State Headlines
Following ban, Texas hemp reps sue state for violating commerce protections
Posted/updated on: August 5, 2026 at 3:45 pmAUSTIN (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) — Three members of the hemp industry are suing the state of Texas for violating commerce protections after it was announced last week that nearly all hemp-derived THC products are illegal. On Friday, two hemp retailers and a distributor filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas against the Texas Department of State Health Services; Attorney General Ken Paxton; and the Galveston County criminal district attorney and sheriff, alleging that classifying hemp-derived substances as illegal violates the 2018 Farm Bill, which removed it from the federal Controlled Substances Act. The complaint states that the reinstated definitions provide no delineation between lawful hemp and unlawful marijuana; that it’s preempted by the 2018 Farm Bill’s protections for ... Read More
Big oil companies continue to post banner profits as fighting in Iran drives prices higher
Posted/updated on: August 5, 2026 at 3:45 pmNEW YORK (AP) — Big oil companies continue to book massive profits as fighting in Iran disrupts energy markets and sends oil and gasoline prices sharply higher. Six of Europe’s largest oil companies posted combined first-quarter profits of $22 billion, more than 40% higher than last year. Profits at BP, based in London, more than doubled to $3.9 billion in the second quarter, the company said Tuesday. And Saudi Aramco reported a 44% year-on-year increase in second-quarter net profit that reached $32.69 billion, driven by higher crude oil, refined products and chemicals prices. The supercharged performances from big oil in Europe and the Middle East follow reports of enormous profits from the largest U.S. oil drillers last week. As the conflict has dragged on, high ... Read More
AP Exclusive: Trump’s immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents
Posted/updated on: August 5, 2026 at 3:45 pmWASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump’s administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families to pursue its mass deportation agenda, an Associated Press investigation found. More than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained since Trump took office for a second term, and at least six have been deported and one self-deported, the AP found in the first accounting of such detentions, which the government does not track. At least eight immediate family members of U.S. service members remain in federal immigration custody. Parents and spouses of people in the military have generally been shielded from deportation under bipartisan consensus for decades. But the AP found they’re now ... Read More
Which families are using ESAs? Here’s what we know about Texas’ first school vouchers
Posted/updated on: August 5, 2026 at 3:45 pmAUSTIN, Texas (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) — More than 85,000 families are participating in Texas’ private school voucher program during its first year, a number that could increase as state officials finalize enrollment data, according to a new state report. White families make up the largest share of participants so far, as do those considered low-income, the comptroller’s office noted in the report released Monday. The report did not say how many students previously attended private school or received home schooling, although earlier data showed that 57% of families invited to the program fell into that category. While it appears unlikely that the majority of first-year voucher recipients will come from public schools, the largest numbers of participating families live within the boundaries of some of ... Read More
Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general clears critical hurdle after deal with GOP holdouts
Posted/updated on: August 5, 2026 at 3:45 pmWASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a critical hurdle Tuesday in his bid to be confirmed to the post after swaying Republican holdouts on a Senate committee to advance his nomination for a floor vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration’s priorities since taking over from Pam Bondi in April. The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators — John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president’s leaked tax ... Read More
Contractors building border wall ordered to stop drilling wells in drought-stricken New Mexico
Posted/updated on: August 5, 2026 at 3:45 pmPHOENIX (AP) — The Trump administration has ordered construction crews on a border wall to stop drilling wells in drought-stricken New Mexico after ranchers said pumping groundwater needed to make concrete could threaten their livestock. The order comes as crews across the southern border race to complete one of President Donald Trump's highest domestic priorities — barriers that span four states and received over $46 billion in federal funding. Controversies have sprouted up in Texas and California, with border-town residents and environmentalists reporting a wide variety of issues with construction. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees border wall construction, has said water is needed to make concrete for roads, wall construction and dust suppression. Cattle ranchers in the area say the drought has already ... Read More
Gov. Abbott stops all Texas data center projects for audit
Posted/updated on: August 5, 2026 at 3:45 pmAUSTIN, Texas (KETK) – On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to audit all data center projects that are connecting to the state’s grid. The PUCT and ERCOT have been tasked with doing a comprehensive “verification and audit” of any data centers in the state that are working through ERCOT’s grid interconnection process. According to Abbott’s office, no data center projects are allowed to move forward with construction until this audit is completed. The governor’s office noted that any data center project that fails to comply with the PUCT and ERCOT will not be allowed to connect to the state’s power grid. “Our top priority is to protect Texans’ safety ... Read More
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