo appears eager to follow in Travis County’s footsteps, members of Commissioners Court were less willing to throw their support behind the proposed tax increase.
Hidalgo initially announced the proposal in an interview on ABC 13, which Commissioners Briones, Adrian Garcia and Tom Ramsey all said was the first they’d heard of it. Ramsey criticized the move as a “titanic tax” in a post made to X shortly after the interview aired.
“We're already over budget for 2026 by hundreds of millions of dollars and we haven't even begun discussing how to address that,” Ramsey said. “Now comes a surprise announcement from Judge Lina Hidalgo that she wants to raise taxes AGAIN.”" Hou Chron ($)
“Austin firefighters sound alarm over proposed staffing reduction,” Austin American-Statesman's Alex Driggars — “As city administrators consider changes to the Austin Fire Department’s staffing model to save money during a period of unprecedented financial strain, leaders of Austin’s firefighters union are making the organization’s position unequivocally clear.
Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax and Fire Chief Joel Baker have proposed cutting staffing on many AFD engines and other units from four firefighters per vehicle to three. The move would significantly reduce overtime spending and save an estimated $8.3 million in the coming fiscal year, according to the proposed 2025-26 budget Broadnax presented last week to the City Council.
But Bob Nicks, president of the Austin Firefighters Association, called the proposal “reckless” in a news conference and rally Monday outside City Hall. (Nearly all Fire Department employees are members of the association.)
“Firefighter staffing is the last thing we cut in a tough budget, not the first,” Nicks said, standing at a podium in front of at least 100 firefighters and their family members who attended the rally. Nicks and other speakers — including Edward Kelly, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters — warned that a staffing reduction could endanger the lives of both firefighters and Austinites.
“If we lose an Austin firefighter in the line of duty because decision-makers in this city decided to reduce staffing, let me be the first to tell you: Stick your thoughts and prayers up your ass,” Kelly said in a thick Boston accent.
The proposal comes as the City Council works to address a significant budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year and considers holding a possible tax-rate election in November.
The staffing change would require the 11-member body to roll back a 2018 ordinance that mandates four firefighters on each apparatus. It’s not yet clear if a majority of council members would support such a move, but three members — Marc Duchen, Paige Ellis and Vanessa Fuentes — joined the fire union at its Monday rally in an apparent show of solidarity.
Baker has defended the proposed staffing reduction, arguing the change would not have a negative effect on public safety. Because of the number of units the Fire Department dispatches to critical incidents, the total number of personnel responding to a scene would remain above the industry-standard threshold, Baker said. The chief also framed the cuts as a preferable alternative to more drastic measures, including closing fire stations.
“It’s either temporarily do a staffing model reduction or blackout or brownout stations, which is not the answer,” Baker said during a City Council work session Tuesday.
The pushback comes as the firefighters union kicks off negotiations with the city on a new labor contract — and days after association members overwhelmingly approved a vote of no-confidence in Baker.
The vote stemmed from allegations that Baker withheld help from Kerr County during the floods that devastated Central Texas and the Hill Country beginning July 4. Nicks previously told the American-Statesman that Baker had ordered a pause on all mutual-aid deployments in order to save money — and that lives were likely lost in the Hill Country as a result of that decision." AAS ($)
2026
“GOP Army veteran announces challenge to Democrat Vicente Gonzalez in South Texas congressional district,” Texas Tribune's Gabby Birenbaum -- "Eric Flores, a Republican Army veteran and lawyer from Mission, announced Monday he is running for Texas’ 34th Congressional District, targeting Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen in a swing seat carried by President Donald Trump last year.
Gonzalez won the district, situated on the Gulf Coast and stretching from Brownsville toward Corpus Christi, by nearly 3 percentage points — the closest margin of Texas’ 38 congressional districts last November. It is one of just 13 House districts nationwide that elected a Democrat while being carried by Trump, making Gonzalez a top target for Republicans as they look to maintain their slim House majority in 2026.
The prospect of Flores’ candidacy has excited Republicans in Texas and Washington, due in part to his military and law enforcement credentials. Flores is a Rio Grande Valley native and Spanish speaker in a district that is over 90% Hispanic.
He has held numerous public positions in South Texas, serving as a city attorney and municipal judge in Alton before a stint as assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Texas’ criminal division in McAllen from 2021 to the beginning of this year. There, he prosecuted transnational human smuggling along the border — an issue he hopes to raise in the election.
“I was prosecuting at a time when there were thousands and thousands of undocumented aliens coming into the U.S.,” Flores said in an interview. “They're here unlawfully, and [we were] just, quite frankly, letting them in. It's policies like that that I want to go to D.C. and change.”
But Flores is not as hardline as some members of his party. He said he wants to push for immigration policy that makes sense for a region that has struggled with labor shortages, especially as the Trump administration’s immigration raids targeting undocumented workers have ramped up.
“Something that I'm going to be championing in D.C. is to ensure — especially [for] our farmers, for our boat manufacturers, for our steel mills that we have down here — that they have the workers that they need, having an efficient legal process for that,” he said.
Though the district has shifted rightward in recent elections, Republicans have been unable to replicate their success down the ballot. Democratic Senate nominee Colin Allred won the district by 6 percentage points in 2024, and Gonzalez, a moderate who has represented South Texas since 2017, has proven difficult to beat. He defeated Republican Mayra Flores in 2022 and in 2024 by single-digit margins.
Mayra Flores, who is not related to Eric, has since announced a 2026 run in the nearby district of Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.
The boundaries of the 34th Congressional District, and others in the Rio Grande Valley, could be changed as Texas Republicans move to redraw the state’s political lines in a special session that began Monday. South Texas — where Republicans have rapidly improved their margins with Hispanic voters — is a key area the GOP is targeting to flip seats, and the 34th District could be redrawn to include more Republican voters and become a friendlier seat for whoever captures the GOP nomination.
In a statement to The Texas Tribune, Gonzalez suggested that his old opponent could still end up running in his district — and pledged to beat either candidate.
“If Mayra comes back, she will be mopping the floor with him and every other Republican primary candidate,” Gonzalez said. “So [Eric] needs to get in line before he gets to the general election. If our district doesn’t move too much, we’ll kick his or anyone else’s ass, just as we have the 19 candidates before.”" Texas Tribune
BUSINESS NEWS
“Chevron gets go ahead for $53B Hess deal, and access to one of the biggest oil finds this decade,” AP's Michelle Chapman -- "Chevron has scored a critical ruling in Paris that has given it the go-ahead for a $53 billion acquisition of Hess and access to one of the biggest oil finds of the decade.
Chevron said Friday that it completed its acquisition of Hess shortly after the ruling from the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Exxon had challenged Chevron’s bid for Hess, one of three companies with access to the massive Stabroek Block oil field off the coast of Guyana.
“We disagree with the ICC panel’s interpretation but respect the arbitration and dispute resolution process,” Exxon Mobil said in a statement on Friday.
Guyana is a country of 791,000 people that is poised to become the world’s fourth-largest offshore oil producer, placing it ahead of Qatar, the United States, Mexico and Norway. It has become a major producer in recent years.
Oil giants Exxon Mobil, China’s CNOOC, and Hess squared off in a heated competition for highly lucrative oil fields in northern South America.
With Chevron getting the green light on Friday, it is now one of the major players in the Stabroek.
“We are proud of everyone at Hess for building one of the industry’s best growth portfolios including Guyana, the world’s largest oil discovery in the last 10 years, and the Bakken shale, where we are a leading oil and gas producer,” former Hess CEO John Hess said in a statement. “The strategic combination of Chevron and Hess creates a premier energy company positioned for the future.”
Chevron also said that on Thursday the Federal Trade Commission lifted its earlier restriction, clearing the way for John Hess to join its board of directors, subject to board approval.
Chevron announced its deal for Hess in October 2023, less than two weeks after Exxon Mobil said that it would acquire Pioneer Natural Resources for about $60 billion.
Chevron said at the time that the acquisition of Hess would add a major oil field in Guyana as well as shale properties in the Bakken Formation in North Dakota.
“Given the significant value we’ve created in the development of the Guyana resource, we believed we had a clear duty to our investors to consider our preemption rights to protect the value we created through our innovation and hard work at a time when no one knew just how successful this venture would become,” Exxon Mobil said Friday. “We welcome Chevron to the venture and look forward to continued industry-leading performance and value creation in Guyana for all parties involved.”
Chevron’s stock rose more than 3% before the market open, while shares of Hess surged more than 7%. Exxon’s stock climbed slightly." AP
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> TX TRIB: "The Texas Legislature is back for a special session. Here’s what we’re watching." TX TRIB
> HOU CHRON: "What the 'big, beautiful bill' means for health coverage, hospitals and Medicaid in Texas" HOU CHRON
> AAS: "When power picks the people: How redistricting in Texas works" AAS
> HOU CHRON: "Who's running for HISD school board trustee? Here's a list of candidates." HOU CHRON
> AAS: "Travis County secures federal flood aid, expands local disaster order" AAS
> TPR: "San Antonio braces for possible move of Army North and Army South away from JBSA Fort Sam Houston" TPR
> TX TRIB: "Better testing, less vaccine messaging among lessons learned from historic Texas measles outbreak" TX TRIB
> HOU CHRON: "Eastbound lanes of I-10 reopened after pedestrian was killed in crash near East Loop" HOU CHRON
> DMN: "UIL discusses playoff format, possibility of adding Class 7A at THSCA coaching school" DMN
> SAEN: "Texas man arrested after newborn grandchild found in Walmart trash can" SAEN
> DMN: "2 arrested after speeding car crashes, hits 3 people near Fort Worth bus stop" DMN
EXTRA POINTS
Recent Texas sports schedule:
Fri
> MLB: Texas 2, Detroit 0
> MLB: Seattle 6, Houston 1
Sat
> MLB: Detroit at Texas
> MLS: Dallas 3, St. Louis 0
> MLS: Philadelphia 1, Houston 1
> MLB: Houston at Seattle
Sun
> MLB: Texas 4, Detroit 1
> MLB: Seattle 7, Houston 6
Today's Texas sports schedule:
> 7:05pm: MLB: Oakland at Texas
> 8:40pm: MLB: Houston at Arizona
Tomorrow's Texas sports schedule:
> 7:05pm: MLB: Detroit at Texas
> 8:40pm: MLB: Houston at Arizona
> 9pm: WNBA: Dallas at Seattle
DALLAS COWBOYS: "Jerry Jones says he’ll remain as Cowboys GM and ‘nothing new’ in Micah Parsons contract talks" AP
HOUSTON TEXANS: "As Houston Texans begin camp, projecting which players will make the team and which won't" Hou Chron ($)
TEXAS FOOTBALL: "Derrek Cooper, 5-star RB, commits to Texas football, Steve Sarkisian" AAS ($)
TEXAS RANGERS: "Texas Rangers put reliever Chris Martin on IL and bring 3B Josh Jung back" AP
TEXAS RANGERS: "How Chris Martin’s extended absence impacts the Texas Rangers’ trade deadline plans" DMN ($)
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: "Chris Paul returns to Clippers for what’s expected to be his 21st and final NBA season" AP
MLS ALL STAR GAME: "MLS All-Star Game: Austin FC's Estévez, Stuver relishing opportunity" AAS ($)