Special Session Adjourns, Abbott Calls Another

The Texas legislature adjourned its special session Friday without reaching a quorum as House Democrats remained absent from proceedings.

Gov. Greg Abbott immediately called for a second special session, with congressional redistricting and flood relief still the focus.

“Delinquent House Democrats ran away from their responsibility,” Abbott said. “We will not back down from this fight. That’s why I am calling them back today to finish the job.”

House Democrats have now committed to return to Texas in response to both Friday’s adjournment and to a counter-redistricting measure activated by the California legislature.

TEA Releases 2025 Grades for Schools

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released its 2025 A-F accountability ratings Friday, covering the last two school years, showing 24% of districts and 31% of schools improving their grades year-over-year.

The report comes just a few months after the group released the 2023 ratings, which were delayed due to 19 months of court proceedings.

TEA’s ratings determine whether a school district is subject to state intervention, as happened to Houston ISD in 2023. You can see ratings for all districts here.

Heavy Rain Hits South Texas

A tropical rain system made land Friday in South Texas, raising flash flood and high wind risks in the region and causing Gov. Greg Abbott to activate emergency teams preemptively.

The system had a 50% chance of developing into a tropical depression but failed to reach that status before tracking inland.

The heaviest rain ranged from the lower Rio Grande Valley to near San Antonio and parts of the Texas Hill Country. The system is expected to fully dissipate today and into Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, a heat advisory began at noon yesterday in North Texas and is expected to extend to 8 p.m. tonight.

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➤ Statewide: New polling shows Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton neck-and-neck in the 2026 GOP primary for a Texas seat in the U.S. Senate. Cornyn is the incumbent, and to this point Paxton has held a sizable advantage in polls. (See Poll)

➤ Fort Worth: The three finalists for the city’s next police chief met residents for a panel discussion Thursday. The finalists are Interim Chief Robert Alldredge, Jr., former Dallas Chief Eddie Garcia, and Vernon Hale, a former Dallas deputy chief. (More)

➤ Statewide: Cattle ranchers are bracing for an invasion of screwworms, flesh-eating flies from Central America that threaten to cause an estimated $1.8 billion in damages in Texas alone. (See Details)

➤ Dallas: A Texas man has sued the makers of the video game Roblox, alleging the company knowingly enables predators to abuse children. (More)

➤ Houston: Theodis Daniel, father of cancer survivor DJ Daniel, whom President Trump made an honorary member of the Secret Service earlier this year, announced he’s running to represent Texas’ 18th Congressional District in the U.S. House. (More)

➤ Quarterback Vince Young was the only football player from a Texas school to make the “Associated Press’ All-Time All-Americans” list. (See Full List)

➤ Baylor and Texas A&M battled to a 1-1 draw in their soccer season opener on Thursday night. (More)

➤ The Houston Rockets will have 28 nationally televised games during the upcoming NBA season–tied for fifth most in the league. (More)

➤ Lamar Jackson dropped his lawsuit against former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman this week, which centered around Aikman’s trademarked “EIGHT” branding. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | Soccer | PGA | LPGA | WNBA | LLWS

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➤ Jason and Katy Ballard are putting their 76-acre ranch in the Texas Hill Country up for raffle, with tickets priced at $6.40. The couple joins a new trend of raffling off real estate to give listings a wider audience and garner greater gains. (More)

➤ Chuck E. Cheese has selected Arlington to test a new “Adventure World” concept, which will include a 12,000-square-foot play area. The new location opens in November. (More)

➤ Researchers at SMU have developed an AI tool that can reliably predict critics’ ratings of a wine, based on tasting notes indicated on the bottle. (See Report)

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What do you call soft drinks?

1. Coke
2. Cola
3. Soda
4. Pop
5. Soft drink
6. Its brand name
7. Other

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you ever been to AT&T Stadium?

1. Yes: 44%
2. No: 56%

What actor famously portrayed Davy Crockett in the 1950s Walt Disney miniseries about the Alamo hero?

Show me the answer