Texas

Daily Briefing: Redrawing Texas

Published

8 months ago

July 21, 2025

Press Room

Good morning!🙋🏼‍♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert. Happy Shark Week! 🦈

Quick look at Monday’s news:

Texas’ congressional map on the drawing board

The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature is poised to consider a new set of congressional maps during a special session that kicks off Monday.

Here’s the latest from the Caller-Times, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Why this matters for America: After facing pressure from Trump’s political team, Gov. Greg Abbott has asked lawmakers to redraw some of Texas’ 38 U.S. House districts ahead of the 2026 midterms. Trump wants to disperse GOP voters across the state to help flip blue seats, rather then have them be consolidated in red districts.
Can the president pressure state politics? Democrats from the state’s congressional delegation said they expect the new districts to violate the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting the votes of racial minorities.
“I’m a Texan. How can I get involved?” Texans can follow the special session online, contact their lawmakers and testify at hearings to participate in the legislative process.

More from the USA TODAY Network: A special session could spark redistricting in Florida and Ohio is already scheduled to redraw maps this year.

Israel fire kills dozens more aid seekers in Gaza

At least 67 people were killed by Israeli fire while they waited for U.N. aid trucks Sunday in northern Gaza, the territory’s health ministry said, as Israel issued new evacuation orders for areas packed with displaced Gazans, some of whom began to leave. The ministry said dozens of people were also wounded in the incident in northern Gaza, in one of the highest reported tolls among repeated recent cases in which aid seekers have been killed. Much of Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of war and there are fears of accelerating starvation.

More news to know now

What’s the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

ICE detention is growing in the South

Republican-led Southern states increasingly lead in detaining and deporting millions of immigrants ‒ from “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Florida Everglades to the expansion of a sprawling Georgia immigration facility. Far from the U.S.-Mexico border, Mississippi has the ICE jail with the highest average daily population. Louisiana has more detention centers than any other state besides Texas – nine total – after it converted nearly half a dozen correctional facilities to immigrant detention. Most are remote, scattered near farms and forests. And other states might follow Louisiana’s example as more federal funds flow to ICE detention.

A $10 billion lawsuit. More documents coming. Here’s the latest on Trump and Epstein.

Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit for libel and slander against the Wall Street Journal, its publisher, two of its reporters, and News Corp founder and former friend Rupert Murdoch. At issue is its story that Trump sent a “bawdy” 50th-birthday letter to Epstein in 2003, decorated with a crude drawing of a woman’s naked body that used his distinctive signature. Trump called the article “false” and demanded damages. But his attempt to convince Americans that there is nothing to see here is likely to be an uphill battle.

Today’s talkers

WNBA Commissioner booed by crowd chanting ‘Pay Them!’

In case their message to the WNBA and its owners wasn’t already clear, the players sent another one ahead of Saturday night’s All-Star Game. Taking the court for warmups, every single player wore a black T-shirt with “Pay Us What You Owe Us” emblazoned across the front. The players’ unwavering stance stands in stark contrast to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s impression this is just the normal back-and-forth that occurs in every labor negotiation. The crowd booed Engelbert and chanted “Pay Them! Pay Them!” as she presented the All-Star MVP trophy to Napheesa Collier, whose team beat Team Clark 151-131.

Photo of the day: This is dad’s special cup

Scratch “cup.” It’s the Claret Jug. American Scottie Scheffler stole hearts celebrating his win of the 2025 Open Championship, the first British Open victory of his career, giving him career wins at three of the four major tournaments. Only the U.S. Open remains.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.

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Texas

North Texas Humane Society takes in about 40 dogs from Caps property

Published

7 hours ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

North Texas Humane Society takes in about 40 dogs from Caps property

Abilene, Texas — The Humane Society of North Texas has taken in approximately 40 dogs from the Caps situation.

However, officials say they were unable to take in four additional dogs due to a higher number of animals than originally anticipated.

RELATED | Dozens of dogs reported on property in Caps, ‘It’s ridiculous’

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Those remaining dogs are now expected to be placed with foster families later this week.

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Saint Mary’s Gaels and Texas A&M Aggies square off in the first round of NCAA Tournament

Published

19 hours ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

Saint Mary’s Gaels and Texas A&M Aggies square off in the first round of NCAA Tournament

Texas A&M Aggies (21-11, 11-8 SEC) vs. Saint Mary’s Gaels (27-5, 16-3 WCC)

Oklahoma City; Thursday, 7:35 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Gaels -3.5; over/under is 147.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 22 Saint Mary’s (CA) and Texas A&M square off in the NCAA Tournament first round.

The Gaels’ record in WCC play is 16-3, and their record is 11-2 against non-conference opponents. Saint Mary’s (CA) averages 10.2 turnovers per game and is 7-2 when it wins the turnover battle.

The Aggies’ record in SEC play is 11-8. Texas A&M ranks seventh in the SEC with 10.3 offensive rebounds per game led by Rashaun Agee averaging 2.7.

Saint Mary’s (CA) makes 46.2% of its shots from the field this season, which is 2.0 percentage points higher than Texas A&M has allowed to its opponents (44.2%). Texas A&M scores 23.1 more points per game (87.7) than Saint Mary’s (CA) gives up to opponents (64.6).

TOP PERFORMERS: Paulius Murauskas is shooting 48.9% and averaging 18.8 points for the Gaels. Mikey Lewis is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Ruben Dominguez is shooting 40.4% from beyond the arc with 2.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Aggies, while averaging 10.3 points. Agee is averaging 15.6 points and 9.2 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Gaels: 8-2, averaging 77.3 points, 38.6 rebounds, 15.7 assists, 5.8 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 64.7 points per game.

Aggies: 4-6, averaging 78.3 points, 32.7 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 6.5 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 42.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.6 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Frisco King’ to close streets in North Texas. Here’s where and when

Published

1 day ago

March 18, 2026

Press Room

Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Frisco King’ to close streets in North Texas. Here’s where and when

Taylor Sheridan’s latest show will begin filming this week in Fort Worth.

It’s been a few weeks since word broke on Sheridan’s forthcoming Frisco King series for Paramount+. The previous iteration of the show was to be filmed and set in New Orleans, but it will now have a production home in North Texas.

Frisco King will star Samuel L. Jackson as Russell Lee Washington Jr., a hitman who crossed paths with Sylvester Stallone’s Tulsa King character Dwight Manfredi. Jackson appeared in the final two episodes of the show’s third season last year.

Filming will get underway in downtown Fort Worth at the Tarrant County Courthouse on Friday, March 20. Due to filming, several road closures will be in place around the area.

Here’s what to know.

‘Frisco King’ begins filming in Fort Worth

Frisco King will film interior and exterior shots at the courthouse Friday, according to a city street use permit.

The permit includes several closures from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, and Friday:

Two lane closure on Weatherford Street between Houston and Commerce streets
Sidewalk closure on Weatherford Street between Houston and Commerce streets
One lane closure on East Weatherford Street between Main and Commerce streets
One lane closure on East Weatherford Street between Commerce and Calhoun streets
One lane closure on North Houston Street between West Belknap and West Weatherford streets
One lane closure on West Belknap Street between Throckmorton and North Houston streets
Two lane closure on West Belknap Street between North Houston and Commerce streets
Two lane closure on Main Street between East Weatherford and West Weatherford streets

Fort Worth police will be on-site to facilitate traffic and all local residents/businesses will have access to their properties at all times, per the permit. Once filming wraps, traffic operations will return to normal.

More on ‘Frisco King’

Frisco King will be eight episodes and Sheridan is writing all of them himself.

In addition to Jackson, Frisco King will star Kai Caster, Asa Germann, Lilah Pate and Savanna Gann.

Sheridan, Jackson and Stallone will executive produce the show. Additional producers include Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Christina Alexandra Voros, Michael Friedman, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Keith Cox and 101 Studios CEO David Glasser.

No release date has been set for the series.

Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TNS)

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