Tuesday, October 27, 2026

The Roundup

Article Icon 1Texas Sues OpenAI

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, on Friday, accusing the ChatGPT maker of deceiving Texans about its chatbot’s safety and failing to protect children.

The 67-page lawsuit, filed in Collin County, says ChatGPT makes “tips on eating disorders, self-harm and mass murder” available to children without age checks or parental consent. It relies on the state’s consumer protection law and a 2023 law on kids’ online safety.

The suit points to at least eight people who used ChatGPT before committing violent acts. It asks a judge to ban minors from using ChatGPT, require outside approval of new models, and set penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.

OpenAI said it has worked with experts to build safeguards and wants rules covering “the entire AI industry—not just one company.” Eight other states sued the company earlier this month, and Florida sued in June.

Article Icon 113 Charged in Cartel Car Pipeline

U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons on Monday announced charges against 13 people accused of driving stolen cars to El Paso and running them across the border to Mexican cartels.

The investigation, launched this spring and dubbed Operation Southbound Takedown, recovered 29 vehicles worth more than $1.1 million: 22 in the U.S. and seven in Mexico. Three vehicles carried explosives, and their intended use is unknown.

Cartels recruited people who could cross the border legally to drive cars stolen from owners and rental fleets across the Southwest, investigators said. Eleven of the 13 defendants are U.S. citizens, and two are Mexican nationals.

Each defendant faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted. “These are not isolated property crimes,” said Ryan McRae, head of Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso, calling the cars tools for cartels’ day-to-day operations.

Article Icon 1UT Athletics Unveils AI Bevo Lab

The University of Texas is building Bevo Lab, an artificial intelligence hub that will crunch game film and player data to help Longhorn coaches and athletes train, scout, and game-plan, starting with football.

The 25,000-square-foot lab inside Austin’s Innovation Tower is backed by Google Cloud, Dell Technologies, and SHI International. Google engineers have already saved coaches more than 15 hours a week of game prep, the school said.

A data warehouse will pull game film and wearable-tracker readings into one platform, with Google’s Gemini fielding coaches’ questions. The lab won’t call plays, but athletic director Chris Del Conte said it gives Texas “a real chance to improve ourselves.”

Del Conte clarified a report that Texas used the AI on a failed fourth-and-2 call in the 27-24 loss to Florida on Oct. 17. He said the play showed what the AI “could suggest, not what it actually did.”

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The Flyover

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See the Pants Worth Upgrading To →

Around Texas

➤ Cedar Hill: A 50-year-old woman faces 10 federal charges accusing her of using fake tax forms to collect more than $680,000 in pandemic relief loans, then putting over $114,000 toward building her Cedar Hill home. April Watson made her initial court appearance on Friday. (More)

➤ Brownsville: A jury sentenced Rogelio Martinez Jr. to death Monday for gunning down San Benito Police Lt. Milton Resendez at a busy intersection after a 2023 countywide chase. The officer’s widow, sister, and brother addressed jurors. Martinez didn’t speak. (More)

➤ Lubbock: A former Texas Tech assistant professor got 40 years in federal prison for running a fentanyl ring built around a custom blend branded “pink flamingo.” Prosecutors said Daniel Taylor, 51, traded the drug for sex, leading to multiple overdoses. (More)

➤ Fort Worth: Dickies Arena is now Ariat Arena under a 10-year naming deal with the Western wear and boot company, which opened a regional headquarters in Fort Worth in 2020. (See Deal)

➤ Travis County: A transgender advocacy group wants a Travis County court to unmask whoever sent thousands of pre-election texts and mailers it says impersonated the group. Its petition targets a Wyoming LLC formed Sept. 2 and a Croatian texting company. (More)

➤ Hudspeth County: The USDA confirmed two New World screwworm cases in cattle Friday, part of an October spike that has pushed active cases in Texas and New Mexico to 12. (More)

➤ Canton: Law enforcement escorted fallen Van Zandt County Deputy Adam Sherifi’s body from Dallas to a Canton funeral home Monday, as officials asked residents to line the route. Sherifi, fatally shot while serving a warrant, leaves a wife and three young children. (See Procession)


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Texas Sports

➤ The Cowboys snapped a two-game skid with a 38-21 win in Philadelphia on Monday, extending the Eagles’ losing streak to five. Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes, two to CeeDee Lamb, and Javonte Williams ran for a career-high 155 yards. (More)

➤ Robert Griffin III said he’d “100% be interested” in coaching the Bears after Sunday’s firing of Dave Aranda. Baylor’s Heisman winner has never coached at any level, but told Dan Patrick he’s talked with athletic director Doug McNamee. (More)

➤ North Crowley holds No. 1 in Class 6A heading into Week 10 in the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football state rankings, ahead of Allen and Katy. Near San Angelo, Wall sits No. 4 in 3A Division I. (See Rankings)

➤ Bullard’s softball team received its Class 4A state championship rings Sunday for the program’s first title. The Lady Panthers finished 37-7-1, closing on 11 straight wins with a 3-0 victory over Prosper Richland in May. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NFL | NBA | NHL | NCAA Volleyball

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➤ What will you discover on this Amazon gadget list? Whether you’re browsing for yourself or looking for a gift, DealWatchdogs rounds up gadgets available on Amazon for you to explore. Take a look through the picks and see if something earns a spot on your wish list.  LEARN MORE

The Business Of Texas

➤ Tampere, Finland, and the city of Austin signed a five-year agreement on Friday to grow robotics, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing businesses in both cities. A group of Finnish tech companies touring Texas visited Austin robotics maker Apptronik and is attending Austin Tech Week. (More)

➤ Data center developers invited Hudspeth County residents to the Hueco Ranch site on Monday after neighbors said they got no notice of the 10-building AI project. The county judge expects 800 construction jobs and up to 300 permanent ones. (More)

➤ Donated bicycles are getting people to work in Longview. Woolley G’s Bike and Fitness repairs used bikes that the public drops off, and the homeless outreach ministry, Newgate Mission, gives them to anyone who needs a ride to a job. (More)

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➤ Could your next grocery trip cost less? When checkout totals squeeze your budget, a few changes to your shopping routine may help. Explore The Penny Hoarder’s grocery savings tips for ideas to try before your next store run. See which tips could work for your household.

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The best pants are the ones you don’t have to think twice about wearing. These commuter pants are designed for everyday versatility, with a classic fit that works just as well with a button-down as it does with a casual polo.

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Et Cetera

➤ A Temple nurse delivered her own baby on the side of RM 1431 in Round Rock on Oct. 16, hours before her scheduled C-section, after labor sped up on I-35. Baby Rylan cried within seconds, and both are healthy. (Meet Rylan)

➤ Houston’s Thanksgiving parade gets a hometown grand marshal this year: Grammy winner Lizzo, who played flute in Elsik High School’s marching band. Her old band will march with her downtown on Nov. 26. (More)

➤ Walking billboards hit Odessa’s 42nd Street Monday afternoon as TxDOT urged drivers to watch for pedestrians after dark. Odessa had 87 pedestrian crashes last year, 15 of them fatal, and 68% of Texas’ 694 pedestrian deaths happened at night. (More)

➤ An anonymous donor will give $2 million toward Mary Hardin-Baylor’s new science building in Belton if the school raises a matching $2 million by May 31, 2027. Meeting it would let the $50 million, 13-lab building open debt-free. (More)

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➤ They Did Everything Right. They Still Had Heart Attacks. Nicole, 57, ate clean and walked daily. Frank, 66, was told his numbers looked great. Both had blood pressure and cholesterol “under control.” What went wrong? Researchers are examining the tiny energy engines inside heart cells and how they change with age. See the three overlooked nutrients tied to heart strength →

The Flyover Podcast

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ A new study ranks the top 10 and bottom 10 car models for resale value. (See Ranking)

➤ Humana and UnitedHealthcare are dropping Medicare Advantage plans, upending coverage for 1 million seniors. (Listen Now)

➤ A passenger’s alarming text message caused an entire plane to be grounded, searched, and delayed overnight. (Hear Story)

  

The Polling Station

Have you ever been to a Thanksgiving parade?

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Not yet!
 

Yesterday’s Results:

How fat are the squirrels in your neighborhood this fall?

  1. A bit chunky: 42%
  2. Scrawny, actually: 29%
  3. What squirrels?: 17%
  4. Big boned?: 7%
  5. So fat!: 5%
Texas Trivia

Which Texas town is home to a collection of water lilies cultivated by “the Indiana Jones of the water lily world”?

Show me the answer

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