Good Morning! On this day in 1912, professional golfer Byron Nelson was born in Fort Worth. Considered one of the greatest golfers of all time, he is remembered for winning 11 consecutive tournaments in 1945. The Byron Nelson Classic, currently held in McKinney, became the first PGA Tour event named for a professional golfer in 1968.
The predictions are in. See which of the state’s four-legged forecasters agreed with Punxsutawney Phil by clicking here. Do you think the worst is behind us, or is there more winter weather to come? Let us know in today’s Poll.
Today’s sponsor, EnergyX, explains why surging lithium demand and breakthrough recovery technology are fueling a fast-growing “white gold” opportunity.
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Central Texas Students Protest ICE in Walkout
Attorney General Ken Paxton has requested records from Austin ISD related to anti-ICE protests at 14 campuses last week. On Monday, students in several other Central Texas school districts walked out of class to protest ICE operations.
Paxton is asking for information about excused absence policies, security protocols, and internal communications about the protests.
“Parents expect our public schools to educate and keep their kids safe during the school day, not encourage them to attend a protest field trip designed to villainize brave law enforcement officials protecting our country,” he said.
Several hundred students at five Hays CISD high schools participated in the walkout, along with students at five Pflugerville ISD campuses, three Manor ISD campuses, and Lockhart High School.
“It just popped up on Instagram . . . so we decided to hop on too,” said Alex Valencia, a senior at Lehman High School in Kyle.
SpaceX Acquiring xAI
SpaceX is acquiring xAI—the AI startup known for its chatbot Grok and social media platform X—according to a Monday announcement from Elon Musk, who founded and leads both companies. SpaceX is headquartered in Starbase, while X is based in Bastrop.
The record-setting acquisition values SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion. Musk explained the merger positions the company to build space-based data centers, arguing that demand for AI-driven technologies will soon outpace the availability of electricity for terrestrial data centers.
The merger creates “the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform,” said Musk.
The deal could draw scrutiny from regulators over conflict of interest and national security concerns. SpaceX is reportedly preparing for an initial public offering later this year. It has contracts with NASA, the Department of War, and U.S. intelligence agencies.
Texans in the Olympics
More than half a dozen athletes with ties to Texas are competing in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, which kick off Friday in Milan, Italy.
Amber Glenn, a 26-year-old figure skater from Plano, is a three-time U.S. national champion and the 2024-25 Grand Prix Final champion in women’s singles. Pairs figure skater Emily Chan, 28, was born in Houston and went to high school in McKinney.
Midland’s Boone Niederhofer, a 32-year-old former walk-on wide receiver at Texas A&M, is a member of one of the U.S. four-man bobsled teams. Hunter Powell, who competed in track and field at Baylor and Colorado State, is a 29-year-old member of the other U.S. four-man bobsled team.
Coppell native Hannah Bilka is a forward on the U.S. women’s hockey team, while Seth Jones of Arlington is a defender for the U.S. men’s hockey team. Kellie Delka, a former track and field athlete at UNT, will compete in skeleton for Puerto Rico.
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This Metal’s Up 122% in the Last 12 Months
No, not gold. Lithium. Prices have more than doubled in the last year alone, spurring a modern-day “white gold” gold rush driven by AI, energy, and more.
With demand growing 5X by 2040, a major opportunity is emerging. No wonder 40,000+ people already invested in EnergyX.
Their patented tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods, in days instead of months. That combination of technological prowess and market demand are partially why General Motors led a $50M investment round in EnergyX.
In the past 24 months, EnergyX has raised nearly $100M from retail investors, acquired close to 150k+ acres of lithium-rich land across North and South America, and announced what could be one of the largest DLE lithium production facilities in the U.S.
➤ Houston: Four NASA astronauts quarantined at the Johnson Space Center have been released from isolation after the agency delayed its Artemis II lunar mission due to a hydrogen leak discovered during testing yesterday. (More)
➤ State Rep. James Talarico disputed allegations that he characterized former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred as a “mediocre Black man,” insisting he was referring to his “method of campaigning.” Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett said she has never heard Talarico “say anything racial.” (More)
➤ Terrell: The parents of a 12-year-old girl who drowned during a scuba certification class last August have filed a 40-page wrongful death lawsuit against the training facility, the instructors, and two scuba certification organizations. Heather and Mitchell Harrison are seeking more than $1 million in damages. (See Details)
➤ Waco: The 127-year-old Seventh & James Baptist Church will be demolished to make room for a seven-story apartment building for Baylor University students. The $59 million project is expected to be completed by August 2028. (More)
➤ Austin: Nika Machutadze, a Russian citizen accused of billing Medicare for more than $3.4 billion in fraudulent services, was arrested by federal authorities last week, according to Travis County Jail records. (See Details)
➤ Kerr County: Ten families affected by last summer’s flash floods will receive free homes in a new Habitat for Humanity community. “It’s giving them the stability so that they can begin to heal,” said Mary Campana, the executive director of the organization’s local affiliate. (More)
➤ The Texas A&M Forest Service broke ground on a $2.5 million facility in Fredericksburg last month. According to a social media post from the agency, it will “strengthen wildfire response capabilities, enhance aviation operations, and support land stewardship efforts.” (More)
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➤ No. 13 Texas Tech basketball lost to No. 11 Kansas 64-61 on Monday night after Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson hit back-to-back clutch three-pointers to win the game. (See Highlights)
➤ Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens says he’d “love to” remain in Dallas, but he added that the price to re-sign him “went up” after a productive first season with the team. He’s a free agent this offseason. (More)
➤ The Longhorns were the highest-ranked Texas team in this week’s AP women’s basketball poll (No. 4), followed by TCU (No. 14), Baylor (No. 15), and Texas Tech (No. 18). (See Poll)
➤ The Dallas Stars beat the Jets 4-3 on Monday night on a Thomas Harley goal in overtime. They’ve now won five straight. (More)
➤ Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was fined $35,000 for a profanity-laced postgame rant after the team’s loss to Houston over the weekend. (More)
➤ Your Phone’s About to Die — This Fast Charger Saves It in Minutes. When every second counts, nothing’s more frustrating than staring at a blinking red battery icon… seconds slipping away, loaded with calls, messages, and moments you can’t afford to miss. Meet QuickCharge Pro, the lightning‑fast, compact charger that powers your devices in record time, no bulky blocks, no waiting by the socket. (Learn More)
➤ Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, is suspending launches from its Van Horn facility to focus on developing vehicles and technology for NASA’s upcoming lunar missions. (See Details)
➤ AT&T has finalized its $6 billion acquisition of Lumen’s fiber assets, adding more than a million fiber internet subscribers to its customer base. (More)
➤ Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences received a $60 million investment from the United Arab Emirates. Dubai’s Museum of the Future will house the de-extinction firm’s first BioVault, a “modern-day Noah’s Ark” for preserving the genetic data for up to 10,000 endangered species. (More)
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The Tale Behind SpaceX’s $1.5 Trillion IPO
SpaceX plans to IPO at a $1.5T valuation. If true, they’d be the tenth-most-valuable public company by the time the average person can invest.
The lesson? Like Uber, which delivered 490,000% returns to First Round Capital, the biggest growth today comes at the private stage.
Why did big names like General Motors already back EnergyX? Because lithium powers everything from EVs to data centers. Demand will grow 5X by 2040, and EnergyX’s tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods.
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.
➤ Tickets for Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Live! go on sale Thursday. The nine-show April tour includes six stops in Texas. (See Details)
➤ Seven Texas hospitals are among the top 100 in the nation, according to a Healthgrades analysis based on risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for common procedures and conditions. (More)
➤ Dallas has the worst rate of fatal auto crashes among large U.S. metros, with 13.9 such accidents per 100,000 residents in 2023, according to a new study. (More)
➤ Texas led the nation in First Day Hike participants, with 12,835 people hiking over 28,000 miles at Texas state parks on New Year’s Day. (More)
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Do you think Texas will get another winter storm this year?
Central Texas Students Protest ICE in Walkout
