Texas
Russia takes Ukrainian town of Avdiivka; Texas builds military camp on Mexico border
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Today’s top stories
After a monthslong assault, Russian troops this weekend occupied the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka. It’s Russia’s first big battlefield win since last May, and it comes ahead of Russia’s presidential elections in March. Ukraine’s newly appointed military chief decided to withdraw troops to “preserve the lives and health of servicemen.” In a Saturday call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Biden blamed Ukraine’s dwindling supply of weapons and ammunition on “congressional inaction.”
- A Ukrainian lawmaker tells NPR’s Joanna Kakissis that Ukraine is being held hostage by election-year politics in the U.S. Republicans in Congress have been blocking a military aid package for Ukraine. Kakissis reports on Up First that Zelenskyy was at the annual Munich Security Conference this weekend, where he once again asked the West not to see this conflict as only Ukraine’s war but one that will grow much larger if Russia keeps winning.
Despite international warnings, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not backing down from plans for an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, a city near the Egyptian border where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are taking shelter.
- Netanyahu has called for both a military plan and a plan to evacuate the civilians in Rafah, NPR’s Greg Myre reports. But there’s been no word of such a plan, which Myre says would be very complicated. Most Palestinians in Rafah are living in tents, and many say they have nowhere else to go. He adds that if Israel’s claim that it’s defeated 18 of Hamas’ 24 battalions is accurate, it means Hamas has been badly weakened. But Hamas’ internal and external leaders are intact, and the group has long had public support in Gaza, so “politically, it’s still reasonably strong.”
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas is building a military base camp in the city of Eagle Pass on the border with Mexico. The 80-acre facility would house National Guard troops and is part of a $10 billion state effort to limit illegal border crossings.
- Texas Public Radio’s Pablo De La Rosa reports that many were blindsided by Gov. Abbott’s announcement of plans to build the facility. De La Rosa says Eagle Pass has been through a lot in the past few months after the state took over and militarized a park where people used to celebrate birthdays. Constitutionally, border security and immigration fall under federal control, but Gov. Abbott believes his state has a right to secure the border.
Life advice
/ LA Johnson/NPR
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LA Johnson/NPR
The real test for a relationship is not how often you’re on the same page but how you’re able to reach a shared understanding even when you’re not. That’s according to world-renowned relationship researchers and clinical psychologists Julie Schwartz Gottman and John Gottman. Their new book, Fight Right: How Successful Couples Turn Conflict into Connection, argues that conflict is actually useful in relationships. Here’s how to come out of it stronger:
- When a fight feels overwhelming, it’s OK to take a break. Contrary to popular advice advising against going to bed angry, sometimes hitting pause is the best way to stop a bad argument from getting worse.
- When you feel like you’re in a standoff, use the bagel method: figure out what’s important to you and what you’re willing to compromise on, then compare notes with your partner.
- When one partner starts a fight seemingly out of nowhere, with harsh words of judgment or criticism, it rarely ends well. Instead, try taking a gentler approach and use the “I” approach to express how you feel.
Today’s listen
/ Courtesy of the artist
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Courtesy of the artist
A country music radio station in rural Oklahoma faced backlash last week when it briefly refused to play Beyoncé’s new song, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The station later claimed it wasn’t aware she had recently released a country song. The incident has reignited a long-running conversation among country music fans about racism in the historically white, male-dominated genre.
Listen to parts of Beyoncé’s new song and learn about what it could mean for Black women’s future in the genre.
3 things to know before you go
Brett Carlsen / Getty Images
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Getty Images
- Major League Soccer will open its season this week with non-unionized replacement referees after the Professional Soccer Referees Association union rejected a contract they said fell “short of expectations.”
- Strong high-altitude winds over the Mid-Atlantic gave travelers on at least two commercial plans a boost this weekend. The aircraft hit supersonic speeds topping 800 mph.
- The FDA has approved a drug to help reduce allergic reactions from accidental exposure to certain foods like milk, eggs and nuts.
This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
Texas
Texas A&M Forward Transfer Seemingly on Visit to See Lady Vols Basketball | Rocky Top Insider

Lady Vols basketball is looking to add more pieces to its 2026-27 roster with high-level experience. After completing her junior season at Texas A&M, Fatmata Janneh has emerged as a Tennessee target for her final year of eligibility. According to her Instagram story on Sunday night, she is in Knoxville.
With the Aggies a year ago, the 6-foot-2 forward averaged 11.4 points per game on 43.3% shooting from the field. She also showed off an ability to hit from range, posting 1.1 makes per game on 33% shooting from three.
Perhaps Janneh’s biggest strength is her rebounding, though. She ripped down 9.7 boards per contest, good for the fifth-most in the SEC. This featured 2.6 rebounds on the offensive end per outing.
Janneh also averaged 1.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. She appeared in 27 games, starting in each.
More From RTI: How Watching The NCAA Tournament Drew Terrence Hill Jr. To Tennessee Basketball
Janneh started her career with a pair of seasons at St. Peter’s. As a sophomore, she averaged a double-double, posting 18.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. This made her a sought-after transfer in the portal before landing at Texas A&M as the nation’s leading defensive rebounder. As a freshman, she averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds.
The forward is from London, England, attending Barking Abbey Sixth Form for her prep ball. She would be the second player from England to join the Tennessee roster if she committed. UT also added the commitment of incoming freshman and former Boston College signee Irene Oboavwoduo this offseason.
So far, Caldwell and the Lady Vols have landed five transfers in this portal cycle. This features Liberty guard Avery Mills, Northern Arizona guard Naomi White, Stanford forward Harper Peterson and Georgia forward Zhen Craft and guard Rylie Theuerkauf.
Tennessee will also roster a pair of incoming freshmen. Four-star recruit and top-50 prospect Gabby Minus is staying true to her signing despite the roster overhaul and assistant coaching changes, along with the addition of Oboavwoduo.
Texas
Texas needs at least $174 billion to avoid water crisis, state says
AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — Texas communities will need to spend $174 billion in the next 50 years to avert a severe water crisis, a new state analysis revealed Thursday. That’s more than double the $80 billion projected four years ago, when the Texas Water Development Board last passed a state water plan.
The three-member board presiding over the agency authorized the highly anticipated draft blueprint Thursday, the first administrative step toward adopting the water development board’s plans for the next 50 years. The plan, released every five years, encompasses the projects that 16 regional water planning groups in Texas said are the most urgent, water development board officials said.
The board’s latest estimates come as the state’s water supply faces numerous threats. Growing communities across Texas are scrambling to secure water, keep up with construction costs and cope with a yearslong drought. This week, Corpus Christi officials said the city may be just months away from declaring a water emergency. Meanwhile, other rural cities by the Coastal Bend are rapidly drilling wells to avoid a crisis. Residents in North Texas have also been bracing for groundwater shortages.
In an effort to restrain the crisis, lawmakers last year called an election in which voters approved a $20 billion boost for communities to use on water-related expenses. The water development board’s estimate shows that what lawmakers proposed on the ballot falls dramatically short of the needed cash, experts said.
“What this number tells me at the end of the day is if we don’t get serious about (funding water projects), there are going to be serious consequences for Texas,” said Perry Fowler, executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network. “Even with the billion-dollar-a-year plan kicking in, it’s not going to be enough to offset the costs of the projects that are going to have to be executed.”
The new estimate accounts for 3,000 projects, from regional infrastructure upgrades to smaller endeavors such as drilling new water wells. Texas’ water supplies are expected to drop by roughly 10% between 2030 and 2080, according to the water plan. In that same time frame, the maximum amount of water communities can draw is also expected to decline by 9%.
The 80-page plan notes approximately 6,700 recommended strategies that would add water to the state’s dwindling portfolio. The recommendations — which are not accounted for in the cost — include developing new supplies from aquifer storage and recovery, brackish groundwater, desalination and recycled water. It also calls for water conservation.
The report suggested that if Texas does not implement the plans and recommendations, the state is one severe drought away from an estimated $91 billion in economic damages in 2030.
The state’s plan attributes a variety of reasons for the bigger price tag, such as higher costs of construction due to inflation, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on supply chains, and a growing backlog of water supply projects.
“There’s a plan that can meet our needs,” said Matt Nelson, deputy executive administrator for the Office of Planning at the water development board, adding that they take their cues from the regional planning groups. “These are local projects that folks need to implement; they’re needed regardless of how they’re funded. It’s important to remember these are not top-down projects or state projects.”
Experts told The Texas Tribune that the board’s estimate is only a fraction of what Texas communities will need to ensure they have water in 50 years’ time, saying growth and development are outpacing the state’s ability to keep up.
“This is a bigger water plan in terms of volume strategies and capital costs compared to anything we’ve ever seen before,” said Jeremy Mazur, the director of infrastructure and natural resources policy at think tank Texas 2036.
Mazur suggested that the $174 billion only covers water supply projects and does not account for updating aging infrastructure, adding that the actual price could amount to a quarter of a trillion dollars.
“There’s a substantial magnitude with regard to the capital investment needed to both fix our aging and current systems and potentially develop the water infrastructure, water supply projects that we need.“
The report largely confirmed what many water experts have warned regarding threats to the state’s water supply, said Sarah Kirkle, director of policy at the Texas Water Association.
“Population growth, extreme weather, and economic development needs are all increasing demands on our infrastructure, and the state is going to need more water, sooner,” Kirkle said. “This is all while water projects are becoming more costly and complex because the easiest and cheapest local projects have already been developed.”
Fowler, with the infrastructure network, said he expects the Texas Legislature to take up the issue next year, when lawmakers meet for the 90th legislative session. He said the state should take a bigger role in ensuring that communities can afford their respective water projects.
“It’s going to have to be a top-down priority, there’s no way around it,” he said. “The challenges are so immense that it’s going to take all hands on deck.”
Texas residents have until the end of May to comment on the proposal. Water development board officials must adopt it by January 2027.
Alejandra Martinez contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at www.texastribune.org. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans – and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Texas
Co‑worker confesses to killing missing North Texas man and stealing his car, police say
A North Texas man reported missing earlier this week was found dead Friday, and police say a co‑worker has confessed to fatally shooting him and stealing his car.
The suspect, Gregory D. Lewis, 34, remains in custody and faces a forthcoming capital murder charge, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.
Lewis is accused of killing 31‑year‑old Thomas King, who had been last seen in his Taco Casa work uniform. King was reported missing on Tuesday after failing to return home Monday from the fast‑food restaurant in the 1100 block of Bridgewood Drive.
Car found at Arlington motel
Police said King’s car was found at the Quality Inn on I‑20 in Arlington, and surveillance video showed Lewis arriving in King’s vehicle shortly after King left work.
Detectives identified the man in the video and arrested him on unrelated charges.
Body discovered on Fort Worth’s East Side
King’s body was located on Friday in an open field on Fort Worth’s East Side, authorities said.
According to police, Lewis confessed to shooting the victim and stealing his car.
Medical examiner review pending
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
CBS News Texas has reached out to Taco Casa for comment.
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