Seeking to up the ante to rein in runaway Democratic legislators, Texas AG Ken Paxton is asking the state Supreme Court to vacate the seats of 13 state House Dems who left to protest a congressional redistricting map, @AaronTorres_ & @PhilJankowski report.

After Putin ignores Trump deadline for a ceasefire with Ukraine, he says he's open to trying to halt Russia's invasion of its neighbor by giving up Ukrainian territory to its invader, a move long rejected by Zelenskyy, who isn't invited to upcoming talks.

Redistricting battle: Illinois law enforcement officers should be allowed to arrest Texas House Democrats who have been staying in the Chicago area in effort to thwart Republican bid to redraw US House maps to gain 5 seats, @AaronTorres_ reports. #txlege

Celebrating a Texas classic on its 75th birthday: The goal was to make a better burger that took two hands to hold and tasted so good that when you took a bite you would say, “What a burger!” Devotees can mark the anniversary with a 75-cent Whataburger.

Despite pressure from President Trump and international leaders to end the Middle East conflict, Israel says it plans to take over Gaza City in another escalation of its 22-month war with Hamas. Protests persist by Israelis worried about fate of hostages.

Chronology of chaos: Cries for help came from pitch-black woods, rooftops and attics as deadly flood waters rose in the Texas Hill Country. First responders raced to help with little guidance on where or how as emergency leaders were asleep or out of town.

Using armed forces for law enforcement, President Trump secretly signs directive to Pentagon to use military against some Latin American drug cartels his administration deems terrorist organizations in a move Mexico had already rejected, @nytimes reports.

Making the White House beautiful again? To some critics, it looks like Trump has transformed the classic, historic setting of the Rose Garden into a generic outdoor dining area of a restaurant, hotel or amusement park. Opinions abound over the First Family’s ongoing remodeling.

Brandon Blackstock — stepson of Reba McEntire and ex-husband of Kelly Clarkson, who was born in Fort Worth, grew up in Burleson and later in Mansfield — dies at 48 after a 3-year fight with cancer. On Wednesday, Clarkson paused her current Vegas residency.

“What am I gonna do if I can’t tell my parents goodbye for the last time?” Texas ban on cell phones communication devices in public schools stirs anxiety among students in D-FW and beyond, Kathryn Muchnick reports. #txlege #txed

Political shots fired! Incumbent Texas GOP US @JohnCornyn says his leading challenger, state Attorney General @KenPaxtonTX, went AWOL to play golf in Europe while Texas House Democrats went AWOL in an attempt to thwart Republican congressional redistricting. #txlege.

Life, death & Trump’s hiring freeze: Months before deadly Texas floods, the National Weather Service picked a meteorologist to embed in state’s emergency operation, but they never began the job. Official: “Lives may have been saved or could have been saved, but we’ll never know.”.

Archie Manning has a message for the NFL about his grandson Arch, the new starting QB for the Texas Longhorns: He won’t be available in the 2026 draft, despite being projected as a high 1st round pick. “Arch isn’t going to do that. He’ll be at Texas.”

What does the law allow the FBI to do in tracking runaway Democratic legislators from Texas? As Kash Patel says, “No one is above the law.” Even the federal government.

After gutting the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Trump administration approves hiring as many as 450 people to shore up services after deep cuts this spring raised concern about dangerous understaffing.

The president says on his social media platform the census will be based on “modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024,” a sign he may try to inject his politics into the once-a-decade survey.

FULL STORY: Expanding efforts to reshape basic measures of how American society is faring to his liking, Trump says tells his administration to change the way the Census Bureau collects data, seeking to exclude immigrants in the United States illegally.

Bam! Trump says he’s launching effort for a new Census that won’t count anyone in the US illegally. No further details. Stay tuned ….

UPDATES: Suspected shooter of five soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia is an Army sergeant and is in custody, according to authorities. More than 10,000 people reside on the base, the Army’s largest post east of the Mississippi.