Austin, TX
Vice President Kamala Harris to join Colin Allred at Houston campaign rally on Friday
Kamala Harris to deliver speech at AFT convention in Houston
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a keynote address at the American Federation of Teachers National Convention in Houston on Thursday.
Fox – 26 Houston
Just 11 days ahead of the Nov. 5 election, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will be in the Republican state of Texas. She will be joined by Senate hopeful Colin Allred at a rally in Houston that will focus on the loss of reproductive freedom — a central issue in both candidates’ campaigns.
Friday’s event will be the first time Allred, a Democratic congressman from Dallas seeking to upset Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, and the vice president has shared a stage in Texas in the 2024 election cycle. Allred has so far been running a thread-the-needle campaign that seeks to keep the Democratic base in his tight grip, while not alienating independents and middle-of-the-road Republicans who might not want to award Cruz six more years in the Senate.
“Allred has gone from an arm’s length handshake to a full-on embrace of the Harris campaign,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor. “I think that’s because they’ve gone from persuasion to mobilization.”
Mere days away from the election, several polls show Trump and Harris neck-to-neck. A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll from the first day of early voting shows Harris leads Trump by 63%-34%, close to 2-1. However, polls predicting Election Day turnout show Trump leading Harris 52% to 35%. Similarly, in a poll from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, Trump has a five-point lead over Harris, 51% to 46%.
Harris has been closely trailing Trump in Texas since her Democratic nomination this summer.
How to get Kamala Harris rally tickets
As of Wednesday morning, the exact location of Harris’ rally, along with the availability of tickets, had not yet been released by the Democratic National Committee.
The Democrats’ rally Friday, at a Houston venue to be announced later, will be an opportunity to remind voters that Trump appointed the three U.S. Supreme Court justices who anchored the 2022 decision that ended the right to an abortion, which had been in place for 49 years under the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. And it’s a chance to highlight Cruz’s long-standing opposition to abortion rights and his expressed support for the high court’s decision to leave it to the individual states to set abortion law.
Donald Trump to visit Austin for ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast
Former President Donald Trump is set to appear on podcasting giant “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast later this week.
“The Joe Rogan Experience” is a popular podcast hosted by UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. The podcast is particularly among right-leaning men and is known for its wide-ranging interviews and discussions on politics, culture, and controversial topics.
Rogan is set to interview Trump in his Austin studio on Friday, USA TODAY confirmed on background. The studio is inside the Onnit Headquarters in South Austin.
This would mark Trump’s first appearance on Rogan’s popular podcast.
Read more: Former President Donald Trump is coming to Texas for ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ appearance
Kamala Harris campaign rally schedule
Harris’ decision to stop in Houston is a bit of a surprise. Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have expended much of their time and financial resources in such must-win swing states as Pennsylvania and Michigan, largely ceding Texas to the GOP, which has won the state in every presidential election since 1980.
- Harris is traveling to Pennsylvania on Wednesday and participating in a CNN Town Hall event in Chester Township, just outside of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
- On Thursday, the vice president will be in Georgia for a campaign rally, joined by former President Barack Obama as Bruce Springsteen performs. The event will mark the first time Harris and Obama have appeared together on the campaign trail.
- Harris is expected to visit Texas on Friday to attend a campaign event in Houston focusing on abortion rights and rally with Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who is challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. And finally, she’ll sit down for an interview with researcher Brené Brown, a podcaster who talks about feeling vulnerable.
‘This election is different’: Bill Gates responds to leak of his $50M to pro-Harris super-PAC
This week, it was revealed that Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder who is among the wealthiest people in the world, privately shared about his $50 million donation to a super PAC supporting Harris.
Gates has not publicly endorsed a candidate, and his donation to Future Forward’s nonprofit arm, Future Forward USA Action, was intended to remain private, according to the New York Times. The outlet also reports Gates has “concerns about what a second Trump presidency would look like,” as expressed in private phone calls.
Although Gates did not confirm or deny the donation and instead emphasized his bipartisanship, the billionaire also said that “this election is different.”
Obama introduced by Eminem at Harris rally, raps ‘Lose Yourself’
Eminem has shown further support for the Harris-Walz campaign this week. At a Detroit rally Tuesday, the rapper introduced former President Barack Obama. And Obama ensured the crowd got hyped.
“I have done a lot of rallies, so I don’t usually get nervous. But I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem,” Obama said when he took the stage in Detroit, Michigan.
“Now, I notice my palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, vomit on my sweater already, mom’s spaghetti, I’m nervous but on the surface I look calm and ready to drop bombs but I keep on forgetting,” Obama rapped as the crowd burst into cheers.
Obama raps Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ at Harris rally
Rapper Eminem introduced former president Barack Obama at a Kamala Harris rally. Obama returned the favor by reciting Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”
The lyrics came from Eminem’s 2002 song “Lose Yourself.”
— USA TODAY contributed to this report.
The Texas Longhorns are less than two months away from starting their regular season slate of the 2026 schedule.
Just like last season, the Longhorns have been given unrealistic expectations by some, but will look to avoid the slow start that had everyone counting them out in September. On paper, the Longhorns should be a lot better than they were last season.
A national championship run should be on the table for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his team. One of the reasons that is a possibility is due to the Longhorns have something in common with previous national championship winners.
Legacy Year
Last season, the college football world was enamored by the Indiana Hoosiers. A program that no one saw ever winning the national championship, was hoisting the trophy at the end of the season.
Now, the Hoosiers had a talented roster from top to bottom. But the play of starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the leading factor in this team reaching the mountaintop.
Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has the chance to make that same impression this season. After his first full season as the starting quarterback in Austin last year, there is a growing confidence that Manning is going to be on another level in 2026.
Last season, Manning threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdown passes. If you were to compare those numbers to Mendoza’s last season, the Hoosiers quarterback threw for 3,535 yards and an impressive 41 touchdown passes.
Those numbers make it clear that Manning will have to elevate his performance this season. With a revamped offensive line, the Longhorns quarterback may have the time to rival the numbers of Mendoza from this past season.
But another key piece to the Longhorns’ 2026 roster is a massive wide receiver addition.
It’s going to take the whole village, and Coach Sarkisian went out and got one of the most talented wide receivers in the transfer portal with Cam Coleman.
Coleman had two solid years with the Auburn Tigers and now will look to be the deep field threat for Manning and the Longhorns. The junior receiver’s addition to the roster could take this offensive unit to being one of the top units in the country.
All championship teams have a quarterback who could lead them to victory. Manning could very well be the next elite quarterback to hold a national championship trophy.
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Join several Austin labor unions and community members to honor Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s life and the countless immigrants who have been impacted by ICE.
The community vigil will take place at the Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11th starting at 6 PM. All are welcome to bring flowers and candles as we honor the loss of life and grieve the separation of families.
Community Vigil Details
🗓️ July 11, 2026 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM
🗺️ 1314 E Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704
🚗 Public transit and rideshare encouraged! Limited parking available and overflow parking may be available at Travis High School.
Please consider donating to the family’s GoFundMe if you are able: https://bit.ly/atx4lorenzo
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A report released by the think tank Texas 2036 claims that ten state laws implemented between 2019 and 2025 led to “one of the nation’s most comprehensive strategies for connecting education to careers.”
The report is titled “The Next Generation of the Texas Miracle.” It can be read below.
Mary Lynn Pruneda, Texas 2036’s director of education and workforce policy, said in an announcement accompanying the report that the reforms have been steps in the right direction.
“Texas has a bright economic future ahead of it, but we have to make sure that Texas students are equipped to share in this prosperity,” she said. “Texas needs to double down on improving and investing in high-quality career pathways so that all Texas students can take part in the Texas Miracle. Thankfully, due to the Legislature’s great work over the past four sessions, we are on our way to that critical goal.”
The report gives several data points, such as a 532% increase in high schoolers earning “post-secondary credentials” since 2018, or that community colleges awarded 140,000 “credentials of value” in 2024.
It paints a rosy picture of the future Texas economy, but doesn’t source its data or explain how it reached these conclusions. It’s apparent that the think tank wants further laws related to Texas’ workforce and education.
“Texas 2036 is actively engaged in that process, pushing for data modernization and interoperability reforms that would allow the state to track whether credentials are meeting real employer needs in communities across the state,” said the think tank in its announcement.
Grace Atkins, policy advisor of postsecondary education for Texas 2036, called the think tank’s report “encouraging.”
“The early results are encouraging: more students are earning credentials that can help them move into good jobs, and that is real progress,” she said. “For students and families, these pathways can be the difference between getting by and getting ahead. The next step is making sure more Texans can earn credentials that lead to strong wages, real career options and greater economic mobility.”
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