Friday, July 17, 2026

Good morning! On this day in 1941, construction began on a training base for Army bombardiers at the Midland Army Air Field, which the city had leased to the U.S. government for $1 a year following the outbreak of war in Europe.

As featured in Et Cetera below, Dallas and San Antonio have two of just 25 theaters in the U.S. showing the new film The Odyssey in the massive IMAX 70mm format. We asked in the Poll if you plan to see it in any theater. Either way, we're curious: What's the best movie theater film experience you remember? Hit reply to let us know.

Today's sponsor is Miso Robotics, offering investors the opportunity to get in early on an AI-powered restaurant automation company before it goes public.

At Least 1 Dead in Hill Country Flooding

At least two people died in Central Texas as catastrophic flash flooding swept the Texas Hill Country, a year after the region's deadly July 2025 floods.

The Guadalupe River crested at a near-historic 37 feet, and the gauge downstream at Center Point rose 32 feet in four hours. The National Weather Service warned of a "large and deadly flood wave" moving toward Comfort.

Up to 20 inches of rain fell near Uvalde in 48 hours, roughly six months' worth, and rescuers pulled people from homes and vehicles in Hunt, Kerrville, Uvalde, and Knippa.

Gov. Greg Abbott said disaster declarations covered 59 counties, with more than 1,300 state personnel deployed. "We are dealing with and responding to a flood that is likely going to break records," he said Wednesday.

Abbott Pitches Insurance Cost Relief

Gov. Greg Abbott proposed a $400 million taxpayer-funded grant program to provide Texas homeowners with up to $10,000 to help fortify their roofs against hail and wind, part of a legislative push he says will bring down insurance premiums.

Speaking Wednesday at a Houston campaign stop, Abbott said Texas ranks first nationally in hail damage and hail insurance claims, and that similar roof programs in states like Louisiana and Oklahoma cut premiums about 8%. The Legislature would review those programs before appropriating funding. House Speaker Dustin Burrows called the roof plan a "great initiative."

The governor also wants to change state law so insurers can factor driving records into auto insurance rates, which he said industry estimates show could cut some premiums by as much as 30%.

"Home insurance and auto insurance are equally skyrocketing, and Texans were demanding relief," Abbott said, adding that the combined reforms would save Texans "hundreds of dollars a year, more likely thousands."

Texas Launches State Wildfire Air Fleet

The Texas A&M Forest Service announced Thursday it has purchased two helicopters, the first aircraft in a state-mandated wildland firefighting fleet.

The first Subaru Bell 412EPX is due to arrive in December 2027, with the second following three to six months later. The purchase kicks off a two-year expansion, funded by the Legislature's 2025 appropriation of $257 million, that will add multimission fixed-wing planes and large airtankers.

The agency and local fire departments responded to 6,304 wildfires that burned 132,366 acres in 2025, and the Forest Service delivered more than 1 million gallons of water and fire retardant during those responses. Its aerial partnership with the Texas Military Department will continue while the fleet comes online.

The agency calls the fleet's objective simple: get aircraft on a fire as quickly as possible. "This is a force multiplier for our state's wildfire preparedness," said Forest Service Fire Chief Jared Karns.

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Big Money Gets In Pre-IPO in AI

AI stocks now make up about 45% of the S&P 500. But, in AI, the smart money increasingly moves sooner because the biggest breakout gains often happen when investors get in before companies go public. In fact, last year, a whopping 67% of private-stage investments were in AI companies, up from 9% in 2022.

And yet, those opportunities are almost always reserved for the 1%.

Restaurant robotics pioneer Miso Robotics isn’t, and 40K everyday folks like you have already joined big money players like industry powerhouse Ecolab as investors.

Miso’s Flippy Fry Station AI robot has logged 200K+ hours in kitchens across the $1T fast-food industry. Its tech is used by big-name customers like White Castle, Jersey Mike’s, Cinnabon, and more. And Miso just acquired ~300 patents from Zume Pizza, a food robotics pioneer that raised $450 million.

Flippy alone represents a $4B/year revenue opportunity in the US. Become an early-stage shareholder in Miso today. Hurry to earn bonus shares.

➤ Kerr County: More than 2 feet of rain has fallen in parts of Central Texas over five days, according to National Weather Service totals released Thursday. Ingram, in Kerr County, recorded at least 24.38 inches, nearly its annual average of 29.35 inches. (See Rain Totals)

➤ Houston: Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, a Democrat, is disputing an FBI assessment that drugs were in the van of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, the 52-year-old fatally shot by an ICE officer, saying test results would have "no bearing" on his probe of whether the shooting was justified. (More)

➤ Lubbock: Six defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal tens of thousands of barrels of crude oil from Permian Basin producers, federal prosecutors announced. One stolen batch worth $889,000 sold for just $165,000. (See Details)

➤ San Antonio: A 19-year-old man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for leading a violent online network that targeted children, and the FBI is urging parents to stay involved in their kids' online lives. (More)

➤ Boca Chica: SpaceX's Starship rocket aborted its 13th test flight about a second before Thursday's planned liftoff after four engines failed to ignite, keeping the rocket anchored to its Texas pad. Elon Musk said two engines will be replaced, targeting early next week. (More)

➤ Fort Worth: A man died, a woman was critically injured, and two firefighters were hospitalized after an early Thursday house fire, where severe hoarding conditions created what officials called a high-heat maze that hampered rescue efforts. (See Details)

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➤ Scottie Scheffler, a former Highland Park High School and University of Texas star, was named Best Golfer at Wednesday’s 2026 ESPYS, capturing the award for the fourth consecutive year. (See Winners)

➤ The Houston Astros traded right-hander Lance McCullers Jr.—the team's longest-tenured pitcher—and left-hander Colton Gordon to the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers for minor league outfielder Jadyn Fielder. (More)

➤ The Texas Rangers moved their local game broadcasts to the new BZZR streaming service, ending their run on Victory+ after just over a year. (More)

➤ The Texas A&M University System unveiled a new athletics trophy, the Chancellor’s Cup, for which Prairie View A&M and Tarleton State will compete for the first time on Aug. 29 in Stephenville. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: Golf | MLB | WNBA

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➤ Fifth Third Bank will lay off 115 employees at its Frisco office starting Sept. 11, with separations continuing through Jan. 29, 2027. It's the second round of cuts there since the bank's $10.9 billion merger with Dallas-based Comerica closed in February; 184 Comerica workers were laid off then. (More)

➤ AI sea-drone maker Saronic Technologies will invest $3.2 billion in a naval shipyard at the Port of Brownsville, promising 10,000 jobs in 10 years under a tax-incentive deal. City leaders hope it lifts the regional economy. (See Details)

➤ Dallas-based Wingstop was named America's fastest-growing restaurant chain in a preview of QSR magazine's annual rankings, adding 382 U.S. locations last year, roughly 100 more than any other brand. The wing chain started as a single Garland shop in 1994. (More)

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“Cobots” Are Transforming This $1T Market

They’re not replacing humans; they’re working with them. That’s the promise of “cobots,” or collaborative robots.

In a robotics market NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang called “one of the largest industries ever,” the cobot segment is projected to grow 15X by 2035.

And Miso Robotics is proving its value in the $1T fast-food industry.

Their Flippy fry station AI robot boosts restaurant profits up to 4X, already logging 200K hours in live kitchens alongside human employees for brands like White Castle.

Flippy carries $4B/year in U.S. revenue potential on its own. And that's just one piece of Miso’s platform.

Big-name brands like Jersey Mike’s and Cinnabon just became customers. Industry powerhouse Ecolab already invested. Join them as an early-stage shareholder in Miso today. Hurry for bonus shares.

This is a paid advertisement for Miso Robotics’ Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.misorobotics.com

➤ Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, the first feature film shot entirely with IMAX film cameras, opens Friday, and only two Texas theaters—the Cinemark in Dallas and AMC Rivercenter 11 in San Antonio—can screen it in the rare IMAX 70mm film format. (More)

➤ The George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station has opened E Pluribus Unum: Celebrating the American Experience, an exhibit marking the nation's 250th anniversary with items from the National Archives and cultural institutions across the country. (See Details)

➤ TxDOT is kicking off its "Be Safe. Drive Smart." speeding campaign and Operation Slowdown, teaming with local law enforcement on stepped-up patrols statewide from July 18 through Aug. 2. Speeding is the top factor in Texas crashes. More than 150,000 speeding-related wrecks killed 1,247 people last year. (More)

➤ WWE's Friday Night SmackDown returns to Corpus Christi on Sept. 18 with a lineup including Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Trick Williams, Gunther, Jade Cargill, and Tiffany Stratton, among others. Tickets go on sale July 24. (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:

➤ President Trump's longtime teleprompter operator is accused of using inside knowledge of the president's speeches to win $100,000 in bets. (Hear Details)

➤ Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth is now mandating annual testosterone screening for service members over 30 years old across the entire military. (Hear Episode)

➤ The Trump administration is moving to fence off a historic public square beside the White House, escalating a broader security overhaul. (Listen Now)