MRT 8/27-28/25 (free): Map Lawsuit to Be Heard Oct. 1-10 // Uvalde ISD Admits Release Error // MN Killer Promotes Herrera // Tex in for CD-21 // Musk Seeks Contract to Build Houston Tunnels

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WEDNESDAY | 8/27/2025 & THURSDAY | 8/28/2025

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• TOP NEWS  

“October hearing set on legality of new Texas congressional boundaries,” Dallas Morning News' Gromer Jeffers, Jr. -- "​A federal judicial panel will hear arguments beginning Oct. 1 for an injunction against the implementation of new congressional boundaries approved by the Texas Legislature.

According to three lawyers who were in the El Paso courtroom Wednesday when judges made the decision, the hearing on the congressional boundaries will take place from Oct. 1-10 in El Paso. That would allow enough time for the three-judge panel to make a decision on whether the maps are legal or violate the federal Voting Rights Act before the December filing deadline for the 2026 elections.

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A written order is expected to be released Thursday morning, the lawyers said.

“They came up with the best time under the circumstances,” said Gary Bledsoe, the president of the Texas NAACP and one of the group’s lawyers. Bledsoe is also a lawyer for U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas.

“We think this is a case where the racial bias is just overt,” Bledsoe said before getting on a flight back to Austin.

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A 67-page complaint, filed hours after the map was approved by the Legislature, argues that the redistricting plan is discriminatory.

State Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Prosper and chairman of the House Elections Committee, said 2026 candidates would likely run under the new boundaries.

“I have a high level of confidence that after further review the maps passed by the Texas Legislature will stand,” Shaheen said.

The new map, approved this month by the Legislature, will reconfigure Texas’ congressional districts in an effort to turn five of them to Republican control from Democrat control. The redistricting was requested by President Donald Trump in an effort to shore up his Republican majority in Congress heading into the 2026 mid-term elections.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said he plans to sign the bill into law.

Bledsoe said Trump’s request that Texas embark on mid-decade redistricting will be the center of the plaintiff’s case.

“Trump’s letter will be exhibit No. 1,” he said.

The El Paso federal panel also held a trial in May over whether the 2021 legislative maps passed by the Texas Legislature are legal. It has yet to issue a ruling." DMN ($)

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“Uvalde school didn’t release most of its shooting-related documents but says it was a mistake,” AP's Juan A. Lozano -- "​The Uvalde school district released only a small fraction of the documents it said would be made public regarding the 2022 Robb Elementary School massacre, with district officials in the small Texas town saying this week it was an honest mistake that they were fixing.

The mix-up was revealed during an Uvalde school board meeting on Monday when the attorney for the district said his law firm mistakenly failed to make public all documents as had been promised in a legal settlement. He blamed it on “reasons that are our firm’s business, but it is our error.”

“We are not in any way trying to hide anything. We are not in any way trying to not release things,” attorney Robb Decker said.

Earlier this month, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District released more than 3,500 pages following years of litigation. The school district had sought to withhold documents connected to the attack that killed 19 students and two teachers, one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. The school board had voted in July to release all the district’s records and end the lawsuit pursued by media organizations to make the information public.

The botched release was another misstep for district leaders who have been criticized for fighting the lawsuit and not making this information public sooner.

School district members on Monday regretted having to again apologize to family members of the victims and the community for an error following the shooting. The school district’s police and other law enforcement agencies have also been heavily scrutinized for their delayed response as terrified students inside a classroom called 911 and parents begged officers to go in.

Family members including Jesse Rizo, the uncle of 9-year-old victim Jackie Cazares and a member of the school board, were among those pushing to see the records.

“There’s no excuse for that sir,” Rizo said. “You can call it a mistake, you can call it an error. It’s a costly error, a very costly error.”

This week’s revelation means that around nine of every 10 records and emails were not released on Aug. 11, when the school board had said it had made public all its records. Board members said about 26,000 more pages of documents and 8,600 more emails were expected to be released. More than 3,400 pages of the withheld documents were released as of Wednesday. Decker said all would be made available to the public by next week.

Still, many of the documents released by Wednesday offered few new revelations." AP

• #TXLEGE

“Bill to let AG prosecute election crimes heads to Abbott, but is it legal?” Dallas Morning News' Gromer Jeffers, Jr. -- "A bill that would allow the attorney general to prosecute Texas election fraud cases is headed for Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk, but it’s unclear whether the proposed law is constitutional.

The legislation, approved by the House on Tuesday, would bypass restrictions in the Texas Constitution on the attorney general’s ability to prosecute voter fraud cases. The power to prosecute such cases belongs to local district attorneys, a policy that was upheld four years ago when the all-Republican Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the attorney general’s office could not unilaterally prosecute cases involving voter fraud or other election-related crimes.

The court pointed to the separation of powers clause in the state constitution as the reason the attorney general’s office could not prosecute election law crimes.

The legislation, approved Tuesday in the House by an 85-54 vote, was accompanied by a resolution that would put to voters the question of whether to change the state constitution to allow the attorney general such powers. But that resolution did not get the 100 votes needed for approval.

State Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano and chairman of the House Elections Committee said the bill by itself meets the objective of changing the law even without the needed supermajority on the resolution. Shaheen authored the House legislation, which was identical to the Senate bill the House approved.

Shaheen said changing the Election Code to give the attorney general the power to prosecute election-related crimes was constitutional. Under Texas law, local district attorneys have the power to prosecute election crimes. The attorney general’s office can be involved but only with the invitation of a district attorney.

Shaheen said the bill “replaces permissive language stating that the attorney general may prosecute with the mandatory language affirming that the attorney general has jurisdiction to prosecute.” Specifically, language in the code changes from “may” to “shall,” Shaheen said.

If constitutional, the change would flip the authority of prosecuting election law crimes from local district attorneys to the attorney general.

“By passing SB-12, the legislature ensures that Texas election laws are fully enforceable and that the criminal violations can be prosecuted,” Shaheen said. “This legislation strengthens public confidence in Texas elections and safeguards the integrity of our democratic process.”

The law falls short, however, of what Abbott outlined when he included the matter in special session agendas.

In his proclamation for the special sessions, Abbott asked lawmakers to consider “legislation proposing a constitutional amendment allowing the Attorney General to prosecute state election crimes.”

A spokesperson for the governor declined to comment on the matter Tuesday. Shaheen said he was confident Abbott would sign the legislation.

Democrats blasted the bill as unconstitutional and unnecessary.

State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, said “our constitution wisely gave the keys to local prosecutors.”

“This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s a political philosophy issue,” Moody said. “It’s something we need to take a long-term view on, because there’s a jail cell at the end of that road.”

Attorney Ken Paxton has long sought the power to prosecute election law cases. In 2024, he campaigned against three Court of Criminal Appeals judges who ruled that his office didn’t have the power to prosecute election fraud. They lost reelection bids.

Paxton is running in the 2026 Republican Senate primary against incumbent John Cornyn, so he would be in the attorney general’s office in the first year of the proposed law. It would then be used by future attorneys general." DMN ($)

“Harris County constables, sheriffs could contract with HOAs without commissioners’ OK under bill heading to Abbott,” Texas Tribune's Alex Nguyen -- "Two bills that focus solely on Harris County law enforcement agencies’ contracting and funding advanced to the governor’s desk, two days after being added to the second special session’s agenda.

Currently, sheriffs and constables in Harris County can contract with homeowner associations, school districts and municipal utility districts to provide additional policing for them. Both the county and contracting groups have to sign off on the contract, and they split portions of the cost depending on the amount of time the deputies spend in the area.

The more prominent of the two proposals, House Bill 26, would allow these law enforcement agencies to enter into such contracts without the need for approval from the county’s commissioners court. Meanwhile, House Bill 192 would require the county to seek voter approval if it adopts a budget that reallocates unspent funding that was appropriated for law enforcement agencies or moves funding previously appropriated for a specific law enforcement position to another agency.

State Rep. Tom Oliverson, the Cypress Republican who carried both bills, and his backers said they are about protecting law enforcement including this popular deputy contract program.

Their critics, however, said the legislation would upend the county government’s checks and balances, as well as harm taxpayers.

“You already pay your taxes for a constable to patrol your neighborhoods. But now they want to go and bid a contract with your HOAs, to pay them, to contract with them, to patrol your neighborhood more often,” state Rep. Charlene Ward Johnson, D-Houston, said during a Texas House hearing about HB 26 on Wednesday. “That’s double taxation.”

The House then cleared HB 26 with a 88-49 vote and HB 192 with a 89-48 vote early Wednesday afternoon. Hours later, the Texas Senate voted 21-5 to approve both bills. These proposals now head to the governor’s desk.

The votes came two days after Gov. Greg Abbott added the items to the second special session’s agenda on Monday, saying that the legislation would improve public safety. Oliverson quickly thanked the governor in a post on X for “protecting neighborhood law enforcement contracts for the vast majority of unincorporated Harris County and ISD’s that depend on them.”

Oliverson said the legislation is needed because the deputy contract program is under attack, despite its popularity and importance to unincorporated areas. The county also discussed earlier this month raising the contract’s costs for some groups in order to help cover constable pay raises, the Houston Chronicle reported.

“Unfortunately, there’s a lot of friction going on between the law enforcement departments and Commissioners Court with regards to the terms and conditions of those contracts,” Oliverson said during a House committee hearing for HB 26 on Aug. 22.

The committee then heard testimony from Tom Ramsey, a Harris County commissioner who spoke about the importance of such a program to maintain public safety and growth in his precinct, which covers most of the county’s unincorporated areas. It also received signed letters from all eight Harris County constables that show their bipartisan support for a proposal that would “remove [the program] from the threat of any volatile partisan whims of our Commissioners Court.”

“Us going and negotiating directly with some of those neighborhoods that have been sorely overlooked all these years is going to be a great thing if this bill passes,” Constable Alan Rosen, a Democrat, added in his testimony.

Some Harris County commissioners, however, told the Texas Tribune that they oppose the proposals.

Commissioner Rodney Ellis called the legislation part of the state’s “ongoing war on local government,” while Commissioner Adrian Garcia said the bills could create difficulties for maintaining other public safety initiatives and stressed that public safety shouldn’t be about who can pay extra.

Garcia also warned that the proposed shift of control over the contracts could “cripple the county budget process.”

“How are the 5 members of Commissioners Court expected to set a budget when in the middle of a fiscal year, 9 other independently elected officials could effectively set the whole county’s budget because of these contracts,” he said in a statement. “On a governance perspective, this legislation would be a budget killer.”

The Tribune also reached out to the offices of Commissioner Lesley Briones and County Judge Lina Hidalgo, but didn’t receive comments.

Meanwhile, some officials from other parts of Texas are already wary about the precedent that these proposals could set. They said state lawmakers could come back in future legislative sessions and add counties with fewer than 3.3 million people — the bills’ current threshold, which limits them to just Harris County.

“We defend, we don’t defund,” Rick Bailey, a Johnson County commissioner, told the Tribune. He registered against HB 26 but didn’t testify. “But this has the potential to have some really negative effects on county budgets and local taxpayers.”

Oliverson didn’t respond to the criticism posed on the House floor on Wednesday. His office also didn’t provide a comment in response to requests from the Tribune." Hou Chron ($)

• 2026

“Minneapolis gunman appears to promote “Brandon Herrera for president” in video posted before shooting,” Houston Chronicle's James Osborne -- "A person who appears to be the shooter who killed two and injured 17 at a Minneapolis church Wednesday praised Texas congressional candidate and gun activist Brandon Herrera in a video posted before the shooting.

The shooter, identified by law enforcement as Robin Westman, 23, opened fire during a children’s Mass at Annunciation Catholic School. In a since-deleted video posted to YouTube, a person believed to be Westman films their arsenal of weapons and ammunition, along with a written manifesto, and says the message is “sponsored” by “Brandon Herrera for president,” before saying they met Herrera at SHOT Show last year.

SHOT Show is an annual gun trade show in Las Vegas. Herrera, who at the time was running in a Republican primary in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District against Rep. Tony Gonzales, hosted a campaign event there in 2024 and discussed his visit on his YouTube page. After losing to Gonzales in a runoff by fewer than 400 votes last year, Herrera is challenging the San Antonio congressman again this cycle.

“He and I had a conversation, a brief conversation,” the user believed to be Westman says in the video, which was posted by PatriotTakes, a left-wing research account. “We agreed on a lot of things. So, y’all should vote for Brandon Herrera for president.”

In an X post, Herrera said he does not remember meeting Westman at SHOT Show but said he would be happy to answer questions from law enforcement. He added that he is coordinating with friends in law enforcement to help victims’ families.

“I'm still physically sickened and angry about this clearly hate motivated attack on innocent children, and disgusted that my name came out of this demon's mouth,” Herrera wrote.

Mark Oliva, a spokesperson for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which operates SHOT Show, told Fox News Digital that the shooter's name was not among the registered attendees at the 2024 event or for prior years.

Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that the shooter had timed the release of a manifesto on YouTube, but Minnesota law enforcement have not yet verified that the specific YouTube video mentioning Herrera was posted by the shooter.

The poster goes on to apologize to their family and ends by saying, “F–k those kids.” The person in the video also wrote racist slurs, tributes to domestic terrorists and threats against President Donald Trump on his ammunition magazines and gear.

In a post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the shooter had written ‘Kill Donald Trump’ and other disturbing messages on a rifle magazine, referencing details shown in the same video that included the shooter’s comments about Herrera.

A popular gun rights YouTuber with over 4 million subscribers known as “the AK guy,” Herrera criticized Gonzales, one of Congress’ more moderate Republicans, for supporting a gun safety bill that expanded background checks in the wake of the 2023 Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, which is in the district.

Gonzales, who co-chairs the Bipartisan School Safety and Security Caucus, has made school safety one of his signature issues in Congress. Through a spokesperson, he declined to comment on the alleged shooter’s support for Herrera.

In a social media post, Gonzales called the shooting “tragic and infuriating.”

“School security needs to be a top priority for lawmakers across the nation,” he wrote. “Too many lives have been lost. No more excuses.”" Texas Tribune

“Mark Teixeira, former MLB All Star, kicks off Texas House campaign,” Politico's Gregory Svirnovskiy -- "Baseball star Mark Teixeira launched a campaign to fill an open Texas House seat Thursday, the latest celebrity athlete to dive into politics.

Teixeira is running as a Republican in a safe red seat being vacated by GOP Rep. Chip Roy. And he’s already appealing to President Donald Trump in search of a home run on the campaign trail.

“As a lifelong conservative who loves this country, I’m running for Congress to fight for the principles that make Texas and America great,” he wrote in a post on X. “It takes teamwork to win — I’m ready to help defend President Trump’s America First agenda, Texas families, and individual liberty.”" Politico

• LOCAL GOVERNMENT

“Dallas property tax rate still up for discussion as council members look for wiggle room,” Dallas Morning News' Everton Bailey, Jr. -- "For the 10th straight year, the Dallas City Council is considering lowering the property tax rate — even though many homeowners will still pay more due to rising home values and costs.

However, the exact new rate is still under discussion, as city officials continue to review a proposed $5.2 billion budget and gather public input before a final vote in mid-September. Council members suggested Wednesday that there may be some changes to the city manager’s proposed rate.

Currently, the tax rate is 70.47 cents per $100 valuation, and City Manager Kim Tolbert’s proposed budget for the coming year lowers the rate to 69.97 cents.

However, the City Council voted 10-5 on Wednesday to set a maximum possible rate at 70.22 cents — still less than this year’s rate but more than Tolbert’s proposal. Council members said the move would give them wiggle room as they discuss the budget with their constituents.

Council members Chad West, Zarin Gracey, Jaime Resendez, Laura Cadena, Adam Bazaldua, Lorie Blair, Paula Blackmon, Kathy Stewart, Bill Roth, and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Gay Donnell Willis voted in favor of the motion. Mayor Eric Johnson, Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno and council members Maxie Johnson, Cara Mendelsohn and Paul Ridley voted against it.

Under Tolbert’s proposed rate, a home valued at $382,010 — with a $175,000 homestead exemption — is projected to lower the average homeowner’s tax bill by about $12.66 next year. But tax bills could still rise or fall depending on changes in home values.

Tolbert’s proposed budget plan calls for a significant increase in funding for police and fire services amid cuts to city jobs, community pools, libraries, and other consolidations.

Council member Adam Bazaldua, who proposed the higher ceiling, argued that setting a lower bar could limit the council’s ability to explore alternatives to some of the proposed cuts. If the council approves Tolbert’s rate, the city would collect $11 million less in property taxes. If they stick with the proposed 70.22-cent ceiling, the loss would be about $5.5 million.

“I believe it would be preliminary for us to set a ceiling before having a discussion to see if there are potential viable options to save some of the cuts that were brought forth with this proposed budget,” Bazaldua said.

The City Council scheduled a Sept. 17 public hearing at City Hall to gather residents’ opinions on the tax rate before voting to finalize it and the citywide budget the same day. The new rate and budget would take effect on Oct. 1." DMN ($)

“Johnson County Sheriff Adam King arrested on felony corruption charges,” Dallas Morning News' Matt Kyle -- "Johnson County Sheriff Adam King was arrested Wednesday on charges of abuse of office and witness retaliation, according to jail records.

King was indicted on two charges of corrupt influence: retaliation against a witness, which is a third-degree felony, and one charge of abuse of office, in addition to a charge of official oppression — sexual harassment, a Class A misdemeanor, court records show.

King was booked into the Johnson County jail. Bond had not been set by about 8:15 p.m.

The arresting agency was the Texas Rangers, jail records show.

Johnson County Judge Christopher Boedeker said via email that the indictments are a result of a weekslong investigation by the Rangers. Boedeker said as soon as county officials were aware of the allegations, they referred the case to the Rangers.

“While Mr. King is entitled to a presumption of innocence, no person is above the law,” Boedeker said.

According to the indictment, which was sent to The Dallas Morning News by Boedeker, King is accused of sexually harassing multiple female employees of the sheriff’s office between February 2024 and July 2025. The indictment said King made several sexual remarks to female subordinates, including telling them they needed to wear makeup to work and telling one employee if she kept “losing weight,” he would “do ungodly things” to her.

The indictments also accused King of retaliating against two employees who reported the harassment, including threatening to arrest a female employee whom he allegedly had harassed. King also tried to obtain her address after finding out she had filed a human resources complaint against him and spoke to the Rangers about the allegations, the indictment said.

King, a Republican, was first elected as sheriff of Johnson County in 2016.

The Johnson County sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The News." DMN ($)

“Dallas ousts newly hired Inspector General due to charter violation,” Dallas Morning News' Devyani Chhetri -- "The Dallas City Council discharged Inspector General Timothy Menke, a longtime law enforcement executive, Wednesday after weeks of discussing how city officials bungled his hiring process.

Last November, voters approved a charter proposition that established an independent office of inspector general and called for its top officer to be “a competent practicing attorney of recognized ability.”

However, Menke, who began his job on June 30 and has decades of experience investigating governmental fraud and misconduct, is not an attorney.

During the meeting, council members did not publicly discuss the rationale behind the vote. They also didn’t get into what caused the error.

“It’s an unfortunate setback but had to be done to have the IG’s qualifications align with those in the charter,” Deputy Mayor pro tem Gay Donnell Willis, who had long advocated for creating an independent office during the charter process, told The Dallas Morning News. “I am still very much a believer in the need for an independent inspector general to suss out fraud, waste and abuse.”

Willis said the council and staff will also explore ways to determine how the oversight occurred, as did council member Paula Blackmon, who noted that officials are now examining ways to improve internal processes.

Around the U.S., inspectors general can come from various backgrounds. They could be attorneys, auditors, law enforcement officials and prosecutors.

A job listing for the position didn’t specify that the applicant needs to be an attorney, although it does mention that a master’s degree or a doctorate in jurisprudence is preferred, and calls for the applicant to possess a skillset that demonstrates legal acumen.

Last year, council members had extensive discussions about picking a skilled firm to lead the recruitment. They wanted to avoid mistakes they had seen in the previous search for the new city manager, which had been riddled with issues.

The brochure for the position featured Houston’s skyline instead of Dallas’, and the management of the search, at the time carried out by former council member Tennell Atkins, former chair of the ad hoc administrative affairs committee, led to a behind-the-scenes fight in the City Council that erupted publicly.

The City Council then hired MGT Consulting Group.

For weeks, the City Council spent time in closed session interviewing candidates. The Dallas Morning News sought public records regarding the resumes of the candidates who applied for the job and the communication between council members, who held the final approval. The request was sent to the Attorney General’s office for review. The city withdrew its request for the attorney general’s ruling Wednesday and partially released documents that still provide no clarity about the oversight." DMN ($)

“Harris County Commissioners approve nearly $470K to sponsor Gay Softball World Series,” Houston Chronicle's John Lomax V -- "Harris County commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday to spend $468,610 to sponsor the 2025 Gay Softball World Series.

Republican Commissioner Tom Ramsey cast the lone dissenting vote on the item that sparked criticism from conservative activists and political figures who criticized it as wasteful spending amid ongoing disputes surrounding the county’s budget deficit. But Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who introduced the item, said half the money was allocated from a tourism fund for games and events that bring people to Harris County.

"They're bringing in money, they're renting hotel rooms. This will pay for itself," Garcia said.

Last year’s Gay Softball World Series was held in Las Vegas. Around 200 teams will descend on Houston Sept. 21 to Sept. 27 and face off in a series of matches beginning with pool-play elimination and culminating in a series of double elimination games beginning Sept. 25. The event’s organizers have yet to determine the exact fields where the world series will be held, according to their website.

Raquel Hernandez-Boujourne, a Houston businesswoman and Republican running against Garcia in 2026, took to the mic Tuesday to criticize her political opponent for what she viewed as the latest in a long line of poor financial choices.

"This county has money, but how it is managed is the issue," Hernandez-Boujourne said. "At a time when our roads are crumbling, families are being crushed by rising property taxes and basic services are underfunded, while jobs are being sacrificed, anyone with common sense knows handing out nearly half a million dollars of our taxpayer money to sponsor a softball tournament is fiscal negligence — and, frankly, this is how we got here today."

Several other speakers, including Bob Choate, a conservative activist, and Warren Howell, a Republican candidate for Harris County judge, also criticized the expenditure. Although they decried it as wasteful spending, none of the speakers at Tuesday’s meeting criticized the event’s affiliation with the LGBTQ community.

The Montrose Softball League Association, an amateur league of nearly 30 teams, successfully petitioned the Gay Softball World Series to hold its annual tournament in Houston in late July, according to OutSmart Magazine, a Houston LGBTQ publication. The MSLA held its first world series event in 1984, and Paula Metz, the league’s commissioner, told OutSmart she was proud to see it return.

"You’d think Houston, being a large city, would be able to accommodate this, right? But it takes a lot. Very few cities can handle over 200 teams in one week," Metz said. "For our team to be able to put together a winning bid is an accomplishment itself."" Hou Chron ($)

• BUSINESS NEWS

“Upstream oil shed almost 3,000 jobs so far this summer. Here’s what that might mean,” Houston Chronicle's Rachel Nostrant -- "Texas oil and gas field employment slipped over the summer as crude prices hovered just above break-even levels and global supplies stayed abundant. Nearly 3,000 upstream workers, about 1.5% of the sector’s workforce, lost their jobs in June and July, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The loss of jobs, after a modest increase earlier in the year, highlights a reckoning the oil and gas industry is expected to face if crude oil prices continue their recent downward trend, in addition to unbalanced global supply and demand, a volatile investment market and overall industry consolidation.

As a result, upstream workers have found themselves taking the brunt of the impacts, with approximately 1,500 jobs lost in June and another 1,400 in July.

Though the loss of about 3,000 jobs is statistically minor compared to the 63,000 lost through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, they evince what some experts say could be an impending down cycle for the industry.

Rig counts, drilling permits and the price of crude oil – all of which impact the upstream job market – have dropped over the last few months, said Karr Ingham, president of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.

The price of West Texas Intermediate crude dropped to $62.17 in May, its lowest point since mid-2023, when most economists say the industry made its comeback from the COVID-19 pandemic. Although prices ping-ponged throughout July and August, the price of the benchmark crude still hovers around $63, as of Aug. 26.

“Two months doesn't necessarily make a trend, for sure, but it kind of lines up with what we might expect,” Ingham said, referencing the recent loss of jobs.

There has been relative job growth since 2023, so although the June and July losses do not seem close to the layoffs seen in COVID, the numbers do mark stagnation and the potential of more layoffs, Ingham said.

Several workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were struggling to find employment opportunities, both in on- and off-shore drilling operations. Some questioned whether they should seek work outside of the oil and gas field, while others said they were considering new areas of specialization that may better insulate them from a volatile job cycle.

Consolidation has led to a flurry of layoffs across all sectors of the industry over the past few months. Following its acquisition of Hess in July, Chevron announced it would be laying off 575 Hess employees from the former company’s Houston office. Encino Energy similarly announced plans in June to layoff 121 workers at its Houston base following the company’s acquisition by EOG Resources the month prior.

Outsourcing of jobs such as information technology, accounting and security to countries with cheaper labor, such as India and Indonesia, have also seen Texas oil workers left by the wayside over the last few years.

While it may be difficult for office workers to anticipate layoffs, upstream workers should keep their eyes on the price of crude oil and the balance between the global demand for oil compared to the resource’s supply over the next few months, Ingham said.

If prices average far lower in 2025 than they did in 2024, and rig counts continue to be generally relatively weak, layoffs would historically be expected to follow.

“The only question is, ‘Are we actually headed for $50?’” Ingham said. “I hope not…I don't suspect we're going to get down that far, but none of us know the answer to that question right now.”" Hou Chron ($)

• TEXANS IN DC

“Elon Musk wants to build $760M tunnels under Houston. He’s tapped a Texas congressman to make the pitch,” KUT's Lauren McGaughy and Houston Chronicle's Yilun Cheng -- "The devastating flooding in Houston caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 killed dozens of people, inundated hundreds of thousands of homes and left the community desperate for a solution.

Since then, local flood experts have extensively studied the possibility of a multibillion-dollar tunnel system across Harris County. Studies have focused on the construction of pipelines, 30 to 40 feet in diameter, that could ferry massive amounts of water out to the Gulf in the event of a storm.

Now, after years of research and discussion, Elon Musk wants a piece of the project.

An investigation by The Texas Newsroom and the Houston Chronicle has found that the billionaire, in partnership with Houston-area Rep. Wesley Hunt, has spent months aggressively pushing state and local officials to hire Musk’s Boring Co. to build two narrower, 12-foot tunnels around one major watershed. That could be a potentially cheaper, but, at least one expert said, less effective solution to the region’s historic flooding woes.

Hunt’s team has said the Boring project would cost $760 million and involve the company getting 15% of the cost up front from state and local coffers.

Within two months of this push, the Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously voted to study a pilot program that included a look at smaller tunnels, with specifications similar to what Boring had pitched.

Both Musk and Hunt stand to benefit should Boring be selected to build any part of the project. Hunt is reportedly considering a challenge to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in next year’s Republican Senate primary. And landing a job like this would also be a significant win for Boring, which has not completed a major public project in Texas and faces criticisms for its ventures elsewhere.

The discussions about the Boring pitch have happened mostly out of the public eye. Hunt mentioned the project in passing at a town hall in Houston in February. Since then, he has refused to answer the newsrooms’ questions about when Musk sold him on the idea and why he became its pitchman.

Efforts to reach Musk and representatives with Boring were not returned.

Experts and some local officials question whether Musk and his company are the right pick for the job. The Boring Co. has focused on transportation tunnels, not flood mitigation.

“If you build a smaller tunnel, OK, it’ll be cheaper, but it can carry less water,” said Larry Dunbar, a veteran water resources engineer who has advised Houston-area governmental agencies on drainage issues. “So what have you saved? Have you reduced the flooding upstream by an inch? And are you going to spend multimillions of dollars to do that? Well, maybe that’s not worth it.”

In response to the newsrooms’ questions, state and local officials said no public money has been allocated to Boring. County officials added that they have not chosen a tunnel contractor and any process to do so would follow normal procurement rules.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, whose staff met with Hunt’s team during the legislative session to discuss the proposal, remains open to the idea. As president of the Texas Senate with close ties to President Donald Trump, he is a powerful ally.

“If Elon Musk and the Boring Company, or any other company, can build two massive tunnels under the Houston bayous in a few years to save the city from flooding, I am always going to be interested to listen,” Patrick, a Republican, told the newsrooms. “The truth is, Elon Musk is one of the only people in the world who could accomplish this.”" Hou Chron ($)

• TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

“Mystery surrounds $1.2 billion Army contract to build huge detention tent camp in Texas desert,” AP's Michael Biesecker and Joshua Goodman -- "When President Donald Trump’s administration last month awarded a contract worth up to $1.2 billion to build and operate what it says will become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex, it didn’t turn to a large government contractor or even a firm that specializes in private prisons.

Instead, it handed the project on a military base to Acquisition Logistics LLC, a small business that has no listed experience running a correction facility and had never won a federal contract worth more than $16 million. The company also lacks a functioning website and lists as its address a modest home in suburban Virginia owned by a 77-year-old retired Navy flight officer.

The mystery over the award only deepened last week as the new facility began to accept its first detainees. The Pentagon has refused to release the contract or explain why it selected Acquisition Logistics over a dozen other bidders to build the massive tent camp at Fort Bliss in west Texas. At least one competitor has filed a complaint.

The secretive — and brisk — contracting process is emblematic, experts said, of the government’s broader rush to fulfill the Republican president’s pledge to arrest and deport an estimated 10 million migrants living in the U.S. without permanent legal status. As part of that push, the government is turning increasingly to the military to handle tasks that had traditionally been left to civilian agencies.

A member of Congress who recently toured the camp said she was concerned that such a small and inexperienced firm had been entrusted to build and run a facility expected to house up to 5,000 migrants.

“It’s far too easy for standards to slip,” said Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes Fort Bliss. “Private facilities far too frequently operate with a profit margin in mind as opposed to a governmental facility.”

Attorney Joshua Schnell, who specializes in federal contracting law, said he was troubled that the Trump administration has provided so little information about the facility.

“The lack of transparency about this contract leads to legitimate questions about why the Army would award such a large contract to a company without a website or any other publicly available information demonstrating its ability to perform such a complicated project,” he said.

Ken A. Wagner, the president and CEO of Acquisition Logistics, did not respond to phone messages or emails. No one answered the door at his three-bedroom house listed as his company’s headquarters. Virginia records list Wagner as an owner of the business, though it’s unclear whether he might have partners.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved using Fort Bliss for the new detention center, and the administration has hopes to build more at other bases. A spokesperson for the Army declined to discuss its deal with Acquisition Logistics or reveal details about the camp’s construction, citing the litigation over the company’s qualifications.

The Department of Homeland Security, which includes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, declined to answer questions about the detention camp it oversees.

Named Camp East Montana for the closest road, the facility is being built in the sand and scrub Chihuahuan Desert, where summertime temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit and heat-related deaths are common. The 60-acre site is near the U.S.-Mexico border and the El Paso International Airport, a key hub for deportation flights.

The camp has drawn comparisons to “Alligator Alcatraz,” a $245 million tent complex erected to hold ICE detainees in the Florida Everglades. That facility has been the subject of complaints about unsanitary conditions and lawsuits. A federal judge recently ordered that facility to be shut down.

The vast majority of the roughly 57,000 migrants detained by ICE are housed at private prisons operated by companies like Florida’s Geo Group and Tennessee-based CoreCivic. As those facilities fill up, ICE is also exploring temporary options at military bases in California, New York and Utah.

At Fort Bliss, construction began within days of the Army issuing the contract on July 18. Site work began months earlier, before Congress had passed Trump’s big tax and spending cuts bill, which includes a record $45 billion for immigration enforcement. The Defense Department announcement specified only that the Army was financing the initial $232 million for the first 1,000 beds at the complex.

Three white tents, each about 810 feet long, have been erected, according to satellite imagery examined by The Associated Press. A half dozen smaller buildings surround them." AP

• NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

> HOU CHRON: "Texas's new 'bounty hunter' bill gets blessing from key anti-abortion groups" HOU CHRON

> TX TRIB: "About 750 new laws will go into effect in Texas on Sept. 1. Here are some of the significant ones." TX TRIB

> HOU CHRON: "Is Trump's war on clean energy coming for the Texas grid?" HOU CHRON

> HOU CHRON: "Proposed THC ban in Texas has stalled" HOU CHRON

> KXAN: "Debate gets heated as House approves bill to allow ivermectin use without prescription" KXAN

> THE TEXAN: "Ivermectin Over the Counter Bill Passes Texas House" THE TEXAN

> THE TEXAN: "Constitutional Amendment on Attorney General's Election Prosecution Powers Fails in Texas House, Similar Bill Passes" THE TEXAN

> THE TEXAN: "Deed Theft, Fraud Crackdown Bill Passes Texas Legislature, Heads to Abbott's Desk" THE TEXAN

> SA REPORT: "What’s on the November 4 ballot? Here’s a first look." SA REPORT

> THE TEXAN: "Texas Supreme Court Denies Paxton Restraining Order on O'Rourke in Quorum Bust Funding Lawsuit" THE TEXAN

> HOU CHRON: "RFK Jr. joins Greg Abbott in Austin to tout new 'Make Texas Healthy Again' laws" HOU CHRON

> SA REPORT: "GOP State Rep. John Lujan lays plans to run in new TX35" SA REPORT

> THE TEXAN: "Texas Supreme Court Denies Paxton Restraining Order Hearing on O'Rourke in Quorum Bust Funding Lawsuit" THE TEXAN

> SAEN: "Ivermectin bill heads to Abbott after heated pushback from Democrats" SAEN

> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Hays CISD to hold tax rate election" COMMUNITY IMPACT

> THE TEXAN: "Paxton Seeks End to Federal Decree Mandating Release of Harris County Misdemeanor Suspects" THE TEXAN

> SAEN: "Mayor Jones asked me how much I make. She should have asked about my life." SAEN

> FWST: "10-year-old mauled in ‘horrendous’ attack by neighbor’s loose dogs, TX suit says" FWST

> DMN: "Visa: Texas, Southern U.S. pulling ahead as national economic growth slows" DMN

> HOU CHRON: "How do high-end restaurants refine their service? By tracking your data" HOU CHRON

> FWST: "Human remains found in pond believed to be woman missing 2 years, Texas cops say" FWST

> TX TRIB: "1 in 4 Texas school districts signs up for new Bible-infused curriculum" TX TRIB

> HOU CHRON: "Harris County approves nearly $470K to sponsor Gay Softball World Series" HOU CHRON

> DMN: "Why haven’t the Rangers turned to Kumar Rocker amid their latest pitching pinch?" DMN

> FWST: "Old Farmer’s Almanac winter forecast: Here’s how much snow to expect in Texas" FWST

> HOU CHRON: "What to know about the Houston church at the center of an FBI raid" HOU CHRON

> DMN: "SWAT officers shoot, kill man after hourslong standoff in Far North Dallas" DMN

> SA REPORT: "North East ISD's bond prioritizes cybersecurity, HVAC upgrades" SA REPORT

> FWST: "Kroger is offering senior shoppers a discount for one day only. Here’s when" FWST

> TX TRIB: "Texas power plants and chemical companies benefit as Trump eases pollution rules, experts say" TX TRIB

> TX TRIB: "Texans could soon get ivermectin without a prescription" TX TRIB

> HOU CHRON: "Tomlinson: Only one mayor is willing to question $10B in corporate welfare" HOU CHRON

> THE TEXAN: "Affirmative Defense for Human Trafficking Victims on Track to Gov. Abbott’s Desk" THE TEXAN

> KXAN: "Abbott works to undo voter registration bill he signed two months ago" KXAN

> THE TEXAN: "Texas GOP Lawmakers Join Gov. Abbott for Signing of Hostile Foreign Land Ownership Ban" THE TEXAN

> KXAN: "Abbott signs bills into law preventing foreign adversaries from owning land in Texas" KXAN

> MY RGV: "Harlingen city manager signed to new 3-year contract" MY RGV

> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Katy proposes maintaining same property tax rate for FY 2025-26" COMMUNITY IMPACT

> HOU CHRON: "See Texas' top-ranked universities, according to new lists from Forbes and Niche" HOU CHRON

> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "San Marcos City Council denies data center-related zoning request" COMMUNITY IMPACT

> SAEN: "Mayor Jones asked me how much I make. She should have asked about my life." SAEN

> HOU CHRON: "SpaceX launches 10th Starship test as Trump eyes looser environmental reviews" HOU CHRON

> DMN: "Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug arrested on marijuana, firearm charges" DMN

> HOU CHRON: "The Woodlands lands anticipated restaurants from two of Houston’s top chefs" HOU CHRON

> HOU CHRON: "As Texas gears up for a screwworm fight, the first U.S. patient has been ID'd" HOU CHRON

> THE TEXAN: "Carroll ISD Trims Budget and Tax Rate, Maintains High Academic Ratings" THE TEXAN

> EP TIMES: "Texas universities could see fewer international students amid immigration crackdown" EP TIMES

> SAEN: "What’s it like to get a massage from an AI-driven robot? I checked it out." SAEN

> MY RGV: "Harlingen WaterWorks holding off on rate hikes" MY RGV

• EXTRA POINTS

Recent Texas sports scores:
Tues
> MLB: Texas 7, LAA 3
> MLB: Colorado 6, Houston 1
Wed
> MLB: Texas 20, LAA 3
> MLB: Houston 4, Colorado 0
> WNBA: Connecticut 101, Dallas 95

Today's Texas sports schedule:
> 1:10pm: MLB: Colorado at Houston

Tomorrow's Texas sports schedule:
> 6:30pm: WNBA: Dallas at Atlanta (ION)
> 6:30pm: NWSL: Houston at Louisville
> 7:10pm: MLB: LAA at Texas
> 9:05pm: MLB: Texas at Oakland

HOUSTON ASTROS: "Alvarez and Valdez help the Astros knock off the Rockies 4-0" AP

HOUSTON ASTROS: "Goodman homers, Moniak drives in 3 as Rockies snap 4-game skid with 6-1 win over Astros" AP

HOUSTON ASTROS: "Houston Astros place catcher Victor Caratini on the concussion injured list" AP

TEXAS RANGERS: "Rangers get trio of 3-run homers and Seager goes deep in 20-3 blowout of Angels" AP

TEXAS RANGERS: "Corbin shines, Seager hits 20th homer as Rangers beat Angels 7-3" AP

TEXAS RANGERS: "Texas Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi likely done for season with rotator cuff strain" DMN ($)

DALLAS COWBOYS: "Exploring possible Micah Parsons scenarios prior to Cowboys’ season kickoff" DMN ($)

DALLAS COWBOYS: "Brian Schottenheimer, Cowboys have a lot to consider after first swing at 53-man roster" DMN ($)

HOUSTON TEXANS: "Houston Texans cut tracker: Initial 53-man roster is set with a few surprises" Hou Chron ($)

TEXAS FOOTBALL: "Defending national champion and 3rd-ranked Ohio State hosts No. 1 Texas in much-hyped opener" AP

TEXAS FOOTBALL: "Texas defense to Arch Manning: 'We've got your back'" AAS ($)

TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL: "No. 19 Texas A&M opens season at home against UTSA" AP

TEXAS TECH FOOTBALL: "No. 23 Texas Tech opens season at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff" AP

TCU FOOTBALL: "North Carolina’s Bill Belichick turns to Gio Lopez as starting QB for opener against TCU" AP

SMU FOOTBALL: "SMU, head coach Rhett Lashlee face challenging encore after fast start in ACC" DMN ($)

BAYLOR FOOTBALL: "Baylor has rare opener against another power conference team when hosting Auburn" AP

DALLAS MAVERICKS: "I regret how I did it’: Mark Cuban opens up about Mavericks sale, expectations for this season" DMN ($)

DALLAS WINGS: "Leila Lacan scores 22 and Connecticut posts 101-95 win over Wings, playing without Bueckers" AP