"YOU'RE GOING TO GET TIRED OF ALL THE WINNING...."

Live Updates: U.S. Employers Cut Jobs in Sign of a Shakier Economy

A weaker-than-expected report for February showed a decline of 92,000 jobs, and a rise in the unemployment rate to 4.4 percent.

NEARLY 600 LAID OFF AT B'VILLE'S TRICO, TITAN, ASC PLANTS

(Ed's.Note: First Brands Group is an American auto parts company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It owns brands such as Trico, FRAM, Raybestos, and Autolite. First Brands Group generated revenues of more than $5 billion in 2024 from manufacturing and distributing automotive products, primarily into aftermarket retail channels.)

By Diana Eva Alvarado

Valley Central

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A company with facilities across the nation announced that nearly 600 of its employees will be laid off next month in Brownsville.

Auto parts giant First Brands Group is cutting thousands of jobs nationwide as part of its ongoing financial crisis.

The company filed a WARN notice with the Texas Workforce Commission on Wednesday that 345 workers at its Billy Mitchell facility, 183 at its Titan Distribution Center, and 43 workers at its ASC plant will lose their jobs on April 30.

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act is a federal requirement mandating that businesses must provide at least 60 days’ notice before a plant will close or issue mass layoffs.

First Brands Group is a worldwide company that makes automotive parts. In all, 571 workers are losing their jobs in South Texas. Nationwide, many of the company’s plants will be shutting their doors on the same date.

The company is also closing facilities at maquiladora plants all along the U.S.-Mexico border, including those in Matamoros and Juarez.

Last month in Juarez, some workers set up camp at one of the First Brands facilities in fear that it might be closing.

In September, the Michigan-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Several company officials are accused of a fraud scheme.

Maquiladora manufacturers in Mexico employ nearly 3 million people and represent more than 60 percent of the country’s total exports, according to the National Council of the Maquiladora and Manufacturing Export Industry.

Border Report correspondents Julian Resendiz and Sandra Sanchez contributed to this report.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST: GUTIERREZ STILL BLASTING ON

By Jose Angel Gutierrez

Q’vo…this is Jose Angel Gutierrez, old timer from the Chicano Generation, one of the 4 
Horsemen of the Chicano Movement.

I love what our young people are doing these days by protesting, resisting, boycotting, disrupting,
challenging ICE and the Border Patrol, and walking out of schools.

That is how I started with 4 others when we formed the Mexican American Youth Organization. MAYO in 1967. Here is a book about that by Armando Navarro., Univ. of Texas press, 1995

Now 36 states have legislation trying to end Chicano Studies and all others. There are 130 bills pending.
In Texas, the three major university systems, Texas, Texas A & M and Texas Tech have or are about to end all ethnic and gender studies. At UT Austin, all faculty will have their syllabi scrutinized and approved to ensure they are not dealing with controversial subjects like diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

They have ended the Mexican American and Latino Studies programs and others. Dr. Rodolfo Acuña has written about those programs. Here it is…Rutgers Univ. Press, 2011 and an earlier one a bit more critical by Michael Soldatenko, Chicano Studies: The Genesis of a Discipline, Univ. of Arizona, 2009.

Here is the book cover…We, as MAYO, started that program, as part of our demands in every walkout. We wanted to learn about La Raza not just about Whites.

In California, after the 1968 LA walkouts, five high schools, other leaders like Rene Nuñez from
Southern California, gathered and wrote up El Plan de Santa Barbara which became our blueprint for Chicano Studies.

Now, the racist White politicians in government are taking these away. What are you going to do about that? I, for one, am doing these Instagram minutes, also a writing a blog, plus making longer YouTube videos, and still writing a lot of books about us, La Raza.

Mira…this is my flyer on some books. Check me out on Instagram, at joseangelgutierrezbooks.com and
voiceofthemainland.blogspot.com

Abrazos.

LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET THEIR TARIFF REFUND...

CBS

Companies in the U.S. that paid tariffs invalidated by the Supreme Court in February are legally entitled to refunds, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday.

Judge Richard Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York said that U.S. importers were "entitled to benefit" from the high court's February 20 decision that President Trump lacked the authority to impose sweeping tariffs last year under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Eaton was ruling specifically on a case brought by Atmus Filtration, a Nashville, Tennessee, company that makes filters and other filtration products, claiming a right to a tariff refund.

Second legal defeat this week

A federal appeals court on Monday declined to delay implementation of the Supreme Court ruling striking down most of the Trump administration's tariffs. That ruling clears the way for the Court of International Trade to begin the process of refunding tariffs to businesses,

Eaton also wrote in his decision that he alone "will hear cases pertaining to the refund of IEEPA" tariffs. The Supreme Court did not address the issue of refunds in its 6-3 decision last month.

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Eaton's ruling.

Trade experts estimate that the U.S. government could owe as much as $175 billion to businesses that paid IEEPA levies. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows that, through the end of 2025, the federal government had collected $134 billion in duties under IEEPA.

Trade lawyer Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding and a former U.S. trade official, said he expects the government to appeal or "seek a stay to buy more time for U.S. Customs to comply."

The U.S. Customs agency must now develop a way to process the refunds. The agency routinely refunds tariffs in cases of error, but its system was "not designed for a mass refund," said trade lawyer Alexis Early, a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. "The devil will be in the details of the administrative process."

Lawsuits seeking refunds

A coalition of small businesses that has demanded tariff refunds cheered Eaton's ruling.

"This is a victory for small businesses who have paid billions in unlawful tariffs and deserve their money back," Dan Anthony, executive director of We Pay the Tariffs, said in a statement. "The court acted swiftly and correctly. Now the ball is in the government's court, and small businesses are concerned they will drag this out further."

Several major corporations, including Bausch & Lomb, Dyson, FedEx and L'Oreal, have sued the federal government for refunds of the IEEPA tariffs. FedEx has also pledged to refund consumers and shippers who paid the charges if the delivery company is ultimately made whole.

PRIVATE BONE SPUR COURAGEOUSLY BATTLES THE MUSLIMS...FROM A DISTANCE

My Original Sketch. Trump is a bully. Bullies operate from insecurities and fear. They lie about their intent and use macho rodomontade to satiate fragile egos. When they control weapons of destruction, people die.

TRUMP'S WAR ON IRAN: MYTH VERSUS FACT

La Cebolla

The White House has defended strikes on Iran, stating that the country’s leaders are “paying for their crimes against America.” La Cebolla examines the myths and facts surrounding President who Trump’s war.

MYTH: As commander-in-chief, Trump has the authority to take military action.
FACT: It is unconstitutional for a U.S. president to declare war without the approval of the Knesset.

MYTH: These strikes could lead to a long war.
FACT: It depends how many decades you consider “long.”

MYTH: God anointed Donald Trump to wage war on Iran.
FACT: God anointed Donald Trump to cut funding to Sesame Street.

MYTH: A war between the U.S. and Iran is necessary for Jesus Christ to return in glory.
FACT: Jesus is holding out until Paraguay and Kyrgyzstan finally go at it.

MYTH: These attacks will lead to retaliatory strikes on U.S. citizens.
FACT: Wait, shit, really?

MYTH: These strikes will diminish America’s standing on the world stage.
FACT: Hey, if they were still with us up until now, God bless.

A JUDGE FOR ALL LIKE BEN EURESTI WILL BE HARD TO REPLACE

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

With 107th District Judge Ben Euresti retiring, his elected successor will have the onerous task to duplicate his many years of service in Cameron County. His excellent standing among the people is attested by the fact that he was repeatedly reelected without opposition to his court.

Some examples of his chart rulings demonstrate why he is so well respected by his peers.

Several years ago when lawyers for a Fortune 500 company were dissatisfied with Judge Euresti's ruling on admissibility of documentary evidence, they expressed their dissatisfaction to the judge. They stated they would appeal his ruling to the appeals court in Corpus Christi. 

Judge Euresti told them to go ahead, but his ruling would not be changed. Months later the appeals court sustained his ruling against the company. With their many resources and multiple lawyers the Fortune 500 company appealed their unfavorable ruling to the highest court in Texas – the Texas Supreme Court. Over one year later, the Supreme Court denied their appeal, thus sustaining Judge Euresti's original ruling.

During that same time period, a defendant with multiple criminal convictions for the same offense appealed to Judge Euresti to reduce his current prison sentence. An obviously angry judge told the defendant that his original sentence was fair, just, and merciful. He told him not to return to his court again, and if he did return, he would double his sentence.

Whether one be a plaintiff or a defendant, Judge Euresti's rulings were scholarly, fair and consistent over many years. HIs well-deserved retirement will hopefully be filled with many good years of health and success. 

TRUMP SAID HE WOULDN'T, BUT WE'RE INTO ANOTHER FOREVER WAR.

Statement from Major General (Ret.) Paul D. Eaton, an Army commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom:

U.S. STRIKE KILLS 166 IRANIAN SCHOOL GIRLS

Gus Eaton Wheeler
Reminds me of the line in Shrek: Lord Farquard said: “Some of you will die, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Jay Pritchard
The congressional reaction to the actions taken in Venezuela was the practice run for this latest actions

Michael Shulman
All Americans should read what the Major General has said. This is what our Constitution intended to prevent these events from happening

 Judy Brown Wheele

And we know from our past experiences that Iran doesn't fight a conventional war; it fights dirty and unexpectedly.

Scott Bridgeman
It’s not a declared war, it’s a military strike well within his powers of authorization.

Dominic Mazzuca
I seem to remember a highly regarded living past president say "don't boo...vote"

Paul Keenan
Let's send in Pete and see if he's as good fighter as he is a podcaster

Nancy Joye Bowers
Perhaps his son would volunteer to go fight

Aaron Cronister
There hasn't been a declaration of war by congress since WW2. Everything since were military operations, whether they were strikes or full-scale. They may have been called wars, but they were never officially congressionally declared wars.

Joseph Frye
Assuming we have elections in November. Also, Congress has not passed a declaration of war since WW2. We've sure had lots of troops fighting in wars since then.

Mahala Ann
Who are the generals that went to war over the approval of the Congress?

DISTRICT 34 GOES BLUE BIG TIME: 56,198 DEM TO 31,271 GOP VOTES

AND SO IT ENDED FOR MAYRA, NOT WITH A BANG, BUT WITH A WHIMPER...

TOTAL REPUBLICAN VOTES IN DISTRICT 34: 31,271

AND THEN CAME THE BLUE WAVE...

TOTAL DEMOCRATIC VOTES: 56,198

ELECTIONS, IT'S SAID, HAVE CONSEQUENCES: WHO ATE YOUR LUNCH?

 

RGV'S OWN GINA HINOJOSA TOPS DEMO CANDIDATES, WILL FACE ABBOTT

Team Gina  
It’s official! AP just called the race in the Texas Democratic Primary election, and I’ll be facing Greg Abbott this November.

And now, we move into the next phase of this race with one mission in mind — defeating Greg Abbott and ending the era of corruption and negligence he has inflicted on Texas.

Thank you. This wouldn’t have been possible without your support.

To every volunteer who knocked doors, every organizer who made the calls, every supporter who chipped in what they could, and every Texan who believed in this campaign early, thank you. You carried us over the first big hurdle and made it clear that Texans are ready to turn the page.

Now the general election is underway, and our mission is clear. We are going to defeat Greg Abbott and end the era of corruption and negligence he has inflicted on Texas.

If you’re ready to keep the pressure on and keep building momentum, will you pitch in $5 right now to help us start strong?

Politics was never the plan for me. But when they tried to close my son’s neighborhood school, I couldn’t just stand on the sidelines and do nothing about it — so I turned my anger into action and ran for the school board to change things. And I won. Since then, I’ve fought for Texas families alongside union teachers and parents of every political background because this is not about party. It is about putting our kids first.

As the Democratic nominee for Governor, I will fight for Texans the same way I fight for my own kids, with everything I’ve got.

As Governor of Texas, I will work to build a state where:You can see a doctor without worrying that it will bankrupt your family.
Your paycheck goes further at the grocery store and at the pharmacy
And make sure every child has a strong neighborhood public school, with supported teachers and safe classrooms.

After over a decade of Greg Abbott, Texans have watched the cost of living explode, public schools gutted and politicized, corruption run rampant, and millions denied health care. Texans are ready for something better.

But Abbott has a massive $106 million war chest, and starting today, his billionaire donors are ready to write a blank check just to keep him in power.

That is why I’m asking. Will you help power my campaign with a contribution of $5 today?

Donate $5 »

Let’s win this together.
With gratitude,
Gina Hinojosa

GRACIA BESTS BETANCOURT, GARZA-PEREZ ROLLS AT CC CLERK, MAY 26 RUNOFFS FOR 107TH, COUNTY JUDGE, AND PCT. 2 COMMISH

GRACIA UPSETS BETANCOURT FOR COUNTY TREASURER

SYLVIA GARZA PEREZ ROLLS OVER DENISE 

MAY 26 RUNOFF BETWEEN NOE AND CHUY FOR 107TH DISTRICT COURT

MAY 26 RUNOFF FOR COUNTY JUDGE BETWEEN TREVINO AND GUERRA

JOEY LOPEZ AND JOSEPH LUCIO MAY 26 RUNOFF

5-TIME DRAFT DODGER SAYS: HEY, YOU WIN A FEW, LOSE A FEW

BREAKING: Former South Park writer launches DraftBarronTrump.com as flag-draped coffins come home from Iran war.

Three American troops are dead. Five more are seriously wounded. Operation "Epic Fury" — the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran launched by the self-proclaimed "Peace President" — is just two days old, and the casualties are already piling up.

And America wants to know: where is Barron Trump?

As the first Gold Star notifications were being delivered to grieving families this weekend, #SendBarron exploded across social media, trending nationwide. The pointed message was impossible to miss — if Donald Trump believes this war is worth American lives, why isn't his own 6-foot-7, 19-year-old son suiting up alongside them?

Into the moment stepped Toby Morton, comedian, former South Park writer, and self-described "Creator of Anti-Fascist Websites." You may remember Morton as the man who presciently nabbed the “TrumpKennedyCenter.org” domain name to create a parody website before the Trump administration even got out of bed.

His latest masterpiece, DraftBarronTrump.com, launched with mock-Trumpian solemnity: "Service is honor. Strength is inherited." It concludes, magnificently, with "Dog Bless Barron."

The site features fake quotes from the Trump men that are only barely more absurd than their real ones. 

Here’s a made-up quote from "Donald J. Trump," ”People come up to me, with tears in their eyes, and they say, ‘Sir, you’re the strongest. Send Barron off to war.’ I’ve always been strong. Very strong. Stronger than anyone expected. Some say the strongest ever. And strength matters. Believe me.”

Other satirical quotes include "Donald Trump Jr." pledging to honor Barron's sacrifice "mainly by talking about it from a safe distance," and “Eric Trump” saying something incoherent about pancakes.

The satire lands because the hypocrisy is so naked. Trump himself collected five Vietnam deferments — four for college, then a miraculous case of bone spurs that somehow resolved itself without surgery or medical records. The Queens podiatrist who signed off on that diagnosis? His daughters later told reporters it was a favor to Trump's father, Fred.

Now, Trump sends other people's children to die in Iran while his own son attends NYU's D.C. campus and reportedly keeps to himself.

To be fair to Barron, the 19-year-old appears to want absolutely nothing to do with any of this. He has no social media presence, avoids cameras, and earlier this year quietly called British emergency services to help save a woman being attacked — genuinely heroic behavior that had nothing to do with his father's wars or his family's brand.

Barron didn't start this conflict. His father did — the same father who couldn't be troubled to serve when it was his turn. The troops dying in this Iran conflict deserved better than a president who spent his youth dodging service and his presidency dodging accountability.

If it takes a satirical website to help point that out, then so be it.

APPELLATE COURT TO TRUMP: YOUR TARIFFS ARE ILLEGAL

Associated Press 

WASHINGTON — A federal court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to slow the process of refunding billions of dollars’ worth of tariffs the Supreme Court struck down as illegal last month.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit started the next phase in the refund process by sending it to a lower court to sort out.

In a court filing Friday, President Donald Trump Justice Department had urged the Federal Circuit to proceed cautiously and hold off for 90 days. But the judges refused.

The Supreme Court ruled Feb. 20 that Trump’s sweeping tariffs on most countries in the world were illegal, clearing the way for the importers who paid them to seek refunds.

The government had collected more than $130 billion from the tariffs by mid-December, and could ultimately be on the hook for refunds worth $175 billion, according to calculations by the Penn Wharton Budget Model.

But the Supreme Court offered no guidance on refunds; its decision did not even mention them. Now the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York will decide how the complicated refund process should proceed.

“I would expect the Court of International Trade to quickly issue an order requesting a status update from the government on their plans with respect to refunds (or expedited briefing),” said trade lawyer Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding and a former U.S. trade official.

“I expect the court to take an aggressive posture, asking the government to justify how they intend to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling.”

Siddartha Rao, a partner at law firm Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney, said he has been getting a lot of calls from clients with questions. “We are somewhat in uncharted territory,” he said.

The Trump administration has been reaching for new tariffs to replace the ones the Supreme Court struck down.

One question, he said, is how the government might actually pay for these refunds.

“Everyone is sort of cognizant of the fact that it’s not like there’s over a hundred billion dollars sitting in, you know, in a room somewhere to just cut checks,” Rao said.

“So, you know, this is a Treasury problem, and it may very well be that the administration is reimposing tariffs for the reasons that it’s cited ... it’s important for strategic trade agreements and for bargaining power and all of that. But it also might be that they need to raise revenue to pay out refunds.”

IT'S ELECTION DAY, AND HERE ARE OUR DEMOCRATIC LOCAL PICKS

DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRIMARY

CAMERON COUNTY JUDGE

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

The choice is easy.

Do we want a county judge who has verifiable links with the Cartel Del Golfo, like Steve Guerra, whose grandfather was cartel founder Juan N. Guerra, one of his cousins is Juan Abrego Garcia, who is doing 11 life sentences for drug running and money laundering, and a female cousin, Sandra Guerra, who has accepted a plea bargain from federal prosecutors for her role in extortion and of transmigrantes, money laundering, and who calls himself an entrepreneur, but shows no identifiable place of business?

We do know, however, that a company he owned, Warrior Fuel Traders, – while he was a Brownville Navigation District commissioner – did extensive business with Pyrodiesel Del Cento SA de CV, named by the Federal Criminal Intelligence Center of Mexico as a principal in the smuggling of fuel by the Mexican cartels. 

The only reason this came to light was the revelation that Guerra had been sued by a Navasota, Texas fuel seller for an unpaid $300,000 bill. That stench follows him like a cloud despite his protest and that of his followers.

The other candidate in this race is the former Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza, who left hat office in disgrace. Garza, whose novice management of the sheriff's department caused the feds to pull out their prisoners from county jails, cost the county $3 million, and the prisoners didn't return until new sheriff Manuel "Manny" Treviño cleaned up the mess the former sheriff left behind. 

When Garza left, he left a demoralized department, numerous lawsuits caused by his rampant mismanagement, and a trail of favoritism that divided the department's personnel. He sued the commissioners court. And veteran law enforcement officers lost all respect for the man in charge. 

Garza lost to his successor Treviño – no relation to Eddie Treviño, the incumbent county judge – during the Democratic primary in 2024, and then, in the November general election, hosted Republican nominee Jimmy Manrrique at department events and endorsed him in social media despite having run for the Democratic Party nomination.

Then, all of a sudden, he reappeared this year and filed to run as the third candidate for Cameron County judge as a Democrat after Brownsville Navigation District  chair Steve Guerra announced. Reports by eyewitnesses indicate that both men were seen conversing at a local eatery prior to Garza making his announcement. Garza is a de facto stalking horse to cover for Guerra and get him into a runoff with incumbent Treviño. 

Don't fall for it and waste your vote. In boot camp, the drill instructor told us that if your boots aren't as spit shined as your buddy's next door, don't stand next to him but seek to stand next to someone's whose boots aren't as shiny as yours. Compared to those two, Treviño is the safest choice.

Judge, 107th District Court

By Noe Garza

Dear Friends and Cameron County neighbors,

The black and white photograph below in this post shows me, Noe Domingo Garza, Jr., at five years old, standing with my two older sisters. 

My father took this picture in 1967 on the shores of Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico, to commemorate the day our family received legal residency in the United States. We had traveled there as part of the medical inspection process required for our immigration, and my father wanted to preserve that important moment in our journey.

My name is Noe Domingo Garza, Jr. I was born on August 22, 1962, in a small ranch called El Tahuachal in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. After Hurricane Beulah destroyed our home in 1967, my family immigrated legally to the United States in search of a better future.
I began school in Brownsville at the age of five, and attended Garden Park Elementary when the classrooms were refurbished military barracks and the school still used septic tanks for sanitary services.

My parents worked humble jobs. My father was a custodian at Cummings Intermediate School, and my mother worked in the cafeteria at Hanna High School. 

My father was illiterate and could not read or write, and my mother attended school only through the third grade, not by choice but because of their circumstances. Even so, they believed deeply in education and made sure their children never lacked encouragement, discipline, and hope.

I graduated from Pace High School at seventeen, earned my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Pan American University at Brownsville, and graduated from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1986 at the age of twenty-three.

For thirty-nine years, I have practiced law with an impeccable record with the State Bar of Texas. I am also licensed to practice in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the Eastern District of Michigan.

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of helping thousands of families during some of the most difficult and important moments of their lives. I have handled more than 300 jury trials and have always worked to uphold fairness, justice, and dignity in the courtroom.

In 2015, I was honored as Criminal Defense Attorney of the Year by the Cameron County Bar

Association. In 2018, I was recognized by Bishop Flores during the Red Mass for my service to the community. I have also been inducted into the BISD Hall of Fame, served as Principal for a Day, and been honored to speak at Pace High School as a keynote speaker in 2016 and 2022.

But my greatest pride is my family. My wife, Judge Adela Kowalski Garza, and I have been married for thirty-five years, and together we raised three wonderful sons. They are my greatest blessing and my daily motivation to serve with integrity and compassion.

From humble beginnings to a lifetime of service, my journey reflects the American Dream. With faith, hard work, and determination, anything is possible. Everything I am today is because of this community, and I want to give back what I have learned and what I know.

With your help and your vote, I ask for the opportunity to continue serving Cameron County.
Early voting begins on February 17 and ends on February 27. Election Day is March 3.

Please support me so that I may continue to serve our community with experience, fairness, and respect.
Thank you, and may God bless you all.

CAMERON COUNTY TREASURER

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

For 20 years, David Betancourt has promised the voters the world, and delivered nothing. It’s barely been three months since Betancourt began his campaign outreach to Cameron County, and like clockwork, he is out on the hustings reminding voters of his Democratic lineage, and of his “hard work” as Cameron County Treasurer.
As a descendant of true Democrats in his late father Adolfo and late mom Janie, David has sat at the center of Cameron County’s finances as county treasurer. Unfortunately, he’s transformed from a real Democrat into an entrenched part of an old establishment that talks about progress but never delivers.

Year after year, without shame, David requested pay raises from the Cameron County Commissioners Court and never once in all of those 20 years did he fight for employee raises. Instead, he fought for himself. 

The Cameron County Commissioners Court, this year, finally appeased the king by giving him a raise of $12,693 FY 2025-2026, lifting his total compensation from $83,676 to $96,368.

A closer analysis reveals, after two decades, taxpayers aren’t seeing results for their money; they’re seeing higher bills, stale leadership, and a treasurer who’s more interested in holding the title than doing the job.

Now, as he faces a challenger in former JP Jonathan Gracia who has openly called for change and lower taxes on our homes, Betancourt has literally, and conveniently, altered his campaign signs promising to – you guessed it – to lower taxes in a epiphany election. This new tune sounds less like reform and more like desperation to keep the Betancourt gravy train going.

(After Gracia called for lower taxes, Betancourt's signs conveniently plastered an addition saying he was "helping to lower taxes," while giving himself a salary raise.)

Let’s be honest: David Betancourt has become the definition of complacency. He rarely shows up to work, stays detached from the community he’s supposed to serve, and hasn’t led with initiative or engagement. While other public servants step up to make Cameron County stronger, he’s been content to coast — a taker, not a giver. He doesn’t contribute, he doesn't connect, and he doesn’t care to show up unless someone else throws a party or there’s a campaign sign nearby.

It's a breath of fresh air that current county judge Eddie Treviño has called on all "real Democrats" to tally around our party. We're Democrats and should be justly proud to uphold and promote our ideals.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, everyone will acknowledge that the Democrats are under siege by the Republicans in Cameron County and across South Texas. It’s going to take energetic and engaged leaders to withstand the attacks that will not stop for the foreseeable future. Don’t look to David Betancourt for any help there.

Betancourt –has ridden his family’s coattails his entire life. Up to now he hasn't had to work or worry because his name recognition has carried him to a campaign victory, and he has flaunted his entitlement to public office – and check – as if it was a family heirloom.

Now Betancourt, after 20 years of minimal effort and maximum self-interest, wants one more four-year term. But for who? For him – or for us? If two decades of inaction weren’t enough time to make a difference, what could possibly change in another four years?

Change will not come from the Betancourt dynasty. Change will come from the people of Cameron County. And this year, that change starts at the ballot box. 

TEXAS GOVERNOR

Team Gina

Here’s where we stand: We’ve received the endorsement of every major newspaper in Texas. We’re polling only 3 points behind Abbott — the same margin that sent Ann Richards to office. We just watched Democrat Taylor Rehmet flip a deep-red Senate district by 14 points.

Everything is in our favor to win. And it all starts with this election.

Today it is critical we carry this momentum — that even Abbott’s warchest can’t deny — through November. Abbott and the Republicans are watching this race closely. He knows whoever wins the Democratic primary will be a major threat, and he’s ready to attack.

That’s why this final day matters. Every dollar you give right now will help Get Out the Vote, through final texts, calls, and door knocks.

Today, when the polls open, hundreds of thousands of voters will use their ballot to say who they want to be the next Governor. And I’m ready.

Your vote has power. Power to elect leaders who will fight for our communities, our rights, and our future.

S. TEXAS STUNNER: TEXAS 34TH HOUSE RACE TURNS INTO TOSSUP

By Drew Archer
Houston hoodline

Texas’ 34th Congressional District has turned into one of the tightest fights in the country, with polling averages showing a near dead heat as both parties barrel toward the March 3 primary. The seat, reshaped by a mid decade redistricting that pushed it from the Rio Grande Valley up the Gulf Coast toward Corpus Christi, no longer offers an easy glide path for an incumbent. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez now faces the real prospect of a bruising November if Republicans manage to rally behind a single nominee, as reported by The Cook Political Report.

According to The New York Times, the latest polling averages for Texas 34 show Gonzalez running almost even with his likely Republican opponents. The Cook Political Report also rates the race as a tossup, a verdict that reflects both the newly drawn lines and last year’s razor thin results in what has become one of the most competitive House districts in the country.

Redistricting Scrambles the Numbers

Republican lawmakers’ mid 2025 remap moved chunks of the district inland and up the coast, trading some heavily Democratic Hidalgo County precincts for more conservative areas in Nueces County and Corpus Christi. That shift, along with the legal battles that followed, changed the electorate enough that analysts now treat the 34th as a very different seat than the older, bluer version. As reported by The Texas Tribune, using the new map on the 2024 results would have increased President Trump’s margin in the district by about 10 points.

Republican Rumble: Mayra vs. Eric

On the Republican side, the primary has turned into a headline ready Flores vs. Flores showdown. Former Rep. Mayra Flores is trying to claw back the seat she briefly held, while Army veteran Eric Flores has surged after picking up a late endorsement from Donald Trump. AP News reported that Trump’s nod convinced several rivals to bow out and helped consolidate cash and outside spending behind Eric Flores, turning the primary into a fast track electability test for Republicans. Whoever emerges on Tuesday – or if the field is forced into a runoff – will heavily shape how November looks.
Democrats Weigh Incumbency vs. Energy

Gonzalez still has the traditional advantages of incumbency, including broad name recognition across much of the Valley, but the reworked district leaves him with far less room for error after an already narrow win in 2024. The Houston Chronicle has followed a spirited primary challenge from Etienne Rosas, a public policy analyst backed by progressive groups in the region. Filings with the Federal Election Commission show Gonzalez holding a fundraising lead heading into March, but strategists on both sides argue that turnout patterns in November will ultimately decide whether the 34th stays in Democratic hands or flips.

What to Watch on Primary Day

Early voting has already started in many counties, and Election Day is Tuesday, March 3. Two big variables loom: how strong local turnout runs up and down the district and whether Republicans can avoid a bruising runoff that drags their fight into overtime. National party committees and outside groups are already pouring money and ad buys into the Valley, and any late shifts in polling could trigger fresh waves of TV spots, digital ads and glossy mailers landing in voters’ mailboxes.

YES, IT IS A MONDAY, MONDAY...SO GOOD TO ME...GTFU

By The Mamas and the Papas

Monday Monday, so good to me,

Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be

Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee

That Monday evening you could still be here with me.

Monday Monday, can't trust that day,

Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way

Oh Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be

Oh Monday Monday, how yould could uou leave and not take me?

Every other day, every other day,

Every other day of the week is fine, yeah

But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes

You can find me cryin' all of the time

Monday Monday, so good to me,

Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be

Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee

That Monday evening you would still be here with me.

Every other day, every other day,

Every other day of the week is fine, yeah

But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes

You can find me cryin' all of the time

...

A WAR PRAYER FOR THE U.S. SAILORS OFF THE COAST OF IRAN

 

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

God,
I don’t even know how to pray right now. My heart is anxious and scared. Please watch over my daughter, Paris. Cover her with Your protection. Guard her mind, her body, and her spirit. 

Give her courage without fear and strength without harm. I lift up the USS Abraham Lincoln and every sailor aboard. Surround that ship with Your protection. Guide their leaders with wisdom and steady hands. Keep them safe in the air, at sea, and in every mission. 

I pray for all of our military — every son and daughter serving far from home. Protect them. Bring them home safely. And God, please calm my heart. Help me trust You when I can’t see what’s happening. Hold Paris close when I can’t.
Amen.

WHAT GOD HEARD: 

From Mark Twain's War Prayer

"O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with hurricanes of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with...

"...their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn

with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it – for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen."

WILL YOU PLEASE DONATE TO HELP THIS SICK CHILD?

DO A GOOD DEED FOR THE UTES! CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS

 

PA' CERRAR CON BROCHE DE ORO...THE SATURDAY GRAND PARADE

THE PARTY NUMBERS FOR CAMERON COUNTY WRITTEN ON THE POLLS

DEMOCRAT EARLY VOTING: 22,317

REPUBLICAN EARLY VOTING: 8,651

TOTAL EARLY VOTE: 30,878 

Ed.'s Note: If Early Voting usually results in an average of 65 percent of the vote cast in any election, there are another estimated 16,726 votes to be cast on Tuesday, March 3, during Election Day which could determine the winner or runoff candidates in contested elections.