Good Morning! On this day in 1836, at least 342 Texans were executed by Mexican soldiers at Goliad. The massacre became a rallying cry in the fight for Texas independence.
A cold front is here, and strong winds have put the Panhandle under a red flag warning for an elevated risk of wildfires. Temperatures should go back up throughout the weekend.
Despite a 2.8% increase in Social Security benefits, seniors are receiving less than before. Rising premiums, deductible spikes, and benefit reductions are actually resulting in a pay cut. Tune in to The Flyover Podcast to hear Ayla Brown’s exclusive breakdown of the six specific ways seniors are actually getting less from their benefits this year. Tune in here!
Today’s sponsor, EnergyX, is addressing the growing lithium shortage with breakthrough technology that could reshape battery production and help power the future of data centers.
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AA Flight Attendant Missing in Colombia
Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, a 32-year-old American Airlines flight attendant from Dallas, has been missing in Colombia since Sunday.
Molina was in Medellín for a layover and was scheduled to depart for Miami early Sunday morning. According to a friend, he and two coworkers were at a nightclub on Saturday when two men invited them to continue partying elsewhere.
Molina later shared his location from an Airbnb about 12 miles from the airport. His friend was found disoriented and taken to a medical center. Yesterday, local investigators said they had identified the people Molina left the bar with as criminals with a history of theft using the intoxicating drug scopolamine, also known as “devil’s breath.”
“We are actively engaged with local law enforcement officials in their investigation and doing all we can to support our team member’s family during this time,” American Airlines said in a statement.
Arrest Made in 1990 Cold Case
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has charged Floyd William Parrott, 64, with the 1990 murders of Cheryl Henry, 22, and Andy Atkinson, 21. He was arrested on Wednesday in Lincoln, Nebraska, and is being extradited to Houston.
Henry and Atkinson were last seen Aug. 22, 1990, after leaving a nightclub in west Houston, and their bodies were discovered the next day in an area known as Lovers Lane. Evidence from the crime scene led investigators to believe the suspect might have known her.
Detectives pursued hundreds of leads and examined the DNA of at least two dozen potential suspects, to no avail. Several years later, authorities matched the DNA from the “Lovers Lane Murders” to an unsolved sexual assault that also occurred in 1990.
Parrott was identified through a tip related to a 1996 sexual assault case, the DNA from which was recently added to the national database.
“Thank you to all investigators who have touched this case,” said District Attorney Sean Teare. “Your perseverance has delivered something two families long deserved: progress and hope. Today is a good day.”
Texas Counties Among Nation’s Fastest-Growing
For the third year in a row, Texas added the most new residents, according to annual U.S. Census Bureau estimates released yesterday. Between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, the state’s population increased by 391,243—a rate of 1.2%—and now exceeds 31 million.
While urban growth has declined due to a 45% drop in international immigration, the suburbs continue to grow rapidly. Waller County is the nation’s second-fastest-growing county, and Kaufman, Liberty, and Caldwell counties are among the top 10.
State demographer Lloyd Potter attributed the suburban growth to more abundant housing, cheaper land, and a better quality of life for families. “The housing options in these urban areas are limited, making options to live either expensive or substandard,” he said.
Harris County and Collin County led U.S. counties in new residents, while Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth ranked first and second among U.S. metros. Click here for a map illustrating population shifts.
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AI’s 80,000-Ton Battery Problem
As AI infrastructure explodes, so does lithium demand. Google’s AI data centers currently use 100M+ lithium-ion cells for reliable, always-on power.
The problem? Big Tech’s race to build massive new data center capacity has Morgan Stanley forecasting an 80k-ton lithium shortage this year.
➤ Port Arthur: A group of residents has filed a class-action lawsuit against Valero, alleging the Monday explosion at its refinery damaged their property and could affect their health. A worker who claims he was injured by the explosion is seeking more than $1 million in damages. (More)
➤ Houston: At least 24 TSA officers from the agency’s National Deployment Office have been assigned to George Bush Intercontinental Airport amid security checkpoint delays up to four hours. Houston is hosting a major energy conference this week and NCAA men’s basketball games this weekend. (More)
➤ San Marcos: The Texas State Employees Union is suing the university on behalf of Dr. Idris Robinson, a philosophy professor who claims he was terminated for expressing support for Palestine during an off-campus event. (More)
➤ Hutchinson County: A wildfire that has burned at least 2,882 acres was 80% contained yesterday afternoon. Some residents were advised to evacuate earlier this week. (Watch Video)
➤ Dallas: The city council approved a revised agreement to contribute no more than $57 million toward the construction of a new practice facility for the Dallas Wings women’s basketball team. “It’s important that we get this done today and we get this project back on track,” said Council Member Chad West. (More)
➤ Houston: Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, discussed the challenge of ensuring the reliability of the state’s power grid while maintaining affordability for consumers during remarks at the CERAWeek conference on Wednesday. “A lot of this build—the majority of it—is for these large industrial data center customers,” he said. (More)
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➤ The Texas Children’s Houston Open continues today at Memorial Park Golf Course. Scottie Scheffler withdrew from the tournament ahead of the birth of his second child. (See Leaderboard)
➤ San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama got dunked on by a Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson, only to return the favor with an even more vicious dunk on the other end. (See Highlight)
➤ The Houston Cougars were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament Thursday night, falling 65-55 to No. 3 seed Illinois in the Sweet 16 at Toyota Center. The second-seeded Cougars were outscored 41-33 in the second half after leading 24-22 at the break. (More)
➤ The Texas Longhorns’ NCAA Tournament run ended Thursday night in San Jose as No. 2 seed Purdue escaped with a 79-77 Sweet 16 win on a Trey Kaufman-Renn tip-in with 0.7 seconds left. The 11th-seeded Longhorns finished 21-15. (More)
➤ Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker and Iowa Hawkeyes star Melvin Foster unexpectedly passed away Saturday at the age of 59. He was also a deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for nearly 15 years. (More)
➤ JC Flake of Millsap and Dustin Egusquiza of Florida broke the world record in team roping at Rodeo Austin with a time of 2.9 seconds. “You always think something’s achievable, but we run a lot of steers and never get that close,” said Flake. (Watch Video)
➤ Seniors: This Is Why You Struggle to Stand Up After 60. Harvard research recently uncovered a hidden condition that dries out your joints from the inside — a slow, invisible process called “joint drought” that gets worse each decade after 50. It’s not just cartilage loss or inflammation. Your joints are literally starving for the lubricating fluid they need to move freely. A Boston doctor’s targeted approach to reversing joint drought has already helped over 300,000 Americans move with less stiffness — without surgery or injections. [Read the Full Article →]
➤ Weir’s Furniture, a family-owned Dallas retailer that opened its doors in 1948, is going out of business and liquidating its assets across its four Metroplex stores. “We are incredibly grateful to our customers, employees, and the broader community who have supported us for so many decades,” the company said in a statement. (More)
➤ U.S. Modules opened a 150,000-square-foot solar panel manufacturing facility in College Station on Wednesday. The company, a subsidiary of Florida private equity firm CIG Companies, expects to fill 250 jobs by the end of the year. (More)
➤ Verily, an AI-driven health technology company based in Dallas, raised $300 million in funding from Series X Capital and other investors, bumping Google parent company Alphabet as the majority stakeholder. (More)
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China’s 60% Stranglehold on Lithium is Cracking
China dictates the flow of 60% of the world’s lithium. That’s about to change.
America already has the 5th-most lithium reserves in the world. Now, domestic innovators like EnergyX are preparing to ramp up production to unlock this untapped supply.
Their patented tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods. That’s already earned investment from giants like General Motors. Even better, they already have rights to nearly 150,000 acres of lithium-rich land across the Americas.
Comparisons to other companies are for informational purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. (“EnergyX”) has engaged The Flyover to publish this communication in connection with EnergyX’s ongoing Regulation A offering. The Flyover has been paid in cash and may receive additional compensation. The Flyover and/or its affiliates do not currently hold securities of EnergyX. This compensation and any current or future ownership interest could create a conflict of interest. Please consider this disclosure alongside EnergyX’s offering materials. EnergyX’s Regulation A offering has been qualified by the SEC. Offers and sales may be made only by means of the qualified offering circular. Before investing, carefully review the offering circular, including the risk factors. The offering circular is available at invest.energyx.com/. Under Regulation A+, a company has the ability to change its share price by up to 20%, without requalifying the offering with the SEC.
➤ Austin’s median rent has dropped 5.9% in the past year, the largest decrease among U.S. cities of similar size. Meanwhile, it leads the nation in new-home permits. (More)
➤ Researchers at UT Austin and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center developed an experimental drug that causes the immune system to attack cancer cells as if they were a virus. “Since this plan harnesses lower dose and primarily relies more on the host immune system, one might not have to treat tumors multiple times,” said graduate student Matthew Levine. (More)
➤ Virginia McCutcheon has worked as a secretary at Covenant Hospital in Lubbock for 50 years. “It’s just been a privilege working here,” she said. (Watch Video)
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Did your county’s population increase or decrease last year?
AA Flight Attendant Missing in Colombia
