Texas using DPS records to confirm citizenship of voters flagged by federal database
County officials found that hundreds of the flagged voters registered through DPS, which requires proof of citizenship.
Texas prisoners face new book ban after hundreds test positive for synthetic drugs
Inmates say the policy unfairly punishes them — and note that prison staff also bring in contraband.
Texas’ discipline push sends kids to ‘jail-like’ campuses
Lawmakers increasingly view disciplinary alternative programs as a solution to behavior problems. Critics say they harm students.
East Texas could be the key to developing critical lithium supply for the U.S. military
Texas lawmakers proposed a bill to allow private-sector lithium mining companies to work on certain military bases.
U.S. Supreme Court settles long-running Texas-New Mexico water dispute over Rio Grande
The settlement calls for reducing groundwater pumping along the dwindling river and retiring water rights from irrigated farmland in southern New Mexico.
From Cornyn to Paxton: How Trump helped accelerate the Texas GOP’s transformation
The power struggle between old-school Bush Republicans and hardline conservatives predates President Donald Trump. But he has used his clout to help tip the scales.
Texas’ app age verification law allowed to go into effect for now
A federal appeals court allowed Texas to require app stores to verify users’ ages and seek parental consent before a minor can download apps.
Austin ISD’s bid to avoid state takeover rejected by Texas Education Agency
TEA officials on Thursday denied the district’s request to approve a partnership to run its three chronically failing schools that would have put a pause on the campuses’ accountability rating.
RNC and NRCC file lawsuit defending Missouri’s new congressional map against Democratic challenges
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) filed a lawsuit Thursday defending Missouri’s new congressional map. The RNC told Fox News Digital the lawsuit aims to intervene as Democrats escalate what Republicans describe as a nationwide campaign to block legally enacted redistricting laws. “Democrats across the country are using frivolous lawsuits to cling to power after failing at the ballot box,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement. “The RNC is fighting for the values of Missourians against Democrats trying to use the courts to rig congressional districts in their favor and override the will of voters.” The RNC said the new congressional map, enacted by the Missouri General Assembly last year, fully complies with the state constitution. Opponents of the map dispute that claim and have argued in court that the plan violates provisions of the Missouri Constitution. MISSOURI GOV. MIKE KEHOE CONSIDERS SPECIAL SESSION TO REDRAW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS AFTER TRUMP CALL “The people of Missouri deserve fair and equal representation, not a partisan power grab designed to silence voters and overturn a lawfully enacted map,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson said. “The NRCC and RNC are standing up for the integrity of the democratic process and defending Missourians’ right to have their voices heard under fair congressional districts,” he added. The lawsuit comes as referendum organizers and other opponents of the map seek court action related to petitions that would allow Missouri voters to decide whether to restore the state’s previous congressional map. Republicans argue certification should not occur before the state’s signature-verification process is complete. MISSOURI HOUSE APPROVES REDISTRICTING PLAN AS PART OF NATIONWIDE GOP PUSH TO DEFEND HOUSE MAJORITY According to the RNC, certifying the referendum before the review process is finished could temporarily block implementation of the new map. The lawsuit seeks to allow the review process to continue and ensure election laws are followed before any referendum moves forward. The RNC also said Democrats and allied groups have already spent more than $6 million unsuccessfully challenging Missouri’s maps in court. TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING PUSH TURNS MIDWESTERN STATE INTO NEXT POLITICAL BATTLEGROUND The case comes after the Supreme Court last month ruled 6-3 that Louisiana’s 2024 congressional map — redrawn to create a second majority-Black district — constituted an illegal racial gerrymander. Supporters of the Missouri map argue the decision reinforces limits on the use of race in congressional redistricting. Voting-rights advocates and other legal experts have offered differing interpretations of the ruling’s broader implications for future redistricting cases. The RNC pointed to the decision, arguing it reaffirmed that states cannot draw congressional maps predominantly based on race and that state legislatures retain broad authority to draw districts reflecting their residents’ political preferences. Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the new congressional map into law last year. Republicans believe the map could help the GOP gain an additional U.S. House seat in the 2026 midterms. Critics contend the map was designed to increase Republican electoral advantage and reduce the influence of some communities of interest, allegations supporters of the map reject. President Donald Trump praised the map in a Truth Social post at the time, calling it “FANTASTIC” and saying it would “help send an additional MAGA Republican to Congress in the 2026 Midterm Elections.” Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Paul Steinhauser and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
Trump administration cracks down on Brazil’s biggest drug gangs with ‘global terror’ designation
The Trump administration increased pressure on crime cartels operating out of Brazil on Thursday by moving to classify two of the country’s biggest drug gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. The two syndicates — First Command of the Capital (PCC) and Red Command (CV) — likely have more than 50,000 members combined, according to The Associated Press. “Today, the U.S. Department of State is designating Comando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and intends to designate both groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), effective June 5, 2026,” the State Department said in a statement. “CV and PCC are two of the most violent criminal organizations in Brazil. Together, they command thousands of members and have orchestrated brutal attacks against Brazilian police officers, public officials and civilians. Their influence and illicit networks extend far beyond Brazil’s borders, across our region and into our country,” the statement said. US GOVERNMENT TAKING ‘DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT APPROACH’ USING TERRORISM CHARGES AGAINST DRUG CARTELS: FBI ALUM The Trump administration, the department added, will continue to utilize all available tools to protect the nation and U.S. national security interests by keeping illicit drugs off American streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narco-terrorists. “Today’s action taken by the State Department further demonstrates the Trump Administration’s unwavering commitment to dismantling cartels and criminal organizations in our region and ensuring the safety of the American people,” the department said in a statement. The new designation also came after conservative Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro met with President Donald Trump in Washington to urge the administration to formally designate the gangs as terrorist entities. BOLSONARO DYNASTY EYES COMEBACK AS BRAZIL’S SOCIALIST PRESIDENT FACES CHALLENGE FROM JAILED RIVAL’S SON The 45-year-old senator and presidential hopeful shared a photo Tuesday standing by Trump’s side in the Oval Office, flashing a thumbs-up sign as he seeks to bolster his image amid a political scandal at home. “I went specifically to ask him to designate the CV and PCC as terrorist organizations, because that’s what they are,” he told reporters in Washington. With Brazil’s presidential election slated for October, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro have campaigned for the U.S. designation to target the public security failures of current leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. FEDS CHARGE DOZENS OF ALLEGED TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBERS WITH DRUG TRAFFICKING AND MURDER-FOR-HIRE Proponents argue that the PCC and CV operate across international borders through drug trafficking, money laundering, weapons smuggling and territorial control, making them comparable to other transnational groups already labeled as terrorist organizations by the U.S. Lula da Silva’s government strongly opposes the designation, arguing the gangs are heavily armed criminal enterprises rather than ideologically motivated terrorist groups. Lula is also seeking re-election. Brazilian authorities launched a major anti-gang financial crackdown this week targeting fraud and money-laundering networks allegedly linked to PCC operations, The Associated Press reported. Prosecutors revealed that the investigation uncovered billions of reais moved through fintech firms and shell structures. Last year, Brazilian authorities also uncovered a sprawling criminal network that had infiltrated parts of the fuel industry and connected to the financial sector through money-laundering schemes involving members of the PCC. At the time, authorities seized 1.2 billion reais (approximately $220 million) in assets, the outlet said.