Texas
Texas A&M AD details cuts, changes in light of House settlement
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M athletics plans to trim its department budget by almost $10 million as a result of the recent House v. NCAA settlement, which requires universities to pay their student-athletes.
Trev Alberts, A&M’s athletic director, told reporters Monday about the department’s plan to increase scholarships, reduce spending and staff, and create a new position to deal with the ramifications of the settlement, which calls for student-athletes to be paid by their schools.
Student-athletes were previously able to sign endorsement deals or make salary demands from third parties under loosened name, image and likeness rules. Alberts said he was “really excited about having a hard cap” and excited about work on NIL Go, a clearinghouse that will review NIL deals.
“This (settlement and resulting committee) has to work for the future of college athletics,” Alberts said. “It’s worth saying, you know, an unregulated market that we’ve lived in the last three to four years is not in the best interest of anybody, including the student-athletes.”
A&M’s plan is not finalized, with some savings and cut estimates still being calculated, according to a fact sheet provided by Alberts. The settlement — a result of a 2020 class-action lawsuit against the NCAA — approved by a federal judge earlier this month says that each university must pay athletes $20.5 million out of their revenue-sharing agreements. The decision took over a year to be finalized after the NCAA agreed last May to settle the suit. Texas A&M trimmed several athletics positions in April 2024, just before the NCAA bowed out of its legal fight against revenue sharing.
“I knew that this (settlement) was coming,” he said, “but, you know, I think any time you have a transition, (staff changes are) kind of normal in a sense.”
How Texas A&M is finding the money to pay its players
Alberts, 54, said he felt the department was “a little heavy” in its executive staffing. Hecame to A&M in March 2024 after serving two-plus years as the AD at Nebraska, where he was an All-American linebacker in the 1990s.
The total of the cuts, along with projected revenue increases, will provide an additional $26.5 million in “financial resources,” the fact sheet states. Texas A&M athletics in fiscal year 2024 made $266.4 million in operating revenues and spent a total of $243.7 million, according to public records obtained by kbtx.com in College Station. Most of that $22.7 million in profit was due to football, which raked in more than $118 million compared to $90 million in expenses. That includes over $27 million being paid to former coach Jimbo Fisher, per KBTX.
Football is A&M’s only revenue-creating sport, Alberts said, but revenue-sharing will be spread among six Aggies programs: football, baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and volleyball.
“We’re going to have (a) best-in-class, fair-market value, NIL strategy,” Alberts said. “It’s where I think Texas A&M has a great strategic advantage… bringing all of our combined assets together to create the best fair-market value NIL strategy for all of our student athletes, (that) should be a separator for us.
“How do we leverage the largest living alumni in the SEC?…”
The changes following the settlement are already being felt, said Alberts, who spent over an hour Monday on campus, discussing the future of the school and college athletics as a whole with local media members.
The university’s cuts will come from about $1 million in decreased expenses tied to the number of student-athletes; more than $2 million in cuts for sports teams (roughly 2-8% budget reduction); nearly $4 million, or more, in cuts to department administrative staff, department support and team support staff; and moving away from the $1.8 million provided in Alston Awards, which are four-figure annual funds student-athletes can use for academic-related expenses.
The fact sheet shows a yet-to-be-determined “line-item reduction” in disbursements to the 12th Man Foundation, which funds “scholarships, programs and facilities” in support of A&M athletics. Analysis is also pending on “admin operational savings,” which are budget cuts for support staff.
The department is planning on revenue from $5 million in additional disbursements by the 12th Man Foundation; a new multimedia rights agreement that is expected to bring in $12.5 million; and a potential ninth football conference game. A yet-to-be-determined amount is expected from SEC and College Football Playoff revenue distribution, too.
“… You first put as the North Star: ‘What is in the best long-term interest of Texas A&M and Texas A&M athletics?’ Period,” Alberts said. “This is not ‘What’s in the best interest of Trev Alberts or any other individual or organization.’ It has to be, ‘This is about Texas A&M.’”
The sheet also says the moves will provide sports programs with more autonomy, among other things, and the staffing cuts will make the department more sustainable.
Alberts was on the job for a little over a month when Texas A&M cut 18 student and professional positions last year.
More scholarships for several sports
SEC schools elected to increase scholarships at each school and decrease the money pooled for players, Alberts said Monday. He said because of the vote, the SEC is the only Power Four conference to reduce the $20.5 million cap to $18 million for its member schools.
Texas A&M entered the 2024 athletic calendar with 255 scholarships, and after the court’s ruling, the Aggies will go forward in the 2025-26 school year with 410, an increase of 155 from the previous season.
MORE: Texas A&M football: 3 true freshmen who could contribute on Day 1
Football’s roster sizes will jump to 105 from the original 85 limit, while baseball’s scholarship allocation will more than double to 34 from its previous 11.7 model. Softball, ranked the No. 1 team in the country at time this season, will increase from 12 to 25, and volleyball, which just reeled in one of the top recruits in the nation, from 12 to 18.
Part of that plan is adding a staff member to help coordinate and facilitate expansion into the new NIL space.
“We’re not ready to announce a name, but we are hiring a new position. That’ll be an associate athletic director reporting directly to me that is an attorney, and it’s basically, ‘What is our strategy on how do we leverage every one of our assets?’” Alberts said.
Although men’s outdoor track and field shared a national championship, the Aggies largely struggled as a department in 2024. Football finished the year 8-5 following a 7-1 start; baseball missed the playoffs as a consensus preseason No. 1 and softball and basketball had early exits in their respective postseasons.
Despite a rough first year, results-wise, at the helm, Alberts said all the change favors A&M. The school has one of the largest alumni bases in the country and has thrown millions behind NIL and recruiting efforts the past several years. It’s paid off with top 10 football recruiting classes, including the No. 2 class in the country for 2026.
“I believe this is Texas A&M’s time. This whole situation in college athletics, this is our time to separate and go, and I know I’ve had people say, ‘We’ve heard that a lot,’ but I believe that,” Alberts said. “I believe that, because this is one of the few places in the country that can actually adjust and adapt to this reality in a way that’s better than most. And that’s why I’m here, to be honest with you.”
Texas
Paxton hails Trump’s endorsement as ‘most powerful force in politics’ after Texas runoff win – US politics live
Trump endorsement ‘most powerful force in politics’, says Paxton after runoff victory
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
Texas attorney-general Ken Paxton said Donald Trump’s endorsement is “the most powerful force in politics” as he comfortably won the Republican nomination for the Senate last night.
Paxton defeated four-term senator John Cornyn in the latest contest where president Trump sought to oust an incumbent he saw as insufficiently loyal, AP reported.
Trump endorsed Paxton, calling him a “true MAGA warrior”, with Paxton’s victory in the runoff making Cornyn – who was first elected to the Senate in 2002 – the first Republican senator from Texas to lose the party’s nomination for reelection.
“When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn’t listen,” Paxton said. “President Trump is the leader of our party, and his endorsement is the most powerful force in politics.”
Cornyn’s loss followed primaries this month where Trump successfully backed challengers to Republican lawmakers who had displeased him in Louisiana, Kentucky and Indiana, a sign of his enduring influence among primary voters.
“After a public service career lasting more than four decades and 18 consecutive campaign wins, tonight we’ve come up short in this primary runoff,” Cornyn said shortly after the race was called. “I’ve always supported the GOP ticket. I intend to do so again this general election.”
The race had wide implications for Trump’s strength heading into November’s midterm elections, where Paxton will now face James Talarico, a Democratic pastor and state legislator whose message of peace and populism has attracted much attention. If he wins, Talarico would become the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win statewide office in Texas.
In other developments:
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Christian Menefee defeated Al Green to represent Texas’s newly redrawn 18th congressional district. Green, 78, had served 11 terms as a Democrat, earning a reputation as one of Donald Trump’s top critics, when he became the first member of Congress to call for his impeachment, as early as 2017. Menefee, 38, began serving in Congress earlier this year after he won a special election. The two Democrats faced off against each other in this year’s election after Republican redistricting saw their home districts near Houston redrawn.
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Two Republican-led efforts to redraw congressional maps in Alabama and South Carolina hit setbacks. In Alabama, a federal court said the proposed map could not be used because it was drawn to intentionally discriminate against Black voters. The South Carolina Senate voted against redrawing the state’s congressional map due to political and administrative reasons.
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Construction is under way on the White House lawn for a UFC arena that will host a cage-match next month to mark the United States’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s 80th birthday. The mixed martial arts fight is planned for 14 June.
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Trump completed his annual physical after year of public attention to health issues. Trump, the oldest inaugurated president in US history, completed a physical exam on Tuesday at Walter Reed national military medical center, amid questions around his health. “Everything checked out PERFECTLY,” the US president declared in a social media post.
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The Trump administration considered asking federal workers to sign NDAs. The goal of asking federal employees to sign nondisclosure agreements is to prevent them from sharing confidential information with journalists.
Key events
Trump moves Camp David cabinet meeting to White House as Iran talks continue
Robert Tait
Donald Trump will host the 12th cabinet meeting of his second term on Wednesday as talks on ending the nearly three-month war with Iran reach a crucial stage amid conflicting signals over whether an agreement is close.
The gathering had originally been scheduled to take place in the bucolic setting of Camp David, the presidential retreat that had previously been the site of sensitive Middle East negotiations, including the historic Israeli-Egyptian peace accords.
But Trump switched it back to its more accustomed White House setting, citing adverse weather forecasts.
“Based on the possible bad weather conditions tomorrow, we will be having our Cabinet Meeting in the White House, and will be postponing the Cabinet trip to Camp David,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. Heavy rain is expected in the area on Wednesday.
The initial decision to stage it at Camp David had raised eyebrows, given that Trump had visited the presidential retreat deep in the Maryland countryside, 62 miles north-west of Washington, much less frequently than most of his predecessors.
Veteran Texas congressman Al Green beaten in Democratic primary runoff
Uwa Ede-Osifo
Christian Menefee, a freshman Democratic US representative, beat veteran congressman Al Green on Tuesday in a fierce runoff that was the product of Republican gerrymandering.
Last year, the Republican-dominated Texas legislature unveiled a congressional map designed to flip seats in the GOP’s favor. Donald Trump had urged the state’s lawmakers to safeguard the party’s congressional majority.
Under the new map, Green, a congressional fixture for over two decades and a staunch Trump critic, saw his reliably Democratic ninth district effectively eliminated. He announced a bid for the 18th district in November.
Menefee was sworn into the seat in January, after winning a special election to replace the late US representative Sylvester Turner.
On the campaign trail, Green sought to link Menefee with big-money politics, accusing his challenger of being aligned with “Trump crypto cronies”, Houston Public Media reported.
Green’s protests of the Trump administration have garnered national attention in recent years.
In February, he was ejected from the president’s State of the Union address after holding a sign that read “Black people aren’t apes!” It was a counter to Trump sharing a racist AI-generated video where Barack and Michelle Obama were depicted as the simians.
Trump endorsement ‘most powerful force in politics’, says Paxton after runoff victory
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
Texas attorney-general Ken Paxton said Donald Trump’s endorsement is “the most powerful force in politics” as he comfortably won the Republican nomination for the Senate last night.
Paxton defeated four-term senator John Cornyn in the latest contest where president Trump sought to oust an incumbent he saw as insufficiently loyal, AP reported.
Trump endorsed Paxton, calling him a “true MAGA warrior”, with Paxton’s victory in the runoff making Cornyn – who was first elected to the Senate in 2002 – the first Republican senator from Texas to lose the party’s nomination for reelection.
“When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn’t listen,” Paxton said. “President Trump is the leader of our party, and his endorsement is the most powerful force in politics.”
Cornyn’s loss followed primaries this month where Trump successfully backed challengers to Republican lawmakers who had displeased him in Louisiana, Kentucky and Indiana, a sign of his enduring influence among primary voters.
“After a public service career lasting more than four decades and 18 consecutive campaign wins, tonight we’ve come up short in this primary runoff,” Cornyn said shortly after the race was called. “I’ve always supported the GOP ticket. I intend to do so again this general election.”
The race had wide implications for Trump’s strength heading into November’s midterm elections, where Paxton will now face James Talarico, a Democratic pastor and state legislator whose message of peace and populism has attracted much attention. If he wins, Talarico would become the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win statewide office in Texas.
In other developments:
-
Christian Menefee defeated Al Green to represent Texas’s newly redrawn 18th congressional district. Green, 78, had served 11 terms as a Democrat, earning a reputation as one of Donald Trump’s top critics, when he became the first member of Congress to call for his impeachment, as early as 2017. Menefee, 38, began serving in Congress earlier this year after he won a special election. The two Democrats faced off against each other in this year’s election after Republican redistricting saw their home districts near Houston redrawn.
-
Two Republican-led efforts to redraw congressional maps in Alabama and South Carolina hit setbacks. In Alabama, a federal court said the proposed map could not be used because it was drawn to intentionally discriminate against Black voters. The South Carolina Senate voted against redrawing the state’s congressional map due to political and administrative reasons.
-
Construction is under way on the White House lawn for a UFC arena that will host a cage-match next month to mark the United States’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s 80th birthday. The mixed martial arts fight is planned for 14 June.
-
Trump completed his annual physical after year of public attention to health issues. Trump, the oldest inaugurated president in US history, completed a physical exam on Tuesday at Walter Reed national military medical center, amid questions around his health. “Everything checked out PERFECTLY,” the US president declared in a social media post.
-
The Trump administration considered asking federal workers to sign NDAs. The goal of asking federal employees to sign nondisclosure agreements is to prevent them from sharing confidential information with journalists.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — NASA laid out its moon base plans, and the operation has Texas ties beyond the Johnson Space Center.
Only weeks have passed since NASA sent humans further in space than ever before. While the agency achieved something new, on Tuesday afternoon, NASA said it’s only the beginning.
The agency said a moon base is coming. A place where astronauts will explore, perform experiments, and provide data to get to Mars.
Although NASA has sent humans before, NASA’s moon base program manager, Carlos Garcia-Galan, said this moon base mission is different.
“Eventually, when we matched the assets, habitat modules with the logistics and all the things to move the logistics around,” Garcia-Galan explained. “Then we’ll be able to say, we’re permanently here, and we’re not giving it up.”
The plan, NASA said, is to build a moon base in three phases over 75 launches over the next six years. The first steps, officials said, will be by the end of the year when they start to send supplies to the moon, ahead of astronaut lunar missions scheduled for 2028.
Rice University physics and astronomy professor Patricia Reiff said it’s ambitious but doable. “I think this was a very sensible way to proceed,” Reiff said.
NASA isn’t doing it alone. The agency said it’s spending hundreds of millions of dollars with private companies to build the base.
On Tuesday, it announced that Firefly Aerospace, based in Austin, will deliver drones to the moon. Axiom Space, based in Houston, said it’ll work with the company selected to build the new lunar rovers.
“I think it’s fantastic news because even the ones not based in Houston will be having people here in Houston to work closely with the Johnson Space Center,” Reiff explained.
A moon base, NASA said, is ready to start just weeks after completing Artemis, not just for its own exploration, but what could one day benefit us on Earth.
“We go for the technology we will pioneer to get there,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said. “The science and all that we will learn that’ll make life better here on earth. To advance humankind on this great adventure.”
While NASA plans to send supplies to the moon starting later this year, astronauts won’t be with it. NASA said it plans to launch astronauts into space next year to test its lunar landers.
Then, in two years, it says it plans to start sending humans back to the moon.
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