Good Morning! On this day in 1865, around 50 armed robbers raided the state treasury in Austin, escaping with about $17,000 in gold and silver coins. The money was never recovered.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament officially kicks off today with the opening ceremonies and first match in Mexico City—and celebrations here, there, and everywhere. See our Top Stories below for links to everything you could want to know.
Scientists have argued for years over whether that one drink a day is helping you or hurting you, and a new study just came back with conclusive results. On today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast, Ayla breaks down exactly what the latest research says about alcohol consumption and how it affects your health. Tune in here!
Later today, you’ll receive a message from our sponsor, EnergyX, about a current investment opportunity and its work to meet rising lithium demand from EVs, data centers, and grid storage.
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Report: El Paso Detention Facility Wasted Millions
The rushed opening of Camp East Montana, the nation’s largest immigration detention facility, led to up to $11.5 million in wasted taxpayer money and unsafe conditions for detainees and staff, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday.
The Army paid for guards, medical services, transportation, and meals at the Fort Bliss facility in El Paso for two weeks in August 2025 before any detainees arrived, and the $1.3 billion contract required payments for 5,000 detainees even when the camp held about 1,600.
The report found the camp opened without perimeter security cameras or a required inspection, and a contractor lost a loaded firearm that was never recovered.
Three detainees have died at the facility, including one death ruled a homicide in which evidence was missing or destroyed, and a suicide that followed lapses in monitoring protocols. ICE has since replaced the original contractor, Acquisition Logistics LLC, and said the facility “is upgrading” rather than closing.
Abbott Eyes Data Center Crackdown
Gov. Greg Abbott directed Texas utility regulators this week to shield residential electricity customers from costs tied to the state’s booming data center industry, while also recommending broad new regulations for lawmakers to pass in 2027.
In a letter to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and ERCOT, Abbott ordered that data centers fully fund the electric infrastructure needed to serve their operations. The agencies must submit a joint memo on additional safeguards by July 17, and the PUC must act to reduce residential transmission costs by July 31.
Abbott’s legislative wish list includes requiring new facilities to add power generation to the grid, mandating water-efficient closed-loop cooling systems, requiring annual reporting on electricity and water use, and repealing the data center sales tax exemption—projected to cost Texas $3.2 billion over the next two years.
Texas has 335 existing data centers, and large projects seeking grid connections total 439 gigawatts, roughly five times the grid’s all-time peak demand.
The World Cup Is Here
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off today, launching a 48-team, 104-match tournament across 16 host cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The opener pits Mexico against South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City at 2 p.m. Central, with the U.S. men’s national team debuting Friday against Paraguay in Los Angeles. The tournament runs through the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Neither Texas venue hosts a game today, but the party is already on. Fair Park in Dallas opens its free FIFA Fan Festival this afternoon—big screens, food, and family viewing areas on all 34 match days through July 19.
Texas hosts more matches than any other state. AT&T Stadium in Arlington will stage nine matches, the most of any venue, starting on Sunday, when the Netherlands faces Japan at 3 p.m.
NRG Stadium in Houston hosts seven matches, opening Sunday with Germany vs. Curaçao at noon, plus a round-of-32 match and a July 4 knockout game.
➤ Lake Jackson: The Brazoria County sheriff fired the deputy who fatally shot Texas State University freshman John Mendoza Jr. during a traffic stop chase, citing policy violations. (More)
➤ Austin: A Travis County judge was scheduled to hear motions on Wednesday to compel arbitration in five wrongful death lawsuits against Camp Mystic, where 27 died in the July 4 Guadalupe River floods. Some families want a jury trial. (More)
➤ Corpus Christi: The Harbor Bridge has been ranked the state’s “scariest” crossing, topping a list of anxiety-inducing Texas bridges—particularly nerve-wracking during Gulf Coast storms. (More)
➤ Central Texas: A pipeline break near the Leon River Bridge is threatening water supplies for multiple communities, officials said. Repairs are underway; residents have been asked to conserve. (More)
➤ Statewide: High school students made gains in every subject on STAAR end-of-course exams, results released Wednesday show. Biology rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, with 71% of students meeting grade level, while Algebra I rose from 47% to 54%. Other math scores haven’t fully recovered from pandemic losses. (More)
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➤ The San Antonio Spurs blew a 29-point lead to the New York Knicks last night to lose Game 4 of the NBA Finals 107-106. It’s the largest comeback in Finals history. The Knicks now lead the series 3-1 as it heads back to San Antonio on Saturday night for Game 5. (More)
➤ Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt defended the university’s support of quarterback Brendan Sorsby yesterday, saying “integrity applies on more than one front” in response to schools threatening to boycott the Red Raiders. (More)
➤ Texas A&M’s Lucciana Perez won the Honda Sports Award for tennis this week after finishing the season ranked No. 1 in the country and going 28-0 in singles play. She helped the Aggies win their second NCAA title in three years. (More)
➤ Astros Golf Foundation announced millions raised for Texas Children’s Hospital through the 2026 Houston Open at Memorial Park, one of the PGA Tour’s top charitable events. (More)
➤ UT Austin will lead a 10-state semiconductor training initiative aimed at addressing industry workforce shortages. The Semiconductor Industry Association projects more than 115,000 new semiconductor jobs by the end of the decade and warns that more than half may go unfilled. (More)
➤ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into FIFA after fans complained they received worse seats than advertised for World Cup games. (More)
➤ Athens ISD filed plans for a $10 million pavilion covering its high school practice field to provide shade for football players, band members, and dancers amid extreme Texas heat. The project, which could break ground this month, reflects a statewide trend driven by the University Interscholastic League’s heat-safety rules. (More)
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➤ A Carrollton club volleyball team of girls 10 and under returned from Columbus, Ohio, as national champions, going 9-0 against teams from across the country and dropping just one set all weekend. Excel 10 Red Cam won the title under head coach Cam Metcalf. (More)
➤ PepsiCo’s driverless trucks are now hauling chips and soda to Texas stores. The company launched 41 autonomous Gatik vehicles across Texas, Arizona, and Arkansas—the largest such commercial fleet in the U.S. (More)
➤ Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg and team president Masai Ujiri both landed on TIME‘s inaugural TIME100 Sports list of the 100 most influential people in sports. At 19, Flagg is the NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year. (More)
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Report: El Paso Detention Facility Wasted Millions
