Good Morning! On this day in 1916, boxer Lew Jenkins was born in Milburn. He knocked out Lou Ambers at Madison Square Garden in 1940 to claim the World Lightweight Championship.
A rare red-spotted patch butterfly was seen in South Texas for the first time since 2006. Check out photos here.
New polling for the 2028 Republican primary has surfaced, showing some eye-catching shifts and prompting a closer look at JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. as the early field develops. There’s a lot to unpack, and host Ayla Brown breaks it down on today’s Flyover Podcast.
Later today, we’ll send you The Flyover Christmas Gift Guide, a quick, stress-free roundup of gifts people actually want, so you can finally cross off that last hard-to-shop-for person on your list.
If you’re serious about safeguarding your online privacy, today’s sponsor, Incogni, can remove your personal data from the web—and keep it protected long-term.
Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.
Trump Pardons Cuellar
President Trump issued a pardon for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) and his wife, Imelda, who were indicted last year on charges of accepting bribes to advance the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a Mexican bank. The couple’s trial was scheduled for April.
In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed the Biden administration “weaponized the Justice System” by targeting Cuellar for opposing its open-border policies. “Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight,” Trump wrote. “Your nightmare is finally over!“
Trump’s post included a Nov. 12 letter from the couple’s daughters. Cuellar said he was aware his daughters sent the letter, and he acknowledged meeting with prosecutors several months ago to discuss having his case dismissed.
The U.S. House Ethics Committee is still investigating Cuellar. Speaker Mike Johnson said he “didn’t know anything” about Cuellar’s pardon before Trump’s announcement, and a National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman admitted it “certainly makes it tougher” to flip the 11-term incumbent’s seat.
Waymo Vehicles Passing School Buses
Austin ISD has released videos of Waymo autonomous vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses over a dozen times in the past few months.
Between the first day of school on Aug. 19 and Oct. 29 of this year, cameras on the stop arms of district school buses recorded Waymo vehicles failing to stop 12 times. AISD sent a letter to the company demanding that they address the issue and pay $2,100 in fines.
Waymo stated that they “implemented software updates,” but AISD recorded seven additional violations after sending the letter. Officials have asked the company to suspend its service from 5:20 to 9:30 a.m., and from 3 to 7 p.m.
AISD has shared the videos with the National Highway Transportation Administration, which has been investigating Waymo over the behavior of its vehicles around buses.
Waymo has announced plans to roll out its service in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio in the near future.
Search for Missing Plane Continues
Austin-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity will conduct a 55-day search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 beginning Dec. 30, having suspended a six-week search in April due to challenging conditions.
The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people mysteriously disappeared 39 minutes after departing Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Authorities never determined what happened. Despite a massive international search for the aircraft, only a few fragments of debris have been recovered.
Ocean Infinity signed a “no-find, no-fee” contract for $70 million with Malaysia’s government in March to search a 5,800-square-mile area of the Indian Ocean. The company conducted a similar search in 2018.
➤ Gov. Greg Abbott has asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to suspend the tax-exempt status of the Council on American-Islamic Relations due to its “longstanding ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.” (See Details)
➤ DFW: A group of families has filed another federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. Sixteen North Texas school districts were named as defendants. (More)
➤ Kerr County: Camp Mystic leaders announced enhanced safety plans in a letter to parents Tuesday, saying “it is our goal not only to be in compliance with the new camp safety laws, but to exceed their requirements.” (See Details)
➤ San Antonio: An ICE detention facility was evacuated Tuesday after an envelope containing “suspicious powder” was found nearby. “ICE will not tolerate any threats or actions aimed at undermining its critical mission of enforcing laws and protecting the security of the United States,” said a spokesman. (More)
➤ Addison: The city council voted down a proposal to schedule an election to discontinue funding for Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Most of those who spoke during public comments opposed withdrawing from the network. (More)
➤ Cooke County: Authorities are seeking information on the death of a bison that was illegally shot and beheaded on private property last month. (More)
➤ Austin: Businesses owned by women and minorities are no longer eligible for participation in a state program established to provide contracting opportunities for “historically underutilized businesses,” according to a memo from the Texas Comptroller’s office. The program is now available only to businesses owned by service-disabled veterans. (More)
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➤ Texas and Texas A&M have two of the top 10 football recruiting classes after National Signing Day this week. (More)
➤ The Dallas Cowboys play the Detroit Lions tonight, looking to improve their standing in the NFC East. The Cowboys are underdogs despite a three-game win streak. (More)
➤ UNT hired Texas Longhorns assistant Neal Brown as their head football coach. (More)
➤ Texas Longhorns volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott created a hair tie specifically designed for volleyball players after his practices were interrupted by players constantly re-tying their hair. The tie is 13 times stronger than an average hair tie, and it’s now used by collegiate athletes nationwide. (More)
➤ Space City Home Network is launching a direct-to-consumer streaming app that allows Houston residents to stream all Astros and Rockets games for one flat price. (More)
➤ Eight Texas colleges will compete in the NCAA volleyball tournament, which starts today: Texas, Texas A&M, SMU, TCU, Rice, Baylor, UTEP, and Stephen F. Austin. (See Bracket)
➤ 37 Freaking Awesome Gadgets. Why is everyone talking about these 37 gadgets? Simple: they work. These aren’t random impulse buys… they’re the smart solutions people keep recommending to friends and family. Each one delivers on its promise, whether it’s decluttering your space, upgrading your tech setup, or just making daily tasks easier. The reviews speak for themselves, and so do the empty shelves. These top picks are moving fast, with several already on backorder. Learn More
➤ The city of Wichita Falls is partnering with Lucy Park Renewable LLC to develop a facility for capturing methane gas from the local landfill. The project is expected to generate monthly revenue of at least $30,000 for the city. (More)
➤ Over 1,500 people have signed a petition opposing the development of a $10 billion data center on 520 acres of farmland near Elm Mott. “It has really opened my eyes to what we’re capable of and how much people actually care,” said local resident Mary Beechner. (More)
➤ A Redfin report predicts the Austin and San Antonio real estate markets will see a downturn next year, citing rising insurance costs and more remote workers being required to return to the office. (More)
➤ DFW International Airport contributes $78.3 billion to the local economy every year and supports 684,000 jobs, according to a report compiled by the Perryman Group. (More)
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➤ A GameStop in Grapevine paid $30,494.70 for a rare Pokémon card on Monday, marking the most valuable single trade-in in company history. “Any trolls who publicly claim that GameStop trade-in values are bad are hereby factually and demonstrably incorrect,” the company said in a statement. (See Details)
➤ Four of the nation’s top 50 steakhouses are in Texas, according to a new ranking published by Robb Report. (More)
➤ Houston and Austin are among the top 10 most fun cities in America, according to a WalletHub analysis that ranked 180 U.S. cities on 65 metrics like movie costs and fitness clubs per capita. (More)
➤ J. Craig Wheeler and Yi Yang, astronomers with ties to UT Austin and Texas A&M, mapped the shape of a supernova for the first time, revealing that it is oblong rather than spherical. Wheeler described the neutron star produced by the explosion as “something with the mass of a star and the size of Austin.” (More)
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Trump Pardons Cuellar
