Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1839, some 500 Texas troops clashed with Cherokee forces led by Chief Bowl west of present-day Tyler, opening the two-day Battle of the Neches, the fight that ended the Cherokee War in East Texas.

During the World Cup, it has felt a bit as if the entire planet has come to Texas to hang out, including David and Victoria Beckham grabbing brisket at Terry Black's in Dallas on Monday. Did you have any celebrity sightings or fun interactions with global fans? Hit reply to tell us about it.

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Floods Swamp Hill Country

Up to 12 inches of rain had swamped Uvalde County by Tuesday morning, and forecasters warn hard-hit areas west of San Antonio could see another 10 to 20 inches.

Texas Game Wardens rescued the occupants of a car moments before floodwater swept it away west of Sabinal. Crews in Medina County made at least four water rescues after 3 to 9 inches of rain fell overnight.

Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster in 59 counties and kept the state's emergency operations center running around the clock. Swiftwater rescue teams and National Guard Black Hawk helicopters were staged across the state.

More rounds of heavy rain are forecast into Wednesday and Thursday, with the highest flood threat along the U.S. 90 corridor west of San Antonio and north into the Hill Country.

ICE Pauses Most Vehicle Stops

ICE has ordered agents to suspend most vehicle stops nationwide after officers fatally shot two men during stops in Texas and Maine over the past week.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican illegal immigrant living in Houston, was killed on July 7 when agents stopped his van while pursuing a different man. The Department of Homeland Security said he tried to ram an officer; his family disputes that account.

The pause is temporary while agents get more training on vehicle-stop tactics, and it won't apply to operations targeting serious criminal suspects.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she urged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to halt non-urgent stops. Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Houston, said the pause doesn't go far enough: "A temporary training won't solve a deeply ingrained problem."

$469M Mesquite Ammo Plant Under Scrutiny

A $469 million Army ammunition plant in Mesquite, east of Dallas, has produced no usable 155mm artillery projectile parts in the roughly two years since it opened, a Pentagon watchdog found.

The Defense Department inspector general's report, released Monday, said the plant hadn't produced any metal parts that met contract specifications as of March. The Army aims to produce 100,000 rounds per month after sending more than 3 million shells to Ukraine. It was producing about 36,000 rounds per month as of March.

Inspectors traced the failure to a plan to adapt older equipment for newer shells, a risk the report says Army officials "accepted." With Mesquite idle, three plants in Pennsylvania and Canada are carrying the load.

Operator General Dynamics said it and the Army have agreed on a path forward that includes additional company investment to finish the project.

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➤ West Texas: The Department of Energy closed a loan of up to $3.26 billion to AEP Texas to fund roughly 100 transmission projects, rebuilding lines across 2,800 miles to meet surging power demand from data centers and Permian Basin oil and gas development. (See Details)

➤ Anderson County: A judge is weighing competing briefs and new evidence in the case of Robert Roberson, the Palestine man convicted in 2003 in the shaken-baby death of his 2-year-old daughter. The judge will recommend to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals whether Roberson deserves a new trial. (See Details)

➤ Laredo: Police issued a bee swarm advisory for a central neighborhood after a swarm stung three people Monday, sending a 78-year-old man, a 43-year-old man, and an elderly woman to the hospital. (More)

➤ Washington, D.C.: Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., introduced the Mystic Alerts Act, which would let cell carriers partner with satellite providers to deliver wireless emergency alerts when ground towers fail, legislation inspired by last July's Hill Country floods. (See Details)

➤ Laredo: President Donald Trump urged Texans not to re-elect Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, accusing the 11-term Democrat he pardoned in December of disloyalty for running again. Trump endorsed Republican Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina in the 28th District race. (More)

➤ Longview: Pine Tree ISD Superintendent Steve Clugston failed to qualify for the November ballot for a Texas Senate seat after the state invalidated petition signatures, leaving him short of the required total. (More)

➤ Trinidad: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality detailed serious water problems in Trinidad, south of Dallas: discolored tap water, aging distribution mains, and disinfectant levels more than 300% over federal limits. The town has until Aug. 3 to submit a compliance plan. (See Report)

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➤ Spain beat France 2-0 in Tuesday's World Cup semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, on Mikel Oyarzabal's first-half penalty and Pedro Porro's 58th-minute finish. Spain advances to Sunday's final against the winner of England-Argentina. (See Details)

➤ Florida State is hiring Tom Herman, the former Texas and Houston head coach, in a support staff role for 2026, likely assisting coach Mike Norvell's offense. Herman went 32-18 at Texas from 2017 to 2020 and 22-4 at Houston before that. (More)

➤ The Waco-area Midway Little League swept the Texas West State tournament in Abilene with three titles: the 10U softball team beat Medina Valley 2-1 on a walk-off, the 10U baseball team topped Bulverde 6-2, and the 11U baseball team went undefeated for a back-to-back title. (See Details)

➤ David Beckham and wife Victoria dined at Terry Black's Barbecue in Dallas' Deep Ellum on Monday ahead of the France-Spain World Cup semifinal in Arlington, posting "WOW" on Instagram over a tray of brisket, beef rib, turkey, and smoked sausage. (See Photos)

Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | MLB | WNBA

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➤ Texas' $2.27 trillion economy ranked second strongest in the nation in CNBC's 20th annual state business rankings, behind only North Carolina, though the state slipped to fourth overall once quality-of-life measures were factored in. (See Details)

➤ Taiwanese electronics manufacturer LITEON will build an AI power and infrastructure manufacturing facility in McKinney, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday. The company expects to invest about $919 million and create more than 600 jobs, supported by a $3.5 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant. (More)

➤ Three drone boats built by Austin-based Saronic struck Iran's Bandar Abbas Naval Base on Sunday, the first combat use of unmanned surface vessels by the U.S. military, according to CENTCOM. The 24-foot Corsair vessels hit a submarine and a ship maintenance facility. (See Details)

➤ Frontier Airlines will bring SpaceX's Starlink Wi-Fi to its fleet, with the first equipped aircraft flying in early 2027. The budget carrier bills it as "the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky." (More)

➤ Longview Mall will add Barnes & Noble and jewelry retailer Pandora, part of new owners Trademark Property and Dillard's push to revive the 646,000-square-foot center. (See Details)

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➤ FBI El Paso is running a Teen Academy summer camp that puts high schoolers through the mental and physical paces of special agents. Only 60 of 120 applicants made the cut this year. (See Video)

➤ A statue of Farrah Fawcett is one step closer in Corpus Christi, where a proposal honoring the hometown Charlie's Angels star is expected to go before the City Council on July 28. Sculptor David Deming, whose work includes the UT football legends outside the stadium in Austin, would create it. (See Details)

➤ An anonymous New Braunfels resident claimed the fourth and final $20 million top prize in the Texas Lottery's $20 Million Supreme scratch game. The winner, who bought the ticket at a local H-E-B, plans to pay off debts and fund their grandchildren's education. (More)

➤ Austin drivers will soon be able to track every major construction project in the region with CTX GO, a free app and website from the Central Texas Construction Partnership Program offering real-time traffic updates, work zone maps, and trip planning as more than a decade of coordinated roadwork unfolds. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Hearing specialists say once hearing fades, it's gone for good, making a few simple habits the only way to protect it. (See Habits)

➤ Newly released records show a former special counsel's team accessed texts from dozens of lawmakers in both parties, drawing constitutional accusations. (Hear Episode)

➤ A state just cleared the way for seniors in assisted living to raise a glass together, no liquor license required. (Listen Now)