Six weeks after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, a battle was still being fought in South Texas. Palmito Ranch, May 13, 1865. The Confederates won.
A Union soldier from Indiana became the last American combat fatality of the Civil War, for a war that was already over.
A Texas State Historical Marker sits near Brownsville, close to the Rio Grande. Most people drive right past it. The land looks like any other stretch of South Texas coastal brush.
Private John Jefferson Williams was 21 years old. Nobody told him it was over.
Have you ever stopped at a Texas historical marker that changed how you see something?
Well, yeah! Palmito Hill Ranch Road is nowhere near McAllen and is not on Highway 281.
Please be advised that we have changed the polling location at the Brownsville Campus of UTRGV for Election Day.
The Election Day polling location will be UTRGV, Student Union, Salon Jacaranda, 650 Ringgold Rd., Brownsville instead of the UTRGV Brownsville Main (BMAIN), Salon Cassia, 1 University Blvd.
Salon Jacaranda is the Early Voting Location, which originally was unavailable for Election Day. We appreciate the University working with us to re-secure the location. The Salon Cassia presented parking, curbside and access challenges that warranted the change.
So far, as of Tuesday, students have cast 1,619 votes at the University Blvd. site.
The University has already begun getting the word out on campus and redirecting their efforts to get out the vote. We have also begun updating our public facing information. We will send out a copy of the updated locations as soon as it is available.
All right, as an educator let me enlighten you, there are no sex change surgeries happening at public schools. Don't believe me, go to the schools, request a campus visit and go see for yourself. I have yet to see or hear a parent told no you can't visit a campus.
Over 500 students in this country have died as a result of gunfire happening in schools but none died or injured as a result of alleged "transgender surgeries.
Can't you republican brainless wonders stop and get your facts straight! Before you idiots say "oh they hid the surgery room", check out an actual surgery room in a hospital and really look at what equipment is required for a general surgery.
STATE HEADLINES: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appealed a Travis County court order issued Monday, which required his office not block State Rep. Gina Hinojosa from seeing emails between the governor and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Travis County Judge Catherine Mauzy ruled that Governor Greg Abbott must allow State Rep. Gina Hinojosa to review more than a thousand pages of unredacted communications he’s had with trillionaire Elon Musk, that the governor previously tried to withhold saying that they were too "intimate and embarrassing."
Abbott has attempted to skirt Hinojosa’s statutory right as a state legislator under the Texas Public Information Act to inspect documented communications between the governor and Elon Musk.
“For 12 years, Greg Abbott has sold out Texas to his billionaire and trillionaire donors, but the buck stops here,” said Hinojosa. “Texans built this great state, and we aren’t going to let Abbott’s donors continue buying up our land, shutting down our schools, or taking our water and electricity for their benefit. The people have the right to transparency, and that’s why I’m continuing to fight for the documents between Elon Musk and Greg Abbott.
“Abbott uses his power for his donors. As Governor, I’ll use my power to secure the American Dream for working Texans by saving our schools, putting money in people’s pockets, and ending Greg Abbott’s corruption.”
On October 19, Hinojosa filed a lawsuit against Abbott for unlawfully denying her statutory right under the Texas Information Pubic Information Act to inspect the documented communications, including the emails previously provided to the Texas Newsroom. The governor’s office already assembled and reviewed records in response to the Texas Newsroom’s request, producing all 1,374 pages – and all but about 200 pages were redacted or completely blacked out. Abbott has refused to make any of the documents public.
The documented Abbott-Musk connections include direct communications, substantial political contributions, and economic development incentives benefiting Musk’s companies, raising questions about whose interests Abbott is serving.
Abbott has given billions of dollars in grants and tax breaks to Musk’s companies in Texas, including a $1.66 billion tax break shortly after Musk donated $500,000 to Abbott’s reelection campaign this year. In July, Abbott came under fire from his own party for his relationship with Musk after calling the Texas Broadband Office to award Musk’s Starlink $110 million upfront, leading to an audit of the office.
Pedro Reyes III What would be the worst if Texans see these emails between the Governor and Musk the week before the election? Wouldn't the emails just show that Abbott followed the law and had Texans' best interests? Abbott has nothing to worry about as voters go to the polls. Right? Am I missing something?
I have bad news, and this one’s a little wonky, so bear with me.
As of this morning, our campaign can’t launch a single new ad on Facebook or Instagram. Here’s what you need to know: Every election cycle, Meta – just as it did No King's Day – blocks all new political ads for the final week of the race. That hits our campaign in two big ways.
First, we can’t launch new ads to win over voters. Whatever ads Greg Abbott already had running can keep running. But through Election Day, we can’t put out a new ad answering his attacks. We can’t respond to breaking news in this race. And we can’t adjust our message on the platforms where millions of Texans spend their time.
Second, we can’t launch new ads to raise money. Facebook and Instagram ads asking supporters to chip in are a real part of how we fund this campaign. This month alone, they’ve brought in more than 10% of our online fundraising. Now, right when every dollar matters most, that tool is mostly off the table.
That means two things have to happen this week.
We have to take our message everywhere Meta can’t stop us: streaming TV and YouTube, digital ads on news sites and apps, and TV spots in the markets where this race will be won or lost.
And we have to pay for it with grassroots donations from emails like this one, because email is now one of the most important fundraising tools we have left. Every dollar we raise this week goes straight into putting our message in front of the voters who will decide this race.
Representative Erin Gamez has publicly raised concerns about a reported possible sale of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX. On October 22, 2026, she joined other House Democrats in requesting records about the reported proposal.
But there is another part of her record Texans should examine.
On May 29, 2025, Representative Gamez voted NO on SB 17, legislation restricting certain foreign governments, entities, and covered individuals connected to designated countries—including China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea—from acquiring Texas real estate.
Let's be clear: the Boca Chica matter concerns public parkland and a reported possible sale. SB 17 concerns restrictions on specified foreign interests acquiring real estate. These are different situations.
But shouldn't protecting Texas land be a priority in both cases?
Why publicly challenge a reported potential sale to SpaceX while voting against legislation intended to restrict certain foreign interests from acquiring Texas property?
That is a fair question for taxpayers and voters to ask.
No sale of Boca Chica State Park has been established as approved, and officials said a vote was not expected soon. Texans deserve facts, transparency, and consistency from their elected representatives.
Look at the record. Ask questions. Decide for yourself. Vote Dr. Laura E. Cisneros Candidate for State Representative HD-38. Physician and conservative fighting for Brownsville’s future.
The total number of votes cast in the March primaries – including early voting, mail-in, and election day – for both parties combined was 47,178.
Right now, with four days of early voting left, mail-in votes uncounted, and elections day (traditionally making up an estimated 35 percent of the total), Cameron County voters have surpassed the March primary totals with 52,076, or 4,898 more votes.
They were the closest of friends, and then – when push came to shove – Steve Guerra "forgot" that U.S. House of Rep. D-34 was running for reelection, and not for Texas Senator, where James Talarico leads Ken Paxton.
With fair-weather friends like this, who needs Steve Guerra as a "friend"?
Commenter 1: Steve (Guerra) is not a Democrat …. If so, why is he supporting a Republican congressman? Think about that for a second Commenter 2: Voting for all Democrats except for Steve Guerra … a fake Democrat who wasn’t at the rally (not wanted there) and who is supporting Erik Flores a Republican.
Commenter 3: Steve is not a Democrat …. If so, why is he supporting a Republican congressman? Think about that for a second
With only five days remaining of the 12-day early voting period for the Nov. 3 election, the numbers so far indicate that no one can take the outcome of these races for granted.
As expected, the weekend totals (Saturday, Sunday) show a predictable drop in the voting, but even then, the early voting – not counting the turnout for the five remaining early days voting and election day – is only less than 1,000 below the total for the combined Democrats and Republican turnout in the primaries held in March.
At that time there were 33,062 votes cast in the Democratic primary and another 14,116 in the Republican primary. The runoffs of both parties were, as expected, far below the primary totals. The total number of votes cast in March for both parties was 47,178.
And today, with five days remaining in early voting, that number stands at 46,210 – 968 less than the combined March primaries total for both parties.
If we apply the general rule that a bit over 60 percent of the final voting is ascribed to the early voting period of any election and another 35 to 45 percent on election day, it is apparent that any number over 47,000 blows any predictions on these races out the window. And – if the history of cross-party votes in Cameron County is any guide – it means that no candidate of either party can claim ownership of the remaining votes.
George Catlin was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the American frontier. Traveling to the American West five times during the 1830s, Catlin wrote about and painted portraits that depicted the life of the Plains Indians. This is Russell Means' favorite Catlin work.
George Catlin’s Creed:
*I love a people that have always made me welcome to the very best that they had.
*I love a people who are honest without laws, who have no jails and no poorhouses.
* I love a people who keep the commandments without ever having read or heard them preached from the pulpit.
* I love a people who never swear or take the name of God in vain.
* I love a people “who love their neighbors as they love themselves”
* I love a people who worship God without a Bible, for I believe that God loves them also.
* I love a people whose religion is all the same, and who are free from religious animosities.
* I love a people who have never raised a hand against me, or stolen my property, when there was no law to punish either.
* I love and don’t fear mankind where God has made and left them, for they are his children.
* I love a people who have never fought a battle with the white man, except on their own ground.
* I love a people who live and keep what is their own without lock and keys.
* I love a people who do the best they can.
* And oh how I love a people who don’t live for the love of money.
Gakina-awiiya (We Are All Related)
“Teach us love, compassion and honor…that we may heal the Earth, and heal each other." - Ojibwe prayer
Ed.'s Note: We had purchased chicken and sausage barbecue plates for one of the annual La Cultura Vive fundraisers to stage the Texas Best Conjunto Competition for high school groups across South Texas. In the photo above, we caught founder and organizer Carlo Hernandez's best side as he helps the ladies dole out the succulent chicken plates. (The Mexican rice is delicious and the chicken is soft and dripping in its own juices.)
Their hard work pays for the venue and other necessities of hosting the largest school conjunto competition in the state. Our deep gratitude and big shoutout and congratulations to this bunch for making the event happen every year. The Elks Lodge 2876 lent their facilities this Saturday to the group to host the fundraiser. Hohner Accordions is now hosting the event yearly. Contributions are always welcome to support this effort to keep our musical traditions (to make one, call (956) 592-4475). Timo Ruedas and Juan Castillo are also on the roster as are all the ladies in the serving lines. Gracias, guys and gals!
Democrats have Texas-size dreams this election of flipping a state that has eluded them since the 1990s.
While the Democratic candidate for Senate, James Talarico, has gotten most of the attention and money in that fight, another Democrat, Gina Hinojosa, has looked surprisingly competitive against the most powerful politician in the state: Gov. Greg Abbott, the Republican running for an unprecedented fourth term.
Hinojosa is a Texas state legislator who represents parts of liberal Austin. Her political rise began on her local school board, where she was inspired to run for the State Legislature because of cuts to public school funding under Abbott. That became one of her signature issues, which she has carried over into her run for governor.
When she began her campaign, she was seen as the longest of long shots: a Latina with little statewide name recognition and not a lot of financial support.
Today, the most recent New York Times/Siena University poll shows her narrowly ahead of Abbott, and national Democrats are finally taking notice, directing money toward the race in these last few crucial weeks.
I asked Hinojosa whether that will be enough to overcome an extremely well-funded Abbott, who declined our interview request. We also talked about why she is focusing on affordability, education and data centers rather than what she calls “culture-war issues” and how she is trying to pull in disaffected rural MAGA voters. Can she win? And what will it say about Texas if she does?
Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor, speaks on her appeal to MAGA voters and her refusal to engage in “the culture wars.”
I was told by a Texas reporter that in some ways you ran for governor — a position last held by your party in 1995 by another woman, Ann Richards — as a sacrificial lamb. It was the longest of long shots, you had no real chance, but basically some Democrat had to do it and so it might as well be you. Did you see it that way too?
No. I wouldn’t have given up a year of my life away from my family to be on the road all across the state to be a sacrificial lamb. I am running to win. It is not an easy endeavor to do this, and it took everything out of me from this last year.
Texas keeps breaking Democratic hearts. What are you doing differently than, say, Beto O’Rourke, who was the last Democrat to run against Abbott? He had a lot of name recognition, a lot of momentum behind him nationally, and yet he still lost by 11 points.
I don’t know that I can compare my candidacy to Beto’s. It’s a different time. In 2026, the data centers have been a physical manifestation of a governor doing the bidding of the moneyed interests and leaving the people of Texas to fend for themselves. And so in that way, rural Texas has felt betrayed by Greg Abbott because many of these data centers have descended upon rural Texas where there are no rules really.
I was in the Panhandle, Amarillo, talking to residents where they are fighting the world’s largest data center. It is called Project Matador. Its investors are Rick Perry, our former governor, and his son. They negotiated a deal to get all of their water in this drought-prone area for the data center from the city water supply. When residents asked what happens if we run out of water, the response they told me they got from municipal water was, Well, we will have to turn off the residents’ first. That’s the environment we’re living in in Texas. And so people understand that we are fighting a fight where it’s all of us in the same boat versus like 15 billionaire tech dudes.
When you go to these rural areas, are you trying to get disaffected MAGA voters to turn your way? What is the overall plan on who to persuade, because obviously your time and your resources are finite, so you have to pick and choose who you’re trying to get to listen to your message.
It’s everybody. I have not picked and chosen. I have been all over the state with all communities. To be clear, it is not a moderating message. It is reaching out to Democrats, Republicans, independents, with a populist message. And yes, I need Trump supporters to support this race. Trump won Texas, Trump won the Latino vote in Texas. Absolutely, they are invited to be part of this coalition.
I pulled out my 1992 Hanna High School yearbook the other day and lo and behold!, look what I found!
This is Gina during our senior year, and this is what she wrote in our yearbook about what she saw herself in 10 years.
"In 10 years I will establish my career in a prominent law firm while strategizing my campaign for the next Texas gubernatorial elections after having Governor Ann Richards' endorsement."
AMAZING!
Just think about that for a moment! Even as a young girl, Gina had big hopes, big dreams, and a vision of one day becoming the Governor of Texas!
And here we are, all those years later, watching that dream become a reality as she runs for Governor of the great state of Texas!
What makes this so special t me is that this wasn't some dream that she came up with this overnight. It was something she envisioned for herself way back in high school!
Gina is genuine. Gina is intelligent. Gina is compassionate. She has the heart, determination, and dedication to lead our great state.
And I couldn't be prouder to see my childhood friend pursuing the very dream she wrote about all those years ago. From the pages of our high school yearbook to the race for Governor of Texas! How incredible is that?
I'm rotting for you, Gina! Texas would be so fortunate to have you as our new governor.
WAIT A MINUTE: Melania Trump is now being credited with brokering a ceasefire in Ukraine by the White House—just one week after Pope Leo personally called Vladimir Putin to push for the SAME THING.
On October 16, Reuters reported that Pope Leo had called Putin to request a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid and food to reach civilians.
The Kremlin confirmed Putin had agreed to cooperate. The Vatican made clear the initiative came from the Pope himself.
Fast-forward to today. The White House is now announcing that Melania Trump brokered a ceasefire in Oleshky, claiming SHE initiated discussions with Russian and Ukrainian leadership.
The Associated Press is reporting the White House's account without mentioning the Pope's earlier intervention. So why is the White House taking credit for an initiative Pope Leo was publicly pursuing a week ago?
"I really don't care. Do you?" Oh, yeah! The former Jeffrey Epstein buddy really knows empathy.
DOES TRUMP'S YES-MAN ERIC FLORES AGAINST DEMOCRAT CHENTE GONZALEZ SUPPORT HIS GREAT LEADER ON USMC TOXIC–WATER VETS? APPARENTLY, YES
By Kylie Spencer
This week, the orange guy said he will direct the U.S. Department Of Justice to “settle all remaining legitimate [Camp Lejeune] claims as soon as possible,” but only if the GOP wins both the House and Senate in November.
I have been thinking about how to word this since I heard the clip, and it's hard to put into words. Tying money that our families are OWED to Republicans winning the House and Senate is disgusting.
A bill was already passed to allow us to reach settlements, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, but most remain unresolved. He says he can fast-track the settlements, but only if we vote for his party?
Those sick vets signed up to fight for this country, not the Republican Party. If he is suddenly able to fast-track those settlements after the midterms, that means he was able to do the same for the last two years and just didn't do it?
He is making promises to sick and dying veterans that he cannot keep. The claims and settlements are processed through the DOJ, and we've been waiting years!
Over 1 million Marines and their families were poisoned, the truth was covered up, and now we are being used as a political tool to gain votes after waiting so many years for justice. He will tell you how much he cares about vets, but using their pain for votes is low, even for him.
My dad joined the Marines and signed up to fight for this country, and they knowingly poisoned him to death.
He doesn't get to see his grandkids grow up.
My son never got to meet his Papaw Joe.
He died in horrible pain, and now his death and the deaths and terrible illnesses of others are being used as a tool to gain votes.
My dad was a proud Marine his whole life, and the thing that he was most proud of took him from us.
Watching this president use his death to garner votes when he has done nothing for us all this time makes me sick.
Newly-published reports in social media have revealed that family members of current Cameron County Judge Democratic candidate Steve Guerra have been receiving Medicaid benefits designed to assist low-income families.
This, while Guerra is apparently living high off the hog, driving new vehicles, and have just finished construction a home in a subdivision where homes average in the $300,000+ appraised values.
Guerra is on the ballot as the Democratic candidate facing opponent Mauro Garza. Early voting started Oct. 19 and stretch until Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Unofficial sources have indicated that state and federal authorities are already looking into reports that the Guerras have been on the public dole for at least the past four years. If so, there has obviously been a gross failure in the system that would allow the disbursement of benefits to these well-to-do family members.
Medicaid covers low-income adults, children, pregnant women, seniors (age 65+), and people with disabilities. Eligibility depends on your household income relative to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)—typically up to 138 percent of the FPL in states that expanded Medicaid — as well as your state's specific rules, family size, and residency status.
For Guerra – who has refused to answer past documented charges of kidnapping and illegal fuel shipment to Mexico (huachicol) – this is the latest revelation which besmirch his character as a public official. Memes posted in social media throughout the political campaign have portrayed Guerra as an insatiable hog on the public through (see graphic at right).
First it was documented charges in a civil lawsuit accusing Steve Guerra and two of his friends of kidnapping and assaulting a Brownsville student in Matamoros while both were attending St. Joseph Academy. That lawsuit names Guerra and two of his friends. The case is styled 2000-05-001896-D.
The petition to the court states that Guerra and the two other defendants lured the victim to Matamoros where the assault occurred. The record does not indicate the monetary arrangements for a settlement of the case.
"These are not rumors," the signs appearing on a roadside sign read. "These are allegations contained in a sworn court record. Voters deserve answers. Ask the hard questions. Is this the kind of leader you want in office?
Then it was – also documented – Guerra exporting allegedly illegal fuel while he was a commissioner at the Port of Brownsville to cartel-controlled companies in Mexico to avoid paying Mexican taxes and pocketing millions of dollars through an LLC called Warrior Fuels.
The huachicol scheme came to light when Guerra and Warrior Fuels were sued for non payment of some $333,484.47 and attached copies of 24 invoices totaling shipments of diesel and other petroleum products they had shipped at Warrior Fuel Traders' request over a one-month period in 2020 that had not been paid.
In Cause No: 2022-DCL-5154-I plaintiff Key Performance lists a systematic record of transactions that make up the outstanding balance of Warrior Fuel Traders, LLC.
Government investigations revealed that Warrior Fuel Traders/Steve Guerra was in direct business with Pyrodiesel Del Cento SA de CV. Pyrodiesel has been named as a principal in cartel fuel smuggling activities (huachicol) of petroleum by the Federal Criminal Intelligence Center of Mexico. https://es-us.noticias.yahoo.com/huachicoleros-controlaban-puertos-pa%C3%ADs-060000638.html
More questions are now being raised on the alleged drawing of Medicaid payments for dental and medical services meant for low-income families:
Is Guerra living high off the hog on taxpayer dollars?
If eventually confirmed, is it fair for someone living in a newly-constructed luxury home, driving brand-new vehicles, and sending their children to private school to receive Medicaid benefits intended to support low-income families?
Could the Democratic nominee for Cameron County Judge be exploiting a taxpayer-funded program designed to assist families who genuinely need financial assistance? Voters of Cameron County deserve answers.
October 21 marks the birthday of a fallen hero born right here in Brownsville. Let’s take a moment to remember Trooper David Irvine Rucker and the life behind his name.
Trooper David Irvine Rucker was born in Brownsville, but grew up in Homestead, Florida, and later studied at Texas Southmost College in Brownsville. He graduated from the Dade County Police Academy and served with the Homestead Police Department before continuing his law enforcement career in Texas.
Patrolman Enrique “Ricky” L. Carrisalez was a young Los Fresnos officer who was just 25 years old and had served for 11 months.
Rucker joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in 1968 and was stationed in Port Isabel, serving the communities and roads many of us travel today.
On September 29, 1981, Trooper Rucker was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Cameron County. He was 37 years old and left behind his wife and three children. His family lost a husband and father, and our Valley lost a public servant.
On September 29, 1981, Patrolman Carrisalez stopped a speeding vehicle near the intersection of Texas Highway 100 and FM 1847. As he stepped out of his patrol vehicle, the other driver opened fire. Despite being wounded, Carrisalez returned fire. A civilian riding with him called for help and provided a description of the vehicle.
What Carrisalez did not know was that the same suspect had killed Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Rucker during another traffic stop just minutes earlier.
Their names remain part of our community. The Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center near Olmito bears their name, and in 2012, DPS dedicated a Rio Grande River patrol vessel in Rucker's honor. Those memorials help carry his story forward.
Patrolman Carrisalez died from his wounds on October 7, 1981. His badge number was 302.
Eleven months of service. A life cut short at 25. Those numbers tell only part of his story. Behind that badge was a person whose life mattered, whose service mattered, and whose loss remains part of our Valley’s history.
But remembering takes more than seeing a name on a building or a memorial. It means taking time to learn who that person was and recognizing the family and fellow officers who continue to carry that loss. We remember his service, his sacrifice, and his place in our Valley’s history.
Rest in peace, Trooper Rucker and Patrolman Carrisalez. You have not been forgotten.
Behind those badges were people whose life mattered, whose service mattered, and whose loss remains part of our Valley’s history.
Here at RGV South Texas Veterans, we honor his service and remember the family, friends, and fellow officers who carried that loss. Time should never erase the names of those who gave their lives serving our communities.
To our officers working tonight: stay alert, watch your six, and look out for one another. Rest in peace, DPS Trooper Rucker and Patrolman Carrisalez. Brownsville and Los Fresnos remembers. We remember.
DONALD TRUMP IS THE ONE PULLING ERIC FLORES' STRINGS: FLORES PROMISED HE'LL SUPPORT TRUMP'S AGENDA – EVEN THOUGH IT'S HURTING SOUTH TEXAS.
* He'll continue the reckless war in Iran that is driving the costs of gas and diesel – and everything else
$100 OF TRUMP-FLORES "AFFORDABILITY" AT HEB:
Two packages of bone-in steak loin, two of beef skirts, a package of chicken breasts, six tins of HEB tuna, three Barilla spaghetti boxes and a bag of oranges
* He'll support tariffs that are increasing grocery prices and hurting farmers and small businesses
* He'll support ICE harassment and mass deportations of law-abiding residents
LET'S TAKE THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPS. FROM TRUMP! REJECT FLORES, VOTE FOR:
President Donald Trump's Justice Department asked a judge for a delay that would keep the warrant for the unusual raid on the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) secret through the midterm electiosn.
Lawyers in U.S. Attorney Jeanne Pirro's office asked Chief Judge James Boasberg in a motion filed Wednesday to push back the deadlines for answering three requests to unseal the warrant records.
Neither of the two timelines the government proposed would release the records before the election on Nov. 3. “[G]ood cause exists to extend these deadlines until after the subject search warrant has been fully executed,” the motion insists.
The motion does not say when that will happen or what work remains. The government also asked to submit its reasons in a separate, sealed, ex parte memo, meaning only the judge would see it.
Under the government’s main proposal, the motion says, a new deadline for its response would be set only after the warrant’s execution is complete. The DOJ would then have 30 days to notify the court, and the two sides would get another week to confer and file a joint report on “next steps,” the government wrote.
If Boasberg declines to wait, the government asked him to make Nov. 9 the deadline for all three requests, the date he had already set for the request filed by the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch, the motion says. That is six days after the election.
The groups behind all three requests, including 14 news organizations and The New York Times, oppose the delay, according to the filing.
In their Oct. 15 request, the news organizations cited a 2008 ruling from the same court that found “the routine practice is to make warrant materials publicly available after a search has been executed and a return is available.” A return lists the items agents seized.
In a response to government lawyers that was attached to the motion, the Times wrote, “We are also perplexed regarding what ‘execution’ you refer to. As has been well-publicized, the Government executed the search warrant on October 12, 2026, and subpoenas have been served on Rep. Omar’s family members.”
“The public’s immediate right of access obviously would be thwarted by an effectively unlimited suspension of the Government’s deadline to respond to The Times’s Application,” the Times argued.
“The continuing lack of transparency surrounding the search warrant and related filings is especially intolerable in the run-up to an election in which Rep. Omar is a candidate for office,” the Times added.
Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s Washington home on Oct. 12 in what the Justice Department called an “ongoing federal criminal investigation,” CNN reported.
Omar is running for reelection, and the outlet reported that the department rarely takes such an aggressive step against a candidate so close to an election.
The Times wants the government held to its current deadline of Thursday, which Boasberg set on Oct. 15 for both the Times and the news organizations, according to the filings.
The San Benito City Commission met for the 2nd City Commission Regular Meeting of the month. After being tabled on the 1st meeting of the month, the Censure Resolution was back on the agenda for round two.
Suffice it to say that the entire Censure Resolution was a complete sham. However, it did pass with "Yes" votes from Commissioners Rick Perez, Victor Gonzalez, and Daniel Cortez. "Nay" votes were Mayor Pete Galvan and Mayor Pro Tem Joe Navarro.
(The three commissioners voted to reprimand Galvan, arguing his statements about potentially withholding EDC funding were threatening.
Galvan disagreed: “There were never any threats made, just accountability.”
Now Galvan is considering letting voters decide whether half of the EDC’s approximately $1.8 MILLION in annual sales tax revenue should be redirected toward repairing San Benito’s streets. That’s potentially $900,000 for roads. The city attorney reportedly confirmed the censure cannot legally silence or remove the mayor.)
These three commissioners (all newly elected City Commissioners) who supported the Censure Resolution are the same commissioners who tried to evict the Mayor from the City Commission after, in a previous City Commission, walked out of an Executive Session that had extended way past midnight during discussion to select a new City Manager. The three commissioners had the three votes to select their choice for City Manager so extending the discussion was a moot point.
The entire premise of the Censure Resolution was predicated on a letter the EDC Attorney sent to either the City Administration or the City Attorney. Nobody really knows because the City refuses to release to the public neither the Censure Resolution nor the letter from the EDC attorney.
Public Information Requests were submitted and now past the 10 business days deadline, NADA.
There was not an iota of evidence (audio or witness) presented to prove that what the EDC attorney alleged was true or even said by Mayor Pedro A. Galvan, "Pete". The EDC attorney did not even bother to attend and present his version of what was allegedly said.
Even the assistant EDC Director (Mario Palomo) who was present during the interaction between the Mayor and the EDC attorney (who I presume was on the speakerphone) attended Tuesday night's City Commission meeting.
So the two main witnesses who complained about being threatened by the Mayor decided not to show up and present their case.
A Censure Resolution has no 'legal teeth'. It is just an available measure used by any majority of any board/commission/council etc etc to seek revenge on a board/commission/council member they don't agree with.
Mayor Pedro A. Galvan, "Pete" stated he did not receive a copy of the Censure Resolution until this past Saturday before the Tuesday night meeting for the 2nd time the Censure Resolution was on the agenda.
Giving Republican fits: Bobby Pulido, James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa
By Malcolm Ferguson
The New Republic
Harris County, Texas—Texas’s most populous county, which Kamala Harris won in 2024 with 52 percent of the vote—broke its early voting record on Monday, eclipsing the previous mark by a whopping 41,000 votes.
More than 104,600 people in Harris County voted in person on Monday, the first day of early voting in Texas, according to the county’s elections department. That breaks the previous record set in 2018, when 63,188 votes were cast and Democrats went on to recapture the House.
Newsweek is calling this a “warning sign to Republicans” and “an encouraging sign for Democrats,” since Dallas and Houston traditionally vote Democratic.
While Monday’s turnout isn’t necessarily indicative of a Democratic advantage, the broken record indicates that Texans have been strongly compelled to participate electorally by any number of factors, which could include affordability, ICE raids, and President Trump’s war on Iran.
“The coffee that I buy two years ago was $12 for a big can, and now it’s $25 for the same thing, it’s ridiculous,” one voter told KPRC-TV’s Sandy Torres.
“[The] cost of living is way too high, war in Iran, our support to Ukraine,” said another.
“Thirty years of one party dominating the state; it’s time to get the other guy’s chance,” said one more.
This comes ahead of one of the most contested Senate races in the country between Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico—a contest that could turn the state blue for the first time in over three decades. IN D-15, Bobby Pulido leads Monica De la Cruz and Gina Hinojosa is running neck to neck with Gov. Greg Abbott. The swelling Blue Wave could oust the three Republicans.
This positive development also comes less than a week after voting rights groups sued the Texas Department of Public Safety over a “glitch” that caused 600,000 Texans to have their voting registration delayed.
Early voting is open for 11 more days in Harris County.
