<![CDATA[KPRC Click2Houston]]>https://www.click2houston.comMon, 15 Jun 2026 21:11:18 +0000en1hourly1<![CDATA[Stocks leap worldwide, and oil prices drop after the US and Iran reach a tentative deal on their war]]>https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/deal-on-ending-the-iran-war-sends-stocks-soaring-while-oil-prices-fall/https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/deal-on-ending-the-iran-war-sends-stocks-soaring-while-oil-prices-fall/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 01:00:29 +0000Stock markets rallied worldwide Monday, and oil prices eased after the United States and Iran reached a tentative deal to extend their ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to get the global flow of crude going again.

The S&P 500 rose 1.7% on hopes that this time, the announcement of an Iran-U.S. agreement will mean a long-term fix to a conflict that has worsened inflation around the world. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 468 points, or 0.9%, to a record, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 3.1%.

Stocks got a lift after the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil fell 4.8% to $83.17, back to where it was in early March. While that’s still above its price of roughly $70 from before the war, it’s lower than the $100 plus it cost just a few weeks ago. The hope is that lower oil prices will take pressure off households and businesses, which have had to pay higher prices for everything from food to fuel to fertilizer because of the war with Iran.

Iran confirmed the deal, but it does not include a final agreement on issues like Iran’s nuclear program. Negotiations on that are expected to continue over the next 60 days, which leaves opportunity for hiccups that could derail the agreement. And even if the Strait of Hormuz does fully reopen on Friday as expected, it will likely take months for the energy industry to get back to full speed.

For now, though, relief swept through financial markets worldwide.

On Wall Street, stocks of companies with big fuel bills were instant winners. United Airlines flew 3.9% higher, and cruise operator Royal Caribbean Group rose 6.6%.

Stocks of companies enmeshed in the artificial-intelligence industry also jumped. These stocks have yo-yoed in recent weeks, going from roaring to records to suddenly turning lower. The concern is whether such stocks shot too high, too fast because of AI mania, and their careening moves have sometimes reversed direction by the hour.

Micron Technology rallied 10.8%, and Advanced Micro Devices rose 7%. Nvidia’s climb of 3.5% was the strongest force pushing the S&P 500 upward because the AI chip company is Wall Street’s most valuable company, giving it more weight on the index than any other.

SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company that also owns the AI company xAI, rose 19.6% in its second day of trading on Wall Street. Its successful debut on the Nasdaq suggested plenty of demand still exists among investors for AI. The market has given SpaceX a total value of more than $2.1 trillion, making it bigger than Exxon Mobil, Bank of America and Coca-Cola combined.

In the bond market, Treasury yields eased on hopes that lower oil prices will remove pressure on central banks to raise interest rates.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.47% from 4.48% late Friday.

Europe’s central bank last week became the first major one in the world to raise interest rates because of the war with Iran. High interest rates can keep a lid on inflation, but they also slow economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments, including stocks and cryptocurrencies. They hit investments seen as the most expensive in particular, and some critics are calling the AI industry a bubble where investment inflated too far.

The Fed will announce its latest decision on interest rates later this week, which will be the first under its new chair, Kevin Warsh. Traders see it as a near certainty that the Fed will leave its main interest rate steady after its two-day meeting ends Wednesday.

Traders had been raising bets that the Fed may have to raise interest rates this year because of how much inflation has accelerated and how solid the U.S. job market remains. But the tentative deal between the United States and Iran means traders are now betting on only a 57% chance of a hike this year, down from 71% a week ago, according to data from CME Group.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, Roku fell 1.9% after the company announced that Fox Corp. is buying the streaming pioneer in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $22 billion.

Roku’s stock had already soared 20% Friday, when media reports emerged about a deal, which will give Fox access to the Roku channel, first-party data and more than 100 million global streaming households. Fox’s stock fell 16.8%.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 122.83 points to 7,554.29. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 468.77 to 51,671.03, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 795.10 to 26,683.94.

In stock markets abroad, indexes climbed in Asia and Europe. Japan’s Nikkei 225 leaped 5% for one of the world’s biggest gains and finished at a record.

“This is great news,” said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at Monex. “Buying by foreign investors is leading the market with expectations of easing tensions around the situation in the Middle East.”

South Korea’s Kospi soared even more, 5.2%, thanks in part to continued rallies for AI winners like Samsung Electronics.

London’s FTSE 100 was an outlier and slipped 0.4%.

___

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach and Senior Producer Mayuko Ono contributed to this report.

]]>Richard DrewRichard Drew<![CDATA[Some of the skydivers killed in Missouri plane crash were experienced jumpers]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2026/06/15/some-of-the-skydivers-killed-in-missouri-plane-crash-were-experienced-jumpers/https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2026/06/15/some-of-the-skydivers-killed-in-missouri-plane-crash-were-experienced-jumpers/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:25:20 +0000Several of the skydivers killed when their plane crashed moments after taking off from a Missouri airfield were experienced jumpers who belonged to a community with a unique bond.

Federal investigators were at the crash site Monday, a day after the plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers slammed into a field and burst into flames, killing all on board, authorities said.

Some family members of those who died were at the airport to watch the jump and witnessed the crash, said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.

Authorities have not released the victims' names.

Kevin Payne, who had jumped with seven of the skydivers on the plane, said they were all different in nearly every way, except that they were all brought together as a “sky family.”

“There is a joy and peace and freedom to what we do. That’s what most people never understand,” Payne, of Parkville, Missouri, wrote in an email. “It’s not about the adrenaline. It’s about really flying together with your family in that brief, exquisite instant that people who live their lives on the ground will never understand.”

While it will be about a month before the National Transportation Safety Board issues a preliminary report, weather did not appear to be a factor.

Investigators have interviewed some witnesses, NTSB Vice Chairman Michael Graham said. The plane didn’t have a “black box” like those that record crash data on commercial planes, but investigators will look for other kinds of devices that could provide insights, he said.

Skydiving plane went down soon after taking off

Witnesses say the plane was roughly 100 feet (30 meters) from the ground when it made an abrupt left turn before crashing.

It appeared to be losing power, and the pilot may have been trying to reach a highway to land when the plane stalled and went down nose first, said Dennis Jacobs, acting airport manager of Butler Memorial Airport.

The plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, he said. The crash site in the small town of Butler is roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of Kansas City.

Skydive Kansas City said in a statement that its team and the skydiving community were in shock.

“This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community,” the company said. “Our deepest sympathies are with the families, friends, and loved ones of all who were lost.”

Plane made multiple flights over the weekend

The Pacific Aerospace 750XL — a single engine turboprop plane — is a popular model in skydiving because it’s designed for the sport and can quickly take parachutists to jumping altitudes while using short runways.

This particular aircraft, built in 2010, made nine successful flights in the days before the crash, including two on Sunday morning, according to FlightAware, a digital flight tracking company.

Red flags raised about skydiving oversight

Federal investigators have voiced concerns about oversight for skydiving operators in past crash investigations and have cited the need for maintenance guidelines, training for pilots and stronger aircraft inspections. The NTSB said after a crash killed 11 people in Hawaii that the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulatory system isn’t strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights.

The FAA has yet to act on the NTSB's recommendations but said Monday it recently established a committee to recommend ways to increase skydiving safety and will consider the safety board's proposals.

“It’s always frustrating when we see things the FAA hasn’t acted on,” said Graham, of the NTSB. “And then we continue to see accidents in those arenas.”

Skydiving businesses operate under the same FAA rules that apply to any small plane owner as long as their flights don’t venture more than 25 miles (40 kilometers) away. Those rules also cover tourist helicopters and other local flights because the FAA considers those operations less complicated than a charter company or airline.

But aircraft owners are expected to follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule and recommendations.

The United States Parachute Association, the sport's governing body, said in a statement after Sunday's crash that “a loss of this magnitude is felt profoundly across the entire sport.”

The group said Skydive Kansas City adheres to the safety standards set by the largest skydiving organization in the world, including all FAA maintenance requirements.

The skydiving industry says it has a strong safety record. The association said that last year nearly 3.5 million jumps were completed and that 16 civilians died, the majority from human error.

___

Associated Press reporters Kristen M. Hall in Kansas City, Missouri; Cathy Bussewitz in New York; Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho; and Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed.

]]>Reed HoffmannUncreditedUncreditedReed HoffmannReed Hoffmann<![CDATA[Seen on Houston Life ]]>https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2019/10/10/seen-on-houston-life/https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2019/10/10/seen-on-houston-life/Tue, 26 May 2026 21:53:12 +00002026

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]]><![CDATA[Challenger with same name as US Sen. Dan Sullivan is ineligible for Alaska ballot, official says]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/us-senate-candidate-with-same-name-as-incumbent-dan-sullivan-ineligible-for-ballot-official-rules/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/us-senate-candidate-with-same-name-as-incumbent-dan-sullivan-ineligible-for-ballot-official-rules/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:28:38 +0000A top Alaska elections official on Monday ruled that a U.S. Senate candidate with the same name and party affiliation as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan is ineligible to appear on the state’s August primary ballot.

Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher, in a letter sent to the challenger Sullivan, said she concluded that his declaration of candidacy “was not filed in order to declare an actual good-faith candidacy for the office of United States Senator, but was instead filed with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality.”

The challenger can appeal the ruling, she said, while noting ballots are due to be printed June 28.

A text message seeking comment from Sullivan, the challenger, was not immediately returned. He previously said he anticipated making a decision on whether to pursue an appeal by early this week.

In a social media post Sunday, he said he “met the qualification and I entered this race because I am unhappy with the 12 year record of the current Senator and I feel we need a change. It’s that simple.”

It’s been a whirlwind chain of events in one of the nation’s most prominent U.S. Senate races, one both parties consider crucial to controlling the chamber.

The kerfuffle was set off by the challenger Sullivan filing days before the June 1 candidate deadline. Sen. Sullivan and Republicans called him a “sham” candidate and alleged he was working with Democrats to boost Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola’s chances in the race. Both the challenger Sullivan and Peltola’s campaign have denied the allegation.

Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom a week ago announced an investigation into the challenger Sullivan’s run, citing “credible allegations” that he declared his candidacy “in coordination with another candidate and campaign” with an intent to confuse and “manipulate” voters. The announcement followed a letter that had been sent to her and Beecher by an attorney with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, outlining those claims.

Later, two complaints seeking to disqualify the challenger were filed by Alaska Republican Party Chair Carmela Warfield.

Sullivan, a 69-year-old retired teacher from the small, southeast Alaska fishing community of Petersburg, has said he’s done nothing wrong and insisted that Dahlstrom lacked a legal basis to exclude him from the ballot. He said in a recent interview he has been weighing a run for years and called sharing a name with Sullivan a “matter of fate.”

“The Lieutenant Governor’s job is to oversee elections fairly and impartially,” he said in a statement last week. “Instead, her actions create the impression that the state government is being used to protect an incumbent senator from facing competition at the ballot box.”

In her letter, the election director did not mention finding any evidence of alleged coordination with Peltola or Democratic Party officials. But she outlined details she said led her to conclude that the challenger is ineligible.

They include that he had registered to vote as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and in conjunction with his candidacy changed his party affiliation to Republican, an affiliation he had not had previously. She also cited similarities between his campaign website and the senator’s and his work with a consultant whose clients have included some Democrats.

The work on his behalf by the consultant “is, in isolation, innocuous.” But she said that, taken with the other details, it “suggests a determined and a deliberate attempt to use the similarity of your name to confuse Alaska voters."

The form candidates fill out asks them how they'd like to be referred to on the ballot — including any nicknames — and the party affiliation they want on the ballot. In the earlier interview, the challenger told The Associated Press he was motivated to register with the GOP in part by his late father, whom he described as a “true, compassionate, conservative Republican.”

Sen. Sullivan's campaign manager, Billy Mackey, lauded the lieutenant governor, who oversees elections in Alaska, as upholding the right to “a free and fair election.”

Sen. Sullivan, who is seeking a third term, and Peltola are the highest-profile candidates in the crowded race and the only ones so far to report raising any money.

Democrats have targeted the seat in their push to regain the majority in the chamber.

On Friday, protesters gathered outside the Division of Elections office in Juneau, opposing efforts to remove the challenger Sullivan from the ballot. Among them was Ben Muse of Juneau. He said he felt the issue could have been addressed using middle initials to distinguish between the candidates but had been “blown way out of proportion.”

“This has nothing to do with whether you support this guy as a candidate,” he said. “It’s supporting his right to be on the ballot.”

]]>Karen DillmanBecky BohrerBecky BohrerMark SchiefelbeinBecky Bohrer<![CDATA[Check Your Area: Houston Roads Most Likely to Flood During Heavy Rain]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/list-houston-area-intersections-roads-most-likely-to-flood-during-heavy-rain/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/list-houston-area-intersections-roads-most-likely-to-flood-during-heavy-rain/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:00:55 +0000Current flooded locations, per Houston TranStar:

  • IH-45 North Northbound At SH 249/ Mount Houston Rd.
  • IH-45 North Southbound At IH-10 East/ Milam.
  • IH-45 North HOV Northbound At Travis St/ Louisiana St
  • IH-45 North Southbound At Tidwell Rd.

Here’s a list and map of locations and intersections to avoid when severe weather moves through the Houston area.

High water barricade locations

City officials said the following intersections or underpasses may be barricaded if flooding becomes a problem:

  • Greens Road at 45 N. Fwy.
  • Greens Road at E. Hardy Road
  • Washington Avenue at Hempstead
  • Barker Cypress at W. Parkview
  • Barker Cypress at Clay
  • Barker Cypress at Saums
  • Clay Road at West of Brittmore Road
  • Crosstimber at 45 N. Fwy.
  • Kelly Road at Hardy Toll Road
  • West of Boundary St. at North Main St.
  • Jensen Dr. at South of Bennington St.
  • Bennington St. at 59 North Fwy.
  • Jensen at N. Of 610 Fwy.
  • Mesa at N. Of U.S. 90 Hwy.
  • Katy Road at Silver Eagle
  • Allen Pkwy. at Waugh Dr.
  • Memorial at Waugh Dr.
  • White Oak at Taylor
  • White Oak at Sabine
  • Studewood at I-10 Fwy.
  • Center St. at Houston Ave.
  • Houston Ave. at I-10 Fwy.
  • North Main at Burnett
  • 2900 Allen Pkwy. at Montrose Dr.
  • Memorial at Shepherd
  • Memorial at Studewood
  • Memorial Dr. at Houston Avenue
  • Lamar St. at Bagby
  • Walker St. at West of Bagby
  • Travis St. at I-10 Fwy.
  • Louisiana St. at North of Franklin St.
  • 1300 Commerce St. at Austin St.
  • Texas St. at Prairie St.
  • Franklin St. at St. Emanuel St.
  • Jensen Dr. at North of Lyons Ave.
  • 7000 Main St. at Holcombe Blvd.
  • 7000 Fannin St. at Holcombe Blvd.
  • Lawndale St. at Braes Bayou
  • 9600 Lawndale at E. Of Goodyear Dr.
  • Galveston Rd. at S. Of Howard

KPRC 2 FLOOD TRACKER: Get alerted if flooding is occurring in your immediate area

Underpass locations

City officials said the underpasses at the following locations could become problematic if heavy rain falls:

  • 100 Milam St
  • 100 Shepherd Dr Fr
  • 100 Yale
  • 1000 Houston Ave
  • 11600 West Park
  • 11700 Richmond
  • 11700 West Park
  • 1200 Studemont
  • 1200 Wayside
  • 1500 North Main
  • 1600 East Crosstimbers
  • 1600 Jensen
  • 1900 Kelly
  • 200 75th
  • 200 Forest Hill
  • 2100 Franklin
  • 2400 Harrisburg
  • 2900 Allen Parkway
  • 300 Studewood
  • 3400 North Shepherd
  • 3500 Kelly
  • 3800 Polk
  • 400 Houston Ave
  • 4800 Elgin
  • 4800 Memorial
  • 4900 Galveston Rd
  • 5000 Washington
  • 5600 Mesa
  • 600 Broadway
  • 6500 Jensen
  • 7000 Clinton
  • 7000 Fannin
  • 7000 Main
  • 7000 Old Katy Road
  • 7200 J W Peavy
  • 7200 Senate Ave
  • 8000 Memorial
  • 8100 Harrisburg
  • 8100 Hempstead
  • 9600 Lawndale

Flood signal locations

City officials said to look for flood signals in these areas if heavy rain falls:

  • 4401 Elgin St (Ih-45s And Railroad)
  • 1989 Allen Pkwy (Montrose)
  • 3087 Allen Pkwy (Waugh)
  • Main & Holcombe Blvd (1000 Blk Holcombe)
  • Fannin & Holcombe Blvd (1100 Blk Holcombe)
  • 6514 Jensen Dr (Creston)
  • 1700 Jensen Dr (Railroad)
  • 3500 Kelley (Between Ih-69 Hov And Jensen)
  • 5800 Elysian St (North Loop 610 East)
  • 7506 E Hardy Rd (Hardy Toll Road And Crosstimbers)
  • 5405 Mesa Dr (Liberty And Railroad)
  • 10704 W Little York Rd (Between Business Park And Sam Houston Tollway West)
  • 774 Houston Ave (Memorial)
  • 4450 Memorial Dr (Shepherd)
  • Houston Ave & Center St (1100 Block Houston Ave)
  • 600 Brooks St (North Main)
  • 7220 Clinton Dr (North Wayside)
  • Yale & Center St (100 Block Yale)
  • 9600 Lawndale (Sims Bayou)
  • 615 Broadway St (Between East Erath And East Elm)
  • 8040 Harrisburg Blvd (Railroad)
  • 306 S 75th St (Between Railroad And Rusk)
  • 247 Forest Hill Blvd (Between Rusk And Capitol)
  • 6598 Lawndale (Wayside)
  • 3799 Polk (Milby And Railroad)
  • 2050 Franklin St (Commerce)
  • 5455 Old Spanish Trl (Spur 5 And Railroad)
  • 4953 Galveston Rd (Allendale And Railroad)
  • 10200 Old Katy Rd (Conrad Sauer)
  • 7095 J W Peavy Dr (Railroad)

Houston flood trouble spots

Click here to check our exclusive KPRC 2 Flood Tracker for rainfall and flood conditions where you live.

]]><![CDATA[California Gov. Gavin Newsom says Trump's Justice Department is investigating him and his wife]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/california-gov-gavin-newsom-says-trumps-justice-department-is-investigating-him-and-his-wife/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/california-gov-gavin-newsom-says-trumps-justice-department-is-investigating-him-and-his-wife/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:07:41 +0000Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday accused the Justice Department of launching a politically-motivated investigation into him and his wife, saying the Trump administration was targeting him as he weighs a presidential bid.

Newsom, a longtime political rival of the Republican president, said in a video posted on X that federal agents have knocked on the doors of his friends and former employees, and have asked for records. Newsom didn't provide specifics on the nature of the probe, but his office said the inquiry appears to have recently expanded into “increasingly personal matters involving the Governor's family and professional network.”

“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” Newsom said, referencing his use of social media to mock Trump. “He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president, because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.”

The full details of any Justice Department inquires related to Newsom were not immediately clear. But the revelations were likely to escalate accusations from critics that the Trump administration is using the law enforcement agency as a weapon to go after Trump's political opponents.

A person familiar with the matter denied the existence of an investigation specifically targeting the governor, but said there are multiple federal probes into people around him, including one related to his wife’s taxes. The probes began last year after complaints from within California government, and political leadership in Washington was not involved in the decision to open them, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss ongoing investigations.

The Justice Department declined to comment on Monday. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to answer questions about Newsom during a brief photo opportunity with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Capitol Hill Monday afternoon. Blanche had a scheduled meeting with Grassley to discuss his nomination to become attorney general.

They are the latest Justice Department investigations surrounding one of Trump’s political foes foes. The Justice Department has also opened investigations into or brought prosecutions against former FBI Director James Comey,New York Attorney General Letitia James, former CIA director John Brennan and former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, among other perceived political enemies of the president.

“One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list, and today I proudly join that list,” Newsom said in the video.

Investigators have subpoenaed records, and agents have reached out to organizations and people connected to the governor and his wife, according to Newsom's office. The governor's office accused the Justice Department of “searching for a crime that does not exist.”

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, said the investigation showed that Trump is unfit for office.

“There are clearly no boundaries to what Donald Trump will do to get his way or to challenge those who get in his way,” she said in a statement.

The president has repeatedly gone after the Democrat-dominated state during his second term including by curbing a signature plan to reduce planet-warning emissions from cars, withholding aid for wildfire recovery and suing over state policies supporting transgender student-athletes. The state has pushed back by suing the federal government dozens of times.

Newsom also led a push to counteract a Trump-backed effort in Texas to redraw congressional districts to favor Republicans by championing a successful redistricting measure in California designed to win Democrats five additional House seats.

___

Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.

]]>Marcio Jose Sanchez<![CDATA[Houston Controller Chris Hollins announces investigation into Mayor Whitmire senior advisor Chris Brown]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/houston-controller-chris-hollins-announces-investigation-into-mayor-whitmire-senior-advisor-chris-brown/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/houston-controller-chris-hollins-announces-investigation-into-mayor-whitmire-senior-advisor-chris-brown/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:44:11 +0000Houston Controller Chris Hollins announced Monday that his office has opened a formal investigation into Mayor John Whitmire’s senior advisor for financial integrity, former Houston Controller Chris Brown, following questions raised about Brown’s role, work activity and use of taxpayer-funded resources.

The investigation comes after a Houston Chronicle investigation raised concerns about Brown’s attendance records, supervision and job responsibilities while serving in a taxpayer-funded position within the mayor’s office.

According to Hollins, the review will examine compliance with city policies, oversight and accountability measures, and whether taxpayers received appropriate value from the position.

“The questions raised are serious, and bring about significant concerns that demand a full accounting to Houstonians,” Hollins said. “No one takes any satisfaction in having to examine the actions of a public servant, but public trust depends on responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, adherence to city policies, and accountability for work funded by the public.”

During a news conference announcing the investigation, Hollins cited reporting indicating Brown received a salary of more than $127,000 annually while badging into city facilities only 13 times over nearly 600 workdays.

“Mr. Brown has collected a taxpayer-funded salary of more than $127,000 per year, while badging into city facilities only 13 times over a period spanning nearly 600 workdays,” Hollins said.

Hollins also noted that Brown’s current position did not previously exist and was created specifically for him within the Whitmire administration.

According to Hollins, the investigation will focus on determining what work was performed and whether taxpayers received value for the position.

“The central issue in question is whether the work being paid for with taxpayer money was performed at all,” Hollins said. “What did Houstonians receive for the money that they spent? What advice was provided? What responsibilities were assigned? What deliverables were produced? Who supervised that work? And how was Mr. Brown’s performance evaluated over this two and a half year period?”

Hollins emphasized that the investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing and said investigators intend to interview Brown, Mayor Whitmire and other relevant parties.

“We intend to work together with the mayor in this investigation,” Hollins said. “We expect full compliance. We expect that documents that are necessary will be turned over. We expect when we interview the mayor and Comptroller Brown that they will cooperate.”

Hollins also called on Whitmire to suspend Brown while the investigation is underway.

“I’m calling upon Mayor Whitmire to immediately suspend Chris Brown pending the outcome of this investigation,” Hollins said. “Suspension is not a finding of wrongdoing.”

The controller repeatedly stressed that no conclusions have been reached.

“This is not a finding. This is not conclusion. We have to follow the facts,” Hollins said. “Today is day one, and so there are no conclusions. There are only questions.”

KPRC 2 contacted Chris Brown for comment but has not yet received a response.

In response to the investigation, Mayor Whitmire issued the following statement:

“Chris Brown has spent more than 20 years serving Houstonians, including eight years as Controller, where he ran a serious, competent Controller’s Office and helped define the problem of Houston’s structurally imbalanced budget. This is exactly the experience I want on my team as we navigate complex city finances, reduce costs, and lay the foundation for long-term fiscal stability. Controller Brown was a part of helping pass the FY27 budget with a 15-1 vote and continues to provide valuable public service. I don’t have time for politics.”

]]><![CDATA[Houston’s own Cris Sosa competes on NBC’s ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 21]]>https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2026/06/15/houstons-own-cris-sosa-competes-on-nbcs-americas-got-talent-season-21/https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2026/06/15/houstons-own-cris-sosa-competes-on-nbcs-americas-got-talent-season-21/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:37:12 +0000Humble native Cris Sosa has spent 13 years chasing one clear goal: make people laugh. After a string of jobs — from McDonald’s to lifeguarding to retail at Steve Madden — Sosa leaned into comedy full time. Viral stand-up clips and skits put him on the map, catching the attention of names like Issa Rae, Mike Epps and Steve Harvey. For Sosa, auditioning for Season 21 of America’s Got Talent was the next logical step in a career built on hustle and relatable storytelling — and a chance to bring his unique style of comedy to a national stage.

Auditioning for AGT judges

Sosa says performing in front of judges with long comedy pedigrees is both thrilling and humbling. Facing Sofía Vergara, Mel B, Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel — the latter a comic himself — pushed him to showcase the sharp wit and character-driven pieces that have earned him millions of online views and dates with high-profile comedians. AGT’s stage offered a rare opportunity to test material under pressure and introduce his brand of grounded, real-life storytelling to millions.

A hometown watch party and what’s next

This week also brought a special full-circle moment: Sosa is hosting a watch party at Atascocita High School — his alma mater — where he first performed in talent shows, theater and step shows.

Since graduating in 2011, Sosa has performed nationwide, opened for Mike Epps and Steve Harvey, and worked with Issa Rae on the pilot of HBO’s Insecure. Now based in New York, he’s building momentum across the North American comedy circuit while bringing that hometown pride back to Houston.

Watch 'America’s Got Talent' on KPRC 2 — Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

For more on Cris Sosa, visit www.crissosa.com.

]]><![CDATA[Initial deal to end US-Iran war moves toward formal signing despite lingering questions]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/defense-minister-says-israel-wont-withdraw-from-land-seized-in-lebanon-syria-and-gaza/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/defense-minister-says-israel-wont-withdraw-from-land-seized-in-lebanon-syria-and-gaza/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:13:16 +0000An initial agreement between the United States and Iran to extend their shaky ceasefire inched toward a formal signing despite questions Monday over the fate of Tehran's nuclear program and an offensive by Israel in Lebanon that could prolong the fighting and scuttle the deal.

The agreement signed electronically Sunday is meant to provide a meaningful truce in a monthslong war that has killed thousands across the Middle East, including the top leaders of Iran's theocracy, and raised the prices of fuel, food and other basic goods far beyond the region. But logistical and military challenges underscored the fragile nature of the deal, which was set for a ceremonial signing Friday in Geneva.

At the core of the pact is a planned reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway whose blockage has choked the supply of the world's oil and natural gas. Yet even a full reopening would not immediately alleviate the global energy crisis its closure created.

Another potential obstacle concerns Israel, which joined the U.S. in launching the war on Feb. 28, but it is not party to the deal. The Israeli military launched airstrikes Sunday in southern Lebanon, where it is fighting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, and the Israeli defense minister said Monday that the country would not withdraw from land seized in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said the agreement between the U.S. and Iran was Trump's decision. Netanyahu said Israel has its own interests, primarily protecting against a potential nuclear threat from Iran. He said Iran wanted Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, but he stood firm, saying Israel would remain in the buffer zone “as long as necessary.”

“I tell you, citizens of Israel, the struggle is not over. We will need to continue to be vigilant, to remain strong and determined, to defend ourselves as necessary,” he said.

Other uncertainties center on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which the U.S. and Israel worry could be used to build an atomic weapon despite Tehran's insistence for years that it has no aspirations to do so. The deal gives Iran just 60 days to decide what to do with its supply. It took years for Iran and world powers to negotiate a 2015 agreement to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program.

President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from that accord in his first term, setting the stage for the tensions that culminated in the current war.

The Strait of Hormuz won't open until the deal is signed

Early in the war, Iranian attacks on ships brought traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the conflict — to a near standstill. Trump implemented a blockade in response.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said Iran would not start implementing the agreement until after the signing ceremony. The U.S. military said the blockade will remain in place “pending execution” of the deal.

“Do not attempt to cross until explicit direction is given,” it said Monday in an advisory to merchant ships.

Trump, who faced pressure to end the war ahead of congressional midterm elections in November, said that “a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now.”

“Very importantly, the oil is plummeting down, and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today,” he said Monday at the G7 summit in France.

While the agreement provides for the “immediate” opening of the strait and lifting of the blockade, the process will take time because there are mines in the strait, and ships are unwilling to risk traversing it, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss outlines of the agreement.

Details remain scant but expected soon

A second senior U.S. official told reporters that details of the agreement would be released within the next two days.

The memorandum of understanding includes the possibility of releasing Iran’s frozen funds, easing sanctions and creating a $300 billion fund to rebuild Iran — all of which would be tied to Iran meeting benchmarks, the official said.

The officials said technical talks would begin Friday after the signing ceremony and that Vice President JD Vance would lead negotiations for the U.S.

Israel says it won't withdraw from Lebanon

The success of the deal rests at least partially on what happens between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel’s bombing of Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday nearly derailed the negotiations, and a previous attack led Iran to fire on Israel and Israel to fire back.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel plans to stay “indefinitely” in land it holds in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip. He also threatened that if Iran attacks Israel over its strikes in Lebanon, Israel will strike Iran with “great force.”

Asked where Israel stands on the deal, David Mencer, a spokesman in Netanyahu’s office, told The Associated Press that Israel and the U.S. remain fully aligned on preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. But he added that Israel will not tolerate attacks from Hezbollah on its territory.

Israel and the U.S. began the war apparently in lockstep, but the war has created deep fractures in that close relationship, with Trump eager to end a conflict that is deeply unpopular with the American public and Netanyahu intent on destroying Hezbollah. Trump appears to have grown increasingly frustrated with the Israeli leader, even occasionally publicly insulting him, including telling The New York Times on Sunday that he was a “very difficult guy.”

Many Lebanese travel to check on homes

In a sign of the deal's fragility, the Lebanese army called on residents not to rush to return to border villages, saying they should follow military instructions because of the danger of “Israeli violations and aggression.”

Many Lebanese who had fled following Israeli evacuation orders and intense fighting were heading south, however, to check on their homes. Celine Fayad, driving south, said she will test how far she could go. Her village, Aitaroun, is along the border with Israel. It was among the first to be occupied and lies in ruins.

“We were expecting to return,” she said. “Thanks to Iran.”

Ali Haidar was among the first to return to Nabatiyeh, the southern city at the heart of the latest Israeli military operations, where many central buildings have been reduced to dust.

“This used to be our home, our childhood home where we have all of our memories. This is where we grew up. Now it’s gone,” Haidar said. “We will return to rubble and sand. It’s better than being displaced.”

Hezbollah, meanwhile, credited Iran with a “major achievement” in reaching the agreement, which it said could lead to “the full liberation of our land, the return of our prisoners to their homeland and families," and reconstruction of war-devastated areas.

Along with praising the deal, the militant group said it was committed to resisting Israel “until full withdrawal is achieved.”

___

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; Will Weissert and Aamer Madhani in Washington; Julia Frankel in Jerusalem; Abby Sewell and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut; Najib Jobain in Doha, Qatar; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; and Sylvie Corbet in Evian-les-Bains, France, contributed to this report.

]]>Vahid SalemiVahid SalemiVahid SalemiMohammed ZaatariMohammed Zaatari<![CDATA[Utah canyon BASE jump kills 2, including extreme athlete who performed with Madonna]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2026/06/15/utah-canyon-base-jump-kills-2-including-extreme-athlete-who-performed-with-madonna/https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2026/06/15/utah-canyon-base-jump-kills-2-including-extreme-athlete-who-performed-with-madonna/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:03:22 +0000A weekend BASE jumping accident in a Utah canyon killed two people, one of them a daredevil athlete best known for performing onstage with Madonna at the 2012 Super Bowl, authorities said.

The sheriff's office in Grand County, Utah, confirmed one of the dead was Andy Lewis, an extreme athlete known for feats in BASE jumping, a dangerous sport that involves parachuting to the ground after jumping from a tall fixed object such as a building, a bridge or a desert cliff overlooking a deep canyon.

In BASE jumping circles, Lewis had a huge following and a reputation for pushing the envelope — leaping into tighter spaces or deploying his parachute later than his peers would dare, said John McEvoy, a BASE jumping instructor in Twin Falls, Idaho, who has jumped with Lewis.

“He had an incredible level of athleticism and skill that was developed over years of practice," McEvoy said. “But then he would take an incredible amount of risk.”

Lewis' other sport made him an overnight celebrity, thanks to Madonna

Lewis was also a prominent figure in the niche sports of slacklining and tricklining, which combine elements of high-wire walking with aerial acrobatics — sometimes at perilous heights.

Lewis went from obscure athlete to overnight celebrity when he appeared onstage in Madonna’s 2012 Super Bowl halftime show. Dressed in a Roman toga, Lewis bounced and executed tricks on his inch-wide line like it was a trampoline while Madonna sang behind him.

“My phone actually rang itself to death three days in a row,” Lewis said soon afterward in an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s late night show.

Emergency responders were dispatched Sunday to a report of people injured in a BASE jumping attempt at Mineral Bottom, a remote desert area near the Utah-Colorado line, according to the sheriff's office. Lewis and an unidentified 50-year-old man died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Sheriff's Lt. Al Cymbaluk confirmed to The Associated Press that it was Lewis the extreme athlete who died. He said he had no further details on the fatal accident.

BASE jumping is far more dangerous than skydiving

Though there's no official tally of BASE jumping deaths, a list compiled by the website BASEaddict.com shows 540 total fatalities worldwide since 1981 — including 30 people killed last year. Prominent deaths include BASE jumper Dean Potter and his climbing partner, Graham Hunt, who were killed in 2015 while attempting a wingsuit flight in California's Yosemite National Park.

A study focused on BASE jumping in Norway, published in a medical journal in 2007, estimated that BASE jumping carried risks of injury or death five to eight times greater than skydiving.

Lewis openly acknowledged the sport’s inherent danger.

“It’s weird to think about how many people are dead, because it’s like a normal thing,” Lewis told documentary filmmaker Ella Warnick in an interview published last year.

Lewis owned BASE Jump Moab, a business that offered excursions to inexperienced customers using tandem jumps, in which the customer was harnessed to a guide wearing the parachute.

Sheriff's spokesperson Cymbaluk said he didn't know if Lewis and the other man killed were performing a tandem jump.

Tandem BASE jumping carries additional risk because it straps together two people, one of whom generally lacks experience, under a single parachute, McEvoy said. But because they involve novices, they also tend to be the most low-risk, basic types of jumps.

“Within BASE, it’s a very controversial topic,” McEvoy said. "There’s a lot of people who say it's the stupidest thing in the world and others arguing: `No, we’re giving people the experience of their lives.'”

No one immediately returned phone, text and Facebook messages left Monday for BASE Jump Moab.

Lewis won four straight world championships in competitive slacklining from 2008 through 2011. Lewis set a Guinness World Record for slackline surfing, swaying his feet side to side in a rocking motion that mimics surfing, while keeping his balance above China's Diaoshuilou waterfall in 2011.

In 2014, he walked a slackline suspended between two hot air balloons more than 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above the Nevada desert.

___

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.

]]>Sakchai LalitCharlie Riedel<![CDATA[Cape Verde stuns Spain with a surprising 0-0 draw in the country's World Cup debut]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/cape-verde-secures-stunning-0-0-draw-with-spain-in-its-world-cup-debut/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/cape-verde-secures-stunning-0-0-draw-with-spain-in-its-world-cup-debut/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:23:55 +0000So much for a supersized World Cup diluting the quality of soccer’s biggest tournament.

Tiny Cape Verde, making its debut at the World Cup, pulled off a stunning upset to shut out heavily favored Spain in a 0-0 draw on Monday.

“This means everything for our country," said Cape Verde coach Pedro Leitão Brito. “We have always said that we wanted everybody to see our country, our team and we have shown organization and braveness and this is proof of what our country is about — resilience and to try to overcome hardships.”

European champion Spain is one of the favorites to win the tournament and was -1200 to beat Cape Verde in its opening game. But it could not find a way past a 40-year-old goalkeeper and a stubborn defense that had an answer to everything Spain’s superstars threw at them.

Not even sensational teenager Lamine Yamal, who came in off the bench in the second half, could turn a game that ended with wild and emotional celebrations inside the stadium.

“A dream" was how Cape Verde defender Steven Moreira described it.

Veteran goalkeeper Vozinha broke down in tears after the final whistle following his impressive performance to keep Spain at bay.

He was the player of the match, pulling off a string of saves at the end of the first half to deny Ferran Torres, Pedri and Aymeric Laporte.

The closest Spain came to finding a breakthrough was when Torres struck the bar shortly before halftime.

“We should have won today’s match with everything that happened, with all the favorable situations we created, but we lacked freshness and a clinical edge," said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who had warned before the match that Cape Verde could be one of the surprise teams of the World Cup.

Spain could have been the victim of an even bigger upset when Diney Borges had a late chance to win the game, but saw his header saved by Spain keeper Unai Simon.

Add Cape Verde to Cameroon, Senegal and Saudi Arabia on the list of teams that have pulled off shocking results against soccer's giants in the World Cup.

Cameroon beat defending champion Argentina in 1990 and Senegal beat defending champion France in 2002. Four years ago Saudi Arabia triumphed against Lionel Messi's Argentina, which eventually went on to win the tournament in Qatar.

Cape Verde didn't win, but its performance rebuked some of the criticisms that the expansion of the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 would weaken the tournament.

The group of islands have about 4,000 square meters (about 2.5 miles) of landmass and approximately half a million inhabitants, making Cape Verde the third-smallest nation by population to qualify for the World Cup. And even against a Spain team that is filled with superstar players, Cape Verde proved its worth on soccer's biggest stage.

Despite the majority of the 67,640 crowd inside Atlanta Stadium appearing to be Spain fans, it was the Cape Verde supporters that cheered loudest. They continued their celebrations after the final whistle, singing and dancing in the concourse.

“All of us, we are happy because we work a lot to be here. We deserve to be here," said Vozinha.

The 2010 champion Spain is aiming to win the World Cup for a second time and is coming into the tournament after winning the Euros in 2024. But a disappointing start echoes its performances in recent World Cups when it has failed to advance beyond the round of 16 in each of the last three editions.

“What doubts do you think my team is going to have? Zero doubts," said De la Fuente. “We know how difficult this competition is. The idea we need to follow is what took us here and what made us European champions.”

Spain plays Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Cape Verde faces Uruguay.

___

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

]]>Erik S.LesserMike StewartErik S.LesserErik S. LesserJacob Kupferman<![CDATA[Meet Merlin the duck, a Mexico City streetside regular turned World Cup mascot]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/weird-news/2026/06/15/meet-merlin-the-duck-a-mexico-city-streetside-regular-turned-world-cup-mascot/https://www.click2houston.com/news/weird-news/2026/06/15/meet-merlin-the-duck-a-mexico-city-streetside-regular-turned-world-cup-mascot/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:20:16 +0000Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez may have scored the goals, but a duck stole the show.

As Mexico celebrated its World Cup-opening victory over South Africa on Thursday, Merlin, a 2-year-old duck dressed in the national team’s colors, became an unlikely internet sensation and the tournament’s first unofficial mascot.

Images of Merlin parading through Mexico City, wearing a Mexican national team jersey — and socks — as thousands of fans celebrated, quickly went viral, racking up millions of views across social media. Overnight, and as if by the magic of the famous wizard who inspired his name, Merlin had captivated the internet.

“We want to see Merlin in the stadium,” one user wrote. “This duck is already a national treasure,” said another. “The best thing about the World Cup so far,” declared a third.

In Mexico City, however, Merlin was already something of a local celebrity.

A familiar sight at fairs and events in the historic city center, the duck regularly accompanies his owner, Carla Gómez, who sells water and soft drinks from a little cart each weekend. Along the way, the animal attracts plenty of delighted squeals, affectionate greetings and eager requests from passersby for a photo together.

“We don’t like to leave him alone at home; we like him to be with us. He’s our baby,” Gómez said. “He’s the baby, the sole heir to all my possessions and now an idol.”

Rain or shine, Merlin follows Gómez and her young son Cristian through some of the capital’s best-known landmarks, including Alameda Central, the Palace of Fine Arts and the Zócalo square. The duck shares a particularly close bond with Cristian, for whom he was originally a gift, becoming what Gómez describes as the boy's inseparable companion.

“Merlin had already become famous for selling bottled water,” Gómez said, recalling her surprise at her pet’s sudden rise to fame.

“He is always with us; we never imagined he’d become such a sensation,” she added. “We weren’t expecting it.”

Now, the family hopes Mexico’s famous feathered supporter can continue bringing luck to the host nation, which is staging the World Cup for the third time after hosting the tournament in 1970 and 1986 — this time a co-host alongside Canada and the United States.

“Mexico, we are with you,” Gómez said. “And Merlin is your No. 1 fan.”

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

]]>Marco UgarteMarco UgarteMarco UgarteMarco UgarteMarco Ugarte<![CDATA[Local 17-year-old filmmaker makes her mark with movie focusing on men’s mental health]]>https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2026/06/15/local-17-year-old-filmmaker-makes-her-mark-with-movie-focusing-on-mens-mental-health/https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2026/06/15/local-17-year-old-filmmaker-makes-her-mark-with-movie-focusing-on-mens-mental-health/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:16:16 +0000Most teenagers do not spend their birthdays on a movie set, but Nia Calise did!

Lewis, 17, wrote, produced and stars in the film, Used to Be, which explores fatherhood, mental health, addiction, and second chances. The project follows a young girl navigating life in a single-parent home and the emotional complexity that unfolds when a father returns after a long absence.

The idea began when Lewis was 15 years old as a book concept before evolving into a full screenplay. She said the story draws from personal reflection, family experiences and broader conversations about identity and fatherhood.

The film centers on themes of reconciliation and accountability, particularly within the context of a father working to rebuild relationships after struggling with addiction and personal hardship.

Joining Lewis in the project is her mother, licensed professional counselor and executive producer, Dr. Shana Lewis. She said the experience of producing a film alongside her daughter was both unexpected and rewarding as they navigated the creative and logistical demands of independent filmmaking.

The film was directed by Houston filmmaker Erran Booker and received support from the Houston Arts Alliance through grant funding. Production was completed over a short timeline, with principal photography taking place in Houston.

Lewis said the timing of the film’s release during Father’s Day weekend and Men’s Mental Health Month adds additional meaning to the project, as it encourages conversation around emotional health, accountability and healing within families.

Calise said she hopes audiences walk away with a message of hope.

“I really hope they take away that broken doesn’t have to last forever.”

The film Used to Be will premiere Saturday, June 20, at MATCH. An opening reception starts at 7 p.m., with the screening scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

'Used to Be' film premiere gfx
'Used to Be' film premiere gfx
]]><![CDATA[Owners of Dominican club where 236 died in a collapse to stand trial]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/owners-of-dominican-club-where-236-died-in-a-collapse-to-stand-trial/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/owners-of-dominican-club-where-236-died-in-a-collapse-to-stand-trial/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:11:26 +0000The sibling owners of the Santo Domingo nightclub where a roof collapse killed 236 people and injured more than 100 last year will stand trial for involuntary manslaughter, a judge ruled Monday.

Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, the owners of Jet Set nightclub, could face up to 2 years in prison if found guilty.

The April 8, 2025 collapse reverberated across the Dominican Republic, with authorities working frantically for days to reach people under the rubble.

The ruling Monday by Magistrate Reymundo Mejía Zorrilla of the First Court of Instruction of the National District in Santo Domingo drew frustration from victims' relatives who were hoping for homicide charges that carry stiffer penalties of up to 20 years in prison.

The ruling said that the case did not warrant a homicide charge because that would indicate the defendants knew that their negligence would cause the deaths of the victims. But if they could have foreseen the roof collapse, “logic and reason" suggest they would not have endangered their own lives in addition to those of the victims, the ruling said.

About 30 relatives of the victims had gathered at the courthouse ahead of the hearing, holding hands and praying.

Prosecutors have previously accused the Espaillats of trying to intimidate or manipulate employees. Antonio Espaillat is considered a powerful business person, owning upscale entertainment centers and dozens of local radio stations. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has asserted that it has hundreds of pieces of evidence tying the siblings to the collapse.

Hundreds of people including athletes and politicians were at Jet Set when the roof collapsed, attending a concert by singer Rubby Pérez, who was among the victims. Others included former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, who was pulled from the debris but died in a hospital.

The Espaillats will be tried together. No date has been set for the trial.

]]>Ricardo HernandezMatias Delacroix<![CDATA[WWE star Braun Strowman chats season 2 of ‘Everything On The Menu’]]>https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2026/06/15/wwe-star-braun-strowman-chats-season-2-of-everything-on-the-menu/https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2026/06/15/wwe-star-braun-strowman-chats-season-2-of-everything-on-the-menu/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:07:31 +0000He spent years becoming one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling, but these days Braun Strowman is taking on a different kind of challenge—eating his way across America.

The WWE superstar is back for a new season of ‘Everything On The Menu’ on the USA Network, a series that follows his search for some of the country’s most incredible restaurants, from hidden gems and comfort food favorites to unforgettable chef-driven dining experiences.

And this season, Houston gets a starring role. Two local restaurants—Crawfish Café and Late August—are featured as Braun explores the flavors that make our city’s food scene one of the best in the nation. Plus, viewers will spot a familiar face along the way, as World Series champion and former Houston Astro Josh Reddick joins in on the culinary adventure.

Watch as Lauren Kelly chats with Braun all about the new season, his favorite stops, and whether he really managed to try everything on the menu.

]]><![CDATA[Pearland firefighters respond to four house fires in four hours as storms move through area]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/lighting-strikes-causes-multiple-house-fires-in-pearland/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/lighting-strikes-causes-multiple-house-fires-in-pearland/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:44:41 +0000The Pearland Fire Department responded to multiple house fires across the city within a four-hour period as severe thunderstorms moved across the Houston area Monday.

As of 2:30 p.m., four separate residential fire incidents had been reported.

The incidents included a mobile home fire on Amie Lane, an attic fire on Belmore Lane, a reported residential fire near Pine Knot Court and an additional residential fire elsewhere in the city.

The Pearland Firefighters Association believes the fires may be weather-related, with lightning strikes suspected as a contributing factor.

The exact causes remain under investigation.

No injuries have been reported.

Despite the unusually high call volume and challenging weather conditions, firefighters quickly contained each fire and limited damage primarily to the areas of origin.

No significant fire spread beyond the initial fire areas was reported.

“Responding to four residential fires in four hours is a significant operational challenge for any department,” said Jason Pecknold, public information officer for the Pearland Professional Firefighters Association. “The quick actions of our firefighters helped prevent further damage and demonstrate the importance of the training and preparation that takes place every day, long before an emergency occurs.”

]]><![CDATA[A Muslim Texan sought to find his place in the party at the state GOP convention. He left in tears.]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/06/15/a-muslim-texan-sought-to-find-his-place-in-the-party-at-the-state-gop-convention-he-left-in-tears/https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/06/15/a-muslim-texan-sought-to-find-his-place-in-the-party-at-the-state-gop-convention-he-left-in-tears/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:54:58 +0000HOUSTON — To some extent, Mohamed Hussein knew he was preparing to enter the lion’s den.

But he made the decision to attend the Republican Party of Texas Convention to confirm for himself that he had a place in the GOP, even as members of the party have railed for months about the urgency of ending Sharia Law and the so-called “Islamification” of Texas.

What he found was a party that didn’t want him. He arrived with hope, but left in tears after being told explicitly that he should leave the country.

Hussein was among four Muslims, who arrived at the convention in earnest — not as protesters, but as delegates or attendees — to participate in the annual meeting of the state’s most hardlined Republicans as they vote on the party’s priorities and hear from GOP leaders. Two prevailing themes from the Houston gathering were party unity and combatting Sharia Law, a movement that veered into outright Islamophobia by members of the convention.

“When they say Sharia-free, that means Muslim-free, no practices of Islam,” Hussein said in an interview with The Texas Tribune. “No one is calling for the state to implement Sharia laws.”

Hussein said he was in disbelief that he was told to convert or leave — for the first time in his life — at a Republican convention with the tagline, “Unity drives victory.”

Language for “Don’t Sharia Our Texas” legislative priority is projected on screen at the 2026 Republican Party of Texas convention on Saturday, June 13, 2026. Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

That slogan, touted by the governor on press releases, placards, lanyards and even the elephant he procured to march through the convention haul, became a rallying cry for the state’s leaders and party nominees heading into November. If fractured, they warned, the party could lose the state to Democrats and their U.S. Senate nominee, Austin state Rep. James Talarico.

But in spite of that warning, members were willing to lose the support of Muslim conservatives.

On Saturday, outgoing GOP chair Abraham George, addressed two Muslim delegates from the stage, who members tried to expel from the convention because of their ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group the GOP and Gov. Greg Abbott have deemed a terrorist threat.

“I would strongly advise you to leave our caucus,” George said. “There is a Democrat convention happening in a couple weeks. Join them.”

“There’s no place in America for you”

On Saturday, the last day of the convention, Hussein attended a panel from the Judeo-Christian Caucus moderated by Dr. Rick Scarborough, a former Southern Baptist pastor and the president of Recover America, an organization to engage ministers and pastors in politics.

Speakers told the audience that immigrants who don’t believe in Judeo-Christian values will erode those values and create problems for America. Scarborough accused Muslims of lying to win political power.

“You’re going to find Muslims that aren’t being antagonistic or mean, at least not publicly. But I’ll guarantee, if they get power, they’ll cut your head off as believers of Christ,” he said.

Rick Scarborough delivers the morning invocation at the start of the second general session at Republican Party of Texas convention on Friday. Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

State Sen. Bob Hall, an Edgewood Republican, also repeated the accusation that Muslims are “required by Sharia to lie” in order to “stay below the radar of being aggressive.”

Hussein was appalled by what he was hearing. From the back of the room, he objected, declaring that attendees have heard lies about Sharia throughout the convention. He was practicing Sharia at that very moment, he said.

“When they tell you that we’re compelled to lie, they are putting your Texan neighbors in an impossible position where nothing that we can say or do can absolve us from the crimes that they are accusing us of,” Hussein told the crowd. “That is not just, the Bible commands you to be just, and that is not American.”

Sharia are the lessons of the Prophet Muhammad, interpreted as the framework, or laws, for how Muslims should live their life which call for fasting, daily prayer, modest dressing and charity.

Following the panel, the two shared contact information. Shortly thereafter, Scarborough approached Hussein.

“What do you want me to do, leave?” Hussein asked Scarborough.

“Yes,” replied the minister.

Hussein, sobbing, turned from Scarborough, retreating to some chairs to cry alone. Scarborough followed and sat down next to him. The pastor placed an arm on the back of Hussein’s seat, leaning in to console him.

Scarborough, in an interview with The Texas Tribune, clarified that he thought Hussein should leave the country: “If you’re going to embrace the values and the teachings that you’re advocating for, there’s no place in America for you. That’s not assimilation. That’s taking over.”

A CAIR chapter founder

Hussein’s family moved to Houston from Egypt in 1992. He loved U.S. history in high school, and regards the Bill of Rights, which provides for freedom of religion, as a “beautiful document.”

These days, he is a father and works as a manager at a health care company.

Hussein, a religious man who prays multiple times a day, called himself a “conservative-leaning person” on economics, social and religious values, and he believes that religion has a role to play in social and public life.

Mohamed Hussein’s father, delegate Tarek Hussein, outside the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston during the Texas State Republican Convention on Saturday, June 13, 2026. Manoo Sirivelu for The Texas Tribune

He attended the convention with his father, Tarek Hussein, who founded CAIR Texas-Houston, the local branch of the Muslim civil rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in the wake of 9/11. Tarek Hussein attended as a registered delegate.

In November, Abbott designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations with the goals of imposing Sharia law and supporting terrorism worldwide. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed in December. The Trump administration began naming foreign branches of the Muslim Brotherhood — but not CAIR — as terrorist organizations days after Abbott. The federal government expanded the list this year.

CAIR has denied wrongdoing or terroristic activity. The group says they follow all laws, and exist solely to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. They have said they’re being targeted for opposing Israel in the war in Gaza.

“CAIR is a radical organization connected to terrorists who killed Americans and has been condemned by both Republicans and Democrats,” Texas GOP Chair D’rinda Randall said in a statement to the Tribune, just days after her election to the post. “Republicans are fully united and focused on victory in November.”

The elder Hussein said he aligns with the GOP on fiscal conservatism, and opposing abortion and Obamacare. A staunch social conservative, he opposes pornography and prostitution, and even the alcohol industry.

He became politically active following the 2001 terrorist attacks, during a heightened period of Islamophobia. The next year, he founded the local branch of CAIR-Texas with the goal of educating fellow Muslims in the American political system. By giving them hope in America, he said he hoped to drive people away from extremism, fundamentalism and terrorism. Those, he said, are borne out of frustration and hopelessness due to discrimination.

In a social media post on Friday, Frank Gaffney, a defense policy analyst and Defense Department official under President Ronald Reagan, referred to some of Hussein’s old writings as a paper on how to “infiltrate” political parties.

“When I educate my community about how to get active in the political party, now I’m being accused as [an] infiltrator,” Hussein told the Tribune.

Efforts to expel

Samar Halabi stood out as the only woman at the convention wearing a hijab.

“Do not sit down with terrorist organizations,” a passerby at the convention told a woman sitting next Halabi. “You know they’re CAIR, right?”

“I care about everybody,” Halabi responded, trying to make light of the moment.

Shortly later, another attendee approached Halabi and told her to leave the country.

State Rep. Brent Money, R-Greenville, argues with Samar Halabi (center) at the Exhibition Hall at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston during the first day of the convention on Thursday, June 11, 2026. Manoo Sirivelu/The Texas Tribune

Samar Halabi (left) is confronted by an an attendee at the convention on Saturday. Manoo Sirivelu for The Texas Tribune

Delegate Samar Halabi at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston during the 2026 Texas State Republican Convention on Saturday. Manoo Sirivelu for The Texas Tribune

Delegate Amjad Muhtaseb at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston during the 2026 Texas State Republican Convention on June 13, 2026.
Samar Halabi’s husband Amjad Muhtaseb at the convention on Saturday. Manoo Sirivelu for The Texas Tribune

She wept into her husband’s chest.

Halabi, a teacher, declined to say how she would vote in November, but said that she is a Republican and always votes.

Halabi and her husband, Amjad Muhtaseb, were both registered as delegates for the convention.

Muhtaseb, an engineer and business owner, said Muslims are conservative by nature.

“We believe in Adam and Eve,” he said. “We don’t believe in this, multiple gender. We don’t drink. We don’t gamble. We are against pornography.”

They hope to bring more Muslims into the Republican Party.

In the days before the convention, Muhtaseb, along with Tarek Hussein, who founded the Houston CAIR branch, were gaining attention as other delegates began realizing they had connections to CAIR.

Muhtaseb spoke at a CAIR news conference about Abbott’s CAIR designation in his capacity as executive director of Muslim American Society-Houston. Muhtaseb said that was his only affiliation with the organization. However, Bonnie Wallace, chair of the convention’s Credentials Committee, incorrectly claimed Muhtaseb served on the board of CAIR-Texas.

Throughout the week, members of the convention attempted to remove them as delegates.

Ultimately, the party concluded that even the full convention did not have the power to boot them. However, the convention on Friday updated its rules so that next time it meets in 2028, the Credentials Committee could vote to remove delegates with ties to a terrorist organization.

Delegates and attendees at the 2026 Texas State Republican Convention listen to a panel, “Don’t Sharia My Texas” at the 2026 Texas State Republican Convention on Friday. Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

“While, philosophically, we can agree that CAIR is a terrorist organization and we would not promote them or materially help them, we’re moving the goalpost,” said Gaylyn Devine, an SREC member representing their area in Senate District 11, who defended their place at the gathering. “They followed the rules. They voted in the Republican primary. One of them has been, like, a 40-year Republican.”

Tarek Hussein said they have the right to practice Islam as long as nothing contradicts the Constitution.

“It’s well known that there is [an] American system, American law, and as Allah-abiding citizens, we all follow that law,” Tarek Hussein said. “How come you try to create a boogeyman called Sharia law?”

Growing the party

State Rep. Brent Money, a Greenville Republican who founded the Sharia-Free Texas Caucus, told the audience at Scarborough’s panel on Judeo-Christian values that there should be religious tests for people who run for office and that the country should be run by Christians. After his speech, Hussein asked whether Money was saying only Christians should be elected.

“I’m not saying that,” said Money, wearing a red “Defend Texas, Defeat Sharia” hat. He cited the first U.S. Supreme Court justice, John Jay, who wrote in 1816 that, as members of a Christian nation, Americans should elect Christians to office.

“We’ve proven over 250 years that we’re best ruled when we’re ruled by Christian men who serve a God that’s bigger than them and that seek the welfare of everyone that’s here,” Money said.

Houston state Rep. Mano DeAyala, the former chair of the Hispanic Republicans of Texas, questioned the wisdom of alienating non-Christians who want to join the party. He acknowledged the “Christian warrior’s” anger, disappointment and frustration with politics, but said the way forward was to “be Christians,” “be the good spirit” and to “love each other like ourselves.”

“What I’m about to say may be a little sacrilegious, but working with the Hispanic Republicans of Texas, there was a point here,” DeAyala said. “We’re trying to grow the party. We are trying to bring more people in this tent.”

Another convention delegate, Kevin Jennings of San Antonio, who was attending his first convention in several years, said while he agreed about the dangers of Sharia, he was concerned that Republicans were becoming consumed by the topic.

“I think that we’re getting focused off of where the truth should be, and we’re becoming lured around with Sharia focus, and I think that’s a risk that is not well spoken of,” Jennings said. We need to have overwhelmingly speak about Christ, speak about God, and that’s where the focus should be.”

Convention reflection

When it comes time to vote in the midterms, Tarek Hussein plans to support his party where he feels it’s deserved.

“I will vote Republican for the good Republican candidate,” he said.

Mohamed Hussein, said the convention left himself asking questions.

“How can I possibly get behind a party that tells me to leave, that says convert or leave?” he asked. “How do they think that is going to be some kind of winning strategy?”

The Abbott campaign declined to comment on Hussein’s incident. It was also silent on George’s direction for the delegates to join the Democrats.

He also is worried the anti-Islamic rhetoric could lead to more violence against Muslims. Last month, two gunmen, 17 and 18, killed three men when they opened fire at a San Diego mosque. San Diego Police, who are being aided by the FBI, are investigating it as a hate crime.

Asked whether he would vote for Talarico, a Presbyterian theologian who frequently discusses his Christian faith on the campaign trail, Hussein said he would vote for the candidate that champions religious liberty and economic prosperity.

“I will vote along those principles, but what I saw at the convention is not conservatism, so I’m going to assess in November and vote along with my values,” he said. “Absolutely, I will be voting for Republicans who denounce this extremism.”

In an interview Sunday, Scarborough said he had some regrets about his interaction with Mohamed Hussein, even though he thought he only attended his panel because he viewed the pastor as an enemy of CAIR.

“I’m not an enemy that fights like they fight,” Scarborough said. “I’m gonna fight on my knees, and I will fight in an effort to win Mohamed to Christ.”

When Hussein broke down crying, Scarborough said he realized he had pushed Hussein too hard. After insisting that Hussein should give up Sharia or leave the country, “the pastoral side of me reached out to him in genuine care,” he said, and he offered to pray with Hussein.

Scarborough said he has asked God and Hussein for forgiveness for not setting a good example of Judeo-Christian morality. He prayed that Mohamed would convert to Christianity.

“I’m trying to process how somebody can say this and then try to pray for me,” Hussein said.

But he said he forgave Scarborough.

Rattled by the experience, Mohamed Hussein isn’t sure what it means for his politics going forward.

“Many, many hear these things, the messaging, and think that they’re dog whistles,” Hussein said. “I was hopeful that I’d come here and get a clarification. What we got was kind of a confirmation.”

Delegates and attendees at the “Don’t Sharia My Texas” at the state Republican Convention on Friday. Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

]]>Manoo Sirivelu For The Texas Tribuner<![CDATA[Power Outages: Storms knock out power for thousands across Houston area]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/power-outages-storms-knock-out-power-for-thousands-across-houston-area/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/power-outages-storms-knock-out-power-for-thousands-across-houston-area/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:28:37 +0000Thousands of CenterPoint Energy customers are without power Monday as storms continue to move through the Houston area.

CenterPoint’s outage tracker reported nearly over 4,400 customers impacted by outages around 2:30 p.m. Monday.

The KPRC 2 Weather Team is continuing to track these storms.

If you’re traveling outside today, be aware of lightning, brief heavy downpours, and flash flood risk alerts. Drivers are urged to use caution, especially if traffic signals go out, and treat dark intersections as a four-way stop.

CenterPoint is also reminding people to never touch or go near downed electrical wires. If you see any, stay 35 feet away and call 713-207-2222 to report it.

]]><![CDATA[Fox to buy streaming pioneer Roku in a $22 billion deal]]>https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/fox-buying-streaming-platform-roku-in-cash-and-stock-deal-worth-about-22-billion/https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/fox-buying-streaming-platform-roku-in-cash-and-stock-deal-worth-about-22-billion/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:30:24 +0000Fox Corp. has agreed to buy the streaming pioneer Roku in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $22 billion, including debt.

Roku will continue to be run as an open, partner-friendly platform, the companies said Monday, and there appears to be no immediate changes that customers will see. Fox and Roku said that the combined company will become the third-largest player in U.S. television by share of viewing.

Media reports had surfaced on Friday that Roku was looking at its strategic options, including a possible sale. Speculation was rampant as to which companies might be interested in an acquisition. Aside from Fox, names being tossed about as potential buyers included Netflix, Amazon, Comcast and Disney.

The deal will give Fox access to more than 100 million global households, along with the Roku channel and its first-party data. Fox oversees a massive sports, news and entertainment network, as well as Tubi, which it acquired in 2020.

Roku founder Anthony Wood had initially worked within Netflix in the early 2000s as that company attempted to make the seismic shift from renting DVDs, to streaming.

Roku was spun off by Netflix, however, and the company released its first set-top box in 2008.

Wood, who is Roku's chairman and CEO, said his motivation in pursuing the technology was his desire to record and play his favorite show, “Star Trek.”

Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement that combining the businesses will bring together Fox's live news and sports content with a streaming platform with large viewership. It will also give Fox more exposure to advertising and streaming subscriptions.

“The combination with FOX is an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate our vision, scale faster and innovate more aggressively for viewers, partners and advertisers,” Wood said in prepared remarks.

Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester, said in an emailed statement that advertising revenue is a critical component of the deal.

“The bigger play here is advertising revenue, something all the major streamers are now jockeying for," he said. "This deal accelerates Fox into that shift with built-in audience scale. With 2026 shaping up as a defining year of streaming consolidation, the market shift is that streaming is no longer just about quality content slates. It’s about controlling the full stack. If this deal closes, Fox will control more of what viewers watch, how they discover it, and how it gets monetized.”

Wood will have an ongoing role at the company and will join the Fox board of directors after the transaction closes.

Murdoch said during a conference call that the combined company will be better positioned for the next decade of video than either company would've been alone.

“We are confident this is the right transaction, at the right moment, for all the right reasons,” he said.

Fox will pay $96 in cash and 0.9693 shares of its Class A common stock for each Roku Class A and Class B share outstanding. The transaction is valued at $160 per Roku share.

Existing Fox shareholders are expected to own approximately 73% of the combined company and Roku shareholders will own about 27%, once the deal closes.

The deal is expected to close in the first half of next year. It still needs approval from Fox and Roku shareholders and also regulatory approval.

Fox's shares tumbled 15% on Monday and Roku declined nearly 2%.

]]>Jenny KaneYuki Iwamura<![CDATA[The Latest: Trump projects confidence about Iran deal as he meets global leaders for G7 summit]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/the-latest-g7-leaders-likely-to-discuss-iran-and-ukraine-at-summit-in-france/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/the-latest-g7-leaders-likely-to-discuss-iran-and-ukraine-at-summit-in-france/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:49:39 +0000World leaders are gathering in a French spa town Monday for a summit of the Group of Seven club of powerful democracies with a new impetus following President Donald Trump 's announcement of an agreement that he says will bring an end to the U.S. war against Iran.

Trump arrived in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Monday for talks with G7 leaders, including some who have been sharply critical of his managing of the roughly 15-week conflict that has led to a surge in global energy prices.

Trump has had sharp disagreement with host French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over failing to consult them before the decision to go to war. Trump has threatened reprisals, including drawing down U.S. troops in all four countries, all members of the NATO military alliance, for their lack of support.

The G7 includes France, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. Guest nations at this summit include Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, South Korea, Qatar, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.

Here's the latest:

UN chief’s message after US-Iran deal: Israel and Hezbollah must stop fighting

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Hezbollah to allow Lebanon’s government “to have the primacy of arms and authority throughout its territory,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.

Guterres also called on Israel to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and withdraw its troops, he said.

The U,N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL reports that from midnight until 4 p.m. local time Monday, it observed a decrease in violence and exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah, Dujarric said.

UNIFIL recorded 133 trajectories of projectiles and two airstrikes attributed to Israeli forces during that time period and none from Hezbollah or other armed groups, he said. It also recorded 25 violations of Lebanese airspace.

Before the agreement was announced on Sunday, UNIFIL recorded 1,374 trajectories of projectiles over the weekend, with 1,328 attributed to Israeli forces and the rest “presumably” to Hezbollah, Dujarric said. It also recorded 135 Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says Trump’s Justice Department is investigating him and his wife

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and longtime political rival of Republican President Donald Trump, said Monday the president ordered the Justice Department to investigate him and his wife.

The nature of the alleged investigation was unclear Monday morning. Newsom, said in a video posted on X that federal agents in recent days have knocked on the doors of his friends and former employees, and have asked for records “not because they found a crime, but because they’re simply trying to find one.”

The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the alleged investigation.

▶ Read more

G7 leaders are meeting over dinner

The leaders of the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan were dining outdoors at a large round table at Hotel Royal Évian with views of Lake Geneva.

Canadian firm wins first contract under major EU defense fund as Carney looks beyond US

Prime Minister Mark Carney says a Canadian company has become the first to land a contract under a major European Union defense fund.

Carney made the announcement after meeting with the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the G7 summit.

His office says Montreal-based Marconi Technologies won a contract worth more than $7 million to supply tactical radios made in Canada to Poland’s military.

Canada joined the fund last year as Ottawa looks to diversify away from the United States. The fund allows Canadian defense companies access to a $174 billion (150 billion euros) EU loan program, known as Security Action for Europe, or SAFE. Canadians firms can secure cheap, EU-backed loans

France’s Macron tells Trump that European forces are ready to deploy in Strait of Hormuz

Speaking at a meeting with the U.S. president, the French leader said France could dispatch fighter aircraft as early as Tuesday to fly observation flights over the vital waterway and that France’s nuclear powered aircraft carrier, already in the Middle East, could help out quickly, too.

It is part of a pitch that France and other G7 allies are making at their summit in Evian-les-Bains to reopen the strait as soon as possible so energy supplies flow freely again to world markets, in the wake of the tentative U.S.-Iran deal to end the war.

“Within 48 hours, frigates could also be deployed. And within two to three days, the aircraft carrier,” Macron said.

Trump said: “I don’t think we’re gonna need much help” because the strait is ”going to be open.”

“But I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a ship or two up here from a few countries. You’d be a great country to do it,” Trump said, addressing Macron.

Trump scheduled greet world leaders before heading to working dinner

After his bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump is scheduled to participate in an official greeting with other G7 leaders.

He is then expected to head to a working dinner for leaders at 7:30 p.m. local time. That’s the last thing on Trump’s public schedule for Monday after he arrived in Evian-les-Bains for the three-day summit.

Trump unsure if he’ll attend Iran deal signing

Trump says he isn’t sure whether he’ll attend the signing of the agreement to end the war in Iran on Friday.

“Well, it depends,” Trump says, during a joint appearance with French President Emmanuel Macron. “I may be involved. I may not.”

“JD was coming in for that,” Trump said, referring to Vice President JD Vance.

Trump is hailing the Iran deal as promising, but not a guarantee.

“Hopefully we get along,” he says. “If we don’t, we go back to where we started.”

Trump says ‘great things are going to happen’ as he discusses Iran deal

Speaking in a hoarse voice at the G7 alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump discussed an agreement he says was reached between the U.S. and Iran.

“I think a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now, and very importantly the oil is plummeting down and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today,” Trump said.

Trump added that he “felt badly that we had to go back on the attack for two nights” and said “hopefully it’s going to be a good relationship, and we get along.”

Trump arrived for the summit after celebrating his 80th birthday at a UFC event hosted at the White House on Sunday.

Anti-G7 march organizers lash out at police “provocation and violence”

Activists behind Sunday’s “No G7” protest demanded an apology from Geneva security and judicial officials after police operations that included the use of tear gas and water cannons to disperse stone-throwing youths.

They said police surrounded about 300 people overnight Sunday to Monday, including minors, tourists and passers-by.

“The No G7 demonstration of June 14 surpassed all our expectations,” they said in a statement Monday, adding “30,000 took part despite the climate of anxiety created by the Geneva State Council (and sometimes by the media).”

Police put the turnout at 20,000, including some 600 “black bloc” militants.

Police give details on their response to anti-G7 protests

Geneva police hauled more than two dozen people to police stations and arrested three in connection with violence that marked anti-G7 protests in the city Sunday.

Monica Bonfanti, the Geneva police chief, said in a statement Monday that officers checked the identities of nearly 550 people as part of police operations that included firing tear gas and water cannons against stone-throwing youths at the “No G7” march.

Two demonstrators who fired pyrotechnic devices and another who damaged a police vehicle were arrested and later released, she said.

Bonfanti said the operational tactics of so-called “black bloc” militants complicated the identity checks. She said some had mixed in with peaceful protesters and changed their clothes during the demonstration.

US military says Iran blockade is still in effect

The blockade of shipping to Iranian ports will remain in place “pending execution” of the ceasefire deal scheduled for Friday, the U.S. military said in an advisory to merchant ships.

“Do not attempt to cross until explicit direction is given,” Monday’s notice said.

The advisory went on to tell ship captains to consider “the health and safety of their crews” and to not try to sail to or from Iranian ports “until direction is given.”

It warned ships that they should follow directions from those enforcing the blockade and “failure to immediately comply may result in rapid escalation to disabling or destructive fire.”

Ambassador Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law, greeted president upon arrival at G7

Kushner is Trump’s chief envoy to France, a plum diplomatic assignment, and was there to welcome Trump after Marine One landed in Evian-les-Bains.

His son, Jared Kushner, serves as an envoy in the negotiations with Iran and is also assisting ongoing efforts by the administration to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Charles Kushner, a real estate developer, was pardoned by Trump at the end of his first term after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations.

Vance says deal has been ‘digitally’ signed

The U.S. vice president disclosed that an interim deal to end the conflict in Iran was electronically signed Sunday ahead of a formal signing ceremony in Switzerland.

The signing ceremony is slated for Friday in Geneva, where Trump landed on his way to attend the Group of 7 summit in France.

“We already signed the deal digitally yesterday, and there’s been no money released, and that won’t change,” Vance said on “Good Morning America.” “Again, this is a performance-based thing.”

Critics of the agreement, as well as reports in Iranian media, have said assets would be released once the deal was signed. But Vance said that’s “not true.”

“We’ll be releasing the text this week, and what everybody will see is that Iran doesn’t get a dime of money unless they perform their obligations,” he added.

Trump to helicopter to the G7 site

The U.S. president is now headed to Evian-Les-Bains, France, where he’ll meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump and Macron will then join the other G7 leaders for a working dinner.

Among those who greeted Trump at the airport in Geneva were Ambassador Callista Gingrich, the U.S. envoy to Switzerland, and her husband, former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Trump has landed in Geneva

The president did not talk to reporters during the trip across the Atlantic, though he did send off a few social media posts.

The first item on his agenda once he gets to Evian-les-Bains is to meet with G7 host Macron.

Vance: White House in coming days hopes to release memo of understanding to be signed by US, Iran

“I think when people see this deal—we hope to release the text this week—they’re going to realize that this is going to make the whole region safer,” U.S. Vice President JD Vance said in a Monday appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box.

Vance added that the White House’s expectation is that the Strait of Hormuz “is going to be opened in a toll free way for the long term” but acknowledged much needs to be sorted through in the 60-day technical talks period. Another important issue that will be decided during the technical talk period is the two sides coming to an understanding on how Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium will be disposed of.

Vance signaled that the White House is ready to loosen the economic stranglehold placed on Iran by years of sanctions, but it will “require a long-term commitment” by Iran “to the inspection and verification regime” of the country’s nuclear program.

Macron seeks Trump’s backing for Ukraine and more pressure on Russia

The French president says he’ll seek to persuade President Trump to continue supporting Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to help reach a peace agreement.

Macron is to meet later Monday with Trump at a G7 summit in the French resort town of Evian-les-Bains, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to join Tuesday for talks.

Macron said he wants the United States to say: “We are with you, we will continue to support Ukraine, and we will increase the pressure on Russia to achieve a meaningful negotiation,” speaking in an interview with French broadcaster TF1.

“The right negotiation is one in which Ukraine and Russia are at the table, but with Europeans and Americans present as well,” Macron said.

Macron rejects Trump tariff threats

French president Emmanuel Macron says he will not back down in the face of threats from President Trump to impose 100% tariffs on French wines unless Paris removes its digital tax on U.S. tech companies.

In an interview with broadcaster TF1, Macron said Monday that the tax was decided by Europeans and that it is not “for the United States to decide what European or French law should be.” He added that this position is “normal” and will not change “as long as I am here.”

Wines and spirits exported from the European Union to the U.S. currently face a 15% tariff. Macron said he intends to address the issue in a “respectful but firm” manner during the G7.

“What is important to understand is why the G7 was created,” he said. “To resolve many of our international imbalances, it is better to coordinate and consult with one another, especially when we are among the world’s major democracies.”

Trump has a track record of insults and awkward moments with the G7 leaders

Sometimes it’s over foreign policy issues like Iran or Ukraine. Other times, it’s been over tariffs.

And two of the leaders have endured sitting through clumsy asides by Trump about dark moments in their countries’ histories.

It makes the G7 not unlike a family holiday gathering where “there’s an uncle you don’t quite like,” said Max Bergmann, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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Macron says France is ready to act quickly to help securing the Strait of Hormuz

Macron said France and other Western partners are “ready to take action very quickly” to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz peacefully.

France and Britain have championed a mission to restore maritime security in the strait as soon as conditions allow.

“We already have forces in the area,” including France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, Macron said in an interview Monday on French television TF1.

“We are ready to take action very quickly ... to send aircraft, deploy a frigate, send mine-clearing vessels. We also have our aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, along with its accompanying strike group, which remains in the region and could be deployed within two or three days following confirmation” of the tentative deal between the U.S. and Iran, he said.

G7 leaders call the Iran deal a ‘diplomatic breakthrough’

Trump has sparred with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom over the Iran war.

Ahead of their meeting at the G7, they issued a joint statement congratulating the United States, the Iranian government and the mediators on what they called a “diplomatic breakthrough.” Canada also signed the statement.

The leaders said it was vital for detailed negotiations to take place and for the deal to be quickly implemented so the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened to tanker traffic.

They say they are committed to playing their part. including the possibility of mine clearance operations.

Macron praises the security bubble placed over the G7 summit

With world leaders flying in, the G7 summit venue in Evian-les-Bains is being transformed from a placid lakeside French town to something of a security fortress, with police patrols on many streets and corners, checking passes and watching crowds.

Macron, the summit host, dropped by a temporary headquarters for the security operation in Evian on Monday morning, to thank officers for their work.

He called the 3-day summit on the Middle East, Ukraine, trade and other issues “a big source of pride for France, a big responsibility.”

“We’ll try to make maximum progress on all the issues that are important for our country, our continent and also for global peace and prosperity,” Macron told assembled police officers, gendarmes, firefighters, health workers and other personnel.

Macron said nearly 13,800 officers were deployed for the security operation.

“Only your collective mobilization makes this possible,” he said. “Good luck for the coming days. Keep up the work.”

Japanese PM says Japan will participate in joint statement with G7’s European nations

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan will participate in a joint statement issued by the Group of Seven’s four European nations calling for cooperation in efforts to quickly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and to end Iran’s nuclear program.

Takaichi, asked about the joint statement, said Japan was requested to be part of it and that “We will join.”

In the statement issued Monday in response to the U.S.-Iran peace deal, France, Britain, Italy and Germany said the rapid and comprehensive implementation of the agreement is vital, and that they are ready to provide support such as ensuring safe commercial shipping and mine clearance in the key waterway, in accordance with respective constitutional requirements.

Takaichi did not give details about a possible Japanese contribution, but said that she planned to thoroughly discuss at the G7 summit ways to achieve peace and stability in the entire Middle East region.

Trump announces plans for July 4 rally in Washington

The president may be on his way to France for the G7 summit, but he continues to lay out details for celebrations to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.

“On July 4th, at The Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, in beautiful and safe Washington D.C., we are going to host the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all, a “TRIBUTE TO AMERICA,” Trump posted on social media.

Trump said the event will include military flyovers, his personally curated music playlist, and “the LARGEST FIREWORKS SHOW IN HISTORY.”

Trump, in late May, also announced that he would headline “The Great American State Fair,” part of the America 250 celebration, after several musical guests backed out partly over the event’s ties to Trump. Organizers had said that the president’s appearance is slated for June 24 to kick off the state fair.

Macron drinks from spring that gave Evian its name

French President Emmanuel Macron drank a glass of water Monday from the spring that gave the town of Evian-les-Bains its international reputation.

Macron visited the Cachat Spring, named after the owner of the garden through which the water flowed in the late 18th century.

The water was first analyzed in 1807 and was recommended for treating kidney and bladder ailments. It gained popularity as a table water beginning in the 1860s and is now sold worldwide under the Evian brand.

Brazil’s president and head of UN health agency call on world leaders to help fight pandemics

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the head of the U.N. health agency are calling on world leaders to strengthen an accord passed last year to help fight pandemics like COVID-19.

“Humanity promised itself, in the rawness of that grief, that it would not face such a day again unprepared,” they wrote in a joint statement.

Negotiations on a crucial annex to the accord have been stuck over differences about sharing disease-causing pathogens, which often erupt in tropical developing countries, in exchange for access to technologies like vaccines, usually developed in rich nations.

They called on the leaders of the G7 and other international groupings to “instruct your negotiators to come to the July session ready to conclude” the annex.

Trump declares White House UFC fight night ‘incredible’

On his way to the G7 summit, Trump, in a Truth Social post from Air Force One, called the fighters “outstanding“ and the South Lawn setting “unsurpassed.”

“The White House has never looked more beautiful,” Trump added.

Brazil’s Lula first foreign leader to arrive for G7 summit

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the first foreign leader to arrive Monday at the Hotel Royal in the French resort town of Evian-les-Bains ahead of the G7 summit.

Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, India and South Korea have been invited to participate in some discussions as partner countries alongside G7 members.

World leaders, including Trump, are scheduled to be formally welcomed later Monday by French President Emmanuel Macron at the start of the summit.

The Hotel Royal, a five-star property overlooking Lake Geneva and the foothills of the Alps, will host leaders through Wednesday. The hotel is set amid expansive gardens with flowerbeds, water features and English- and Japanese-inspired landscaping.

]]>Julia Demaree NikhinsonJulia Demaree NikhinsonChristophe EnaJulia Demaree Nikhinson<![CDATA[Even with a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, it could take weeks or months for oil to fully flow]]>https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/even-with-a-deal-to-reopen-the-strait-of-hormuz-it-could-take-weeks-or-months-for-oil-to-fully-flow/https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/even-with-a-deal-to-reopen-the-strait-of-hormuz-it-could-take-weeks-or-months-for-oil-to-fully-flow/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:44:42 +0000The tentative agreement to end the war in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz would be good news for the global economy. But even as the price of oil dropped Monday, many questions remained about when and how it would start flowing again through the world’s most vital artery for energy shipments.

Before the war, the strait carried a fifth of the world’s crude oil. Now, it will take time for hundreds of ships trapped in the Persian Gulf to exit through the narrow strait. And Gulf oil producers that throttled back production will need time to get the oil moving again. Analysts also say ship captains may take their time to decide if passage is safe and that the threat of attack from Iran has truly receded.

All told, oil prices, inflation and energy flows simply won’t see an immediate return to what they were before the war — not for weeks or even months. And that's assuming the deal, set to be signed Friday, proves durable. Details hadn't been released.

When will oil start moving again?

Even if the Strait is completely open, it will take time for tankers to enter, load, and make the journey to Asian countries — the chief customers for Gulf oil from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman. A trip to Japan and back can take 45 to 50 days.

Captains, insurers and owners may take their time in attempting passage, given the volatile situation.

“Operationally, the sector is not rushing back,” wrote Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of shipping data and analysis company Lloyd's List, noting that many warn mine clearance and a return to use of the internationally recognized transit lanes “are prerequisites for safe navigation. ”

Ships have been trickling out through an Iranian-run vetting lane in the north of the strait, while others have slipped out with lights and location systems turned off under U.S. forces' guidance in a southern passage along the coast of Oman. Iran had threatened to attack ships using the internationally established mid-strait transit lanes that keep inbound and outbound ships out of each other's way.

Some 500 commercial vessels remain in the Persian Gulf, according to maritime and energy intelligence firm Kpler, and they can't all leave through the narrow strait at once.

Amena Bakr, head of Middle East energy and OPEC+ insights at Kpler, estimated that clearing mines would take six months, vessels leaving and returning to reload two to three months, and restarting production in some countries to prewar levels another three months.

What does an ‘open’ strait mean? It's not clear that the US and Iran have agreed

Iran has demanded the right to collect money from ships using the strait, and in some cases has already exacted payment to let ships leave. Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that the deal involved a “toll free opening," but there's been no confirmation from Iran.

The period between the deal's announcement and signing "gives both sides scope for issuing conflicting statements on the agreement, especially on the extent to which Iran will manage traffic and demand fees,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt, principal Middle East analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.

Paying tolls would present a quandary for ship owners, since the U.S. and EU have designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, and the U.S. Treasury has sanctioned the entity Iran has announced to run its collections. Unless those sanctions are modified, paying exposes shippers and banks to sanctions.

Legal experts say allowing Iran to control passage would violate international law on freedom of navigation as set down in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which requires countries to permit peaceful passage through territorial waters. The strait's waters are shared by Iran to the north and Oman to the south.

Oil producers need time to get operations underway again, too

Some producers in the Middle East paused extracting oil from the ground, known as a shut-in, when they ran out of storage space. Restarting those operations can be a slow process.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which were able to export some oil through alternate pipelines or routes besides the Strait of Hormuz, may be among the quickest to resume production, said Alan Gelder, senior vice president of refining, chemicals and oil markets at Wood Mackenzie, an analytics firm.

"Places like Iraq could be much more challenged because they’ve had a much bigger shut-in, their fields are more difficult ... it may well take about a year before they get back,” he said.

Claudio Galimberti, chief economist at Rystad Energy, noted in an emailed comment that “sentiment has clearly improved. But sentiment is not the same as supply.”

“It will take time for production to ramp back up, for logistics to normalize, and for the risk premium embedded in crude prices to dissipate,” he said.

Countries won’t restart until they know there is a durably open strait and that a ceasefire will last more than 30 or 60 days, said Daniel Sternoff, senior fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.

Economists at Capital Economics estimate that energy flows would reach 80% of prewar levels by September.

Inflation will not drop immediately

Even if the deal reopens the strait immediately, that will not immediately send inflation lower, economists say.

Inflation is ”set to stay above target in most major economies throughout this year and the first half of next, even as growth remains relatively weak,” said Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics.

Inflation could even rise when government measures aimed at easing the energy shock expire, Joachim Nagel, the head of Germany's Bundesbank central bank said in a speech Monday.

That includes Germany's temporary lowering of fuel taxes by 17 euro cents per liter, which runs through June 30.

“It will take months for the oil supply to return to normal,” Nagel said.

]]>Amirhosein KhorgooiAmirhosein KhorgooiAmirhosein Khorgooi<![CDATA[Interim US-Iran peace deal sparks anger among Israelis, who lash out at Netanyahu]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/interim-us-iran-peace-deal-sparks-anger-among-israelis-who-lash-out-at-netanyahu/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/interim-us-iran-peace-deal-sparks-anger-among-israelis-who-lash-out-at-netanyahu/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:57:11 +0000Israelis from across the political spectrum reacted angrily Monday to the news of an initial deal between the U.S. and Iran, calling it a disaster for Israel and directing their fury at one man: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli leader said at a news conference Monday that “with an agreement, without an agreement,” he would continue fighting to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which Tehran has long maintained it isn't trying to do, saying its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.

"As long as I am the prime minister of Israel, it will not happen,” Netanyahu said, emphasizing that the deal was struck by the United States, not Israel, and that he didn't budge on Iran's request that Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon be part of the pact.

“Iran wanted us to withdraw from there, but that did not happen. Do you know why it didn’t happen, among other reasons? Because I stood very, very firm,” he said.

But other Israeli government officials, rivals, politicians and commentators were quick to criticize the preliminary deal, marking a sort of informal referendum on the premier’s tenure ahead of elections this fall and underscoring his deepening isolation at home, in the region and, increasingly, from the United States.

Critics say Netanyahu led President Donald Trump into the war with Iran while overpromising what it could achieve, and Trump now might be dragging Israel out of the conflict before it feels ready. They say the prime minister misjudged Trump's appetite for a protracted conflict, was outflanked by Iran in negotiations and grew increasingly sidelined by the region's other major players.

“Israel is paying the price of Netanyahu’s hubris and blindness, and the price of the manipulations that he tried to pull on Trump," former Prime Minister and Netanyahu rival Ehud Barak said in an interview with Israel's public broadcaster Monday. “Iran emerged stronger; Israel emerged weaker. That is Netanyahu’s strategic responsibility. He failed.”

Yair Lapid, who will challenge Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, wrote Sunday that the deal, which would extend the tenuous ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, was shaping up to be “one of the most shocking failures in Israel’s foreign and security policy ... entirely registered in Netanyahu’s name.”

“It can be fixed, it must be fixed,” he wrote. “Netanyahu can no longer fix it, we will do it.”

Iran deal could hamper Israel's operation in Lebanon

Even though Israel isn't party to the deal, it finds itself in something of a quagmire, in part because it invaded southern Lebanon after Iran-backed Hezbollah fired missiles at northern Israeli towns during the first week of the war.

Since negotiations began, Iran has insisted that any deal to wind down the U.S.-Iran front include a cessation of Israeli hostilities in Lebanon. But on Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to keep troops in Lebanon.

As negotiations progressed and Trump increasingly sought a way out of war, he grew furious over Israel’s strikes in Beirut, warning they could jeopardize an agreement. In the end, the president decided to end the Iran conflict, even if it curtailed Israel's options in Lebanon.

That has left Netanyahu in a precarious situation. His relationship with Trump may require downscaling a military campaign in Lebanon that is widely popular in Israel.

“All Hezbollah has to do is get one rocket across into an Israeli town in northern Israel, and then the pressure on Netanyahu — which he’s already hearing from his own base and from the opposition ... will ramp up," said Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and a Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council.

“It’s going to be very hard to resist that," Shapiro said. "And that gives a lot of power to control this dynamic to Hezbollah, and essentially to Iran.”

Indeed, some of the more hawkish members of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition have slammed the new deal and urged the prime minister to continue the Lebanon campaign, even if it upsets the U.S. and risks scuttling the agreement.

“We must not compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah,” Israel’s ultranationalist national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, wrote on X.

Israelis say Netanyahu did not meet his war goals in Iran

In Lebanon, the deal left the future of Israel's campaign uncertain. But in Iran, the deal tied Netanyahu's hands before he met his war goals.

Netanyahu and the U.S. launched the war on Feb. 28 with the aim of destroying Iran’s nuclear ambitions. But nearly four months later, after Iran withstood a withering aerial campaign, Tehran is in a much stronger position, analysts and critics say. It's proxy network survives and is still able to fire missiles into Israel.

Tehran has been able to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important waterways, choking global trade and driving up prices for basic needs worldwide. It is also unclear how much damage was done to Iran's nuclear infrastructure and ballistic missile program.

“Israel believes that the war delayed the Iranian nuclear program, but did not change its objectives,” political commentator Anna Barsky wrote for Ma'ariv, a major Hebrew daily newspaper. She said Israeli officials are also worried that under its deal with the U.S., Iran could receive a major influx of cash.

According to three regional officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, the agreement is expected to include the phased lifting of sanctions and a release of frozen Iranian assets.

“Trump signs an agreement that funnels billions to the Ayatollahs’ regime, leaves the nuclear infrastructure intact, preserves the ballistic threat as is, and throws a lifeline to the murderous regime in Tehran,” Yair Golan, center-left party leader and former general, posted on X.

]]>Ronen ZvulunRonen ZvulunRonen Zvulun<![CDATA[Trump arrives at G7 summit looking for momentum after announcing a deal to end the Iran war]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/trump-heads-to-g7-summit-with-wind-at-his-back-after-announcing-agreement-aimed-at-ending-iran-war/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/trump-heads-to-g7-summit-with-wind-at-his-back-after-announcing-agreement-aimed-at-ending-iran-war/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 04:01:12 +0000President Donald Trump started his visit to the G7 summit of leading industrialized nations on Monday by declaring his agreement aimed at ending the U.S. war with Iran is a potential breakthrough for global security and a chance for the U.S. to finally turn the page in its relationship with longtime adversary Iran.

The Republican U.S. president sought to make clear that he arrived in Evian-les-Bains with the wind at his back for talks with G7 leaders, including some who have been sharply critical of his managing of the 15-week-old conflict, which has led to a surge in global energy prices — though he did not immediately seem willing to lay out the details of what was in the emerging deal.

Some of those details are still to be negotiated in talks over the next 60 days, though Trump said the memorandum of understanding would likely be released after it’s signed on Friday.

“I think a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now, and very importantly the oil (price) is plummeting down and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today,” Trump said at a meeting with the summit’s host, French President Emmanuel Macron, before they joined a working dinner with other leaders.

“The Iran deal that we made is going to bring a lot of success to the world,” he said.

Deal could change G7 dynamic

Trump has had friction with Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over failing to consult them before the decision to go to war. But sealing an agreement before jetting off to the summit might change the dynamic of the three-day gathering.

Macron at the start of Monday's meeting congratulated Trump for finding a way to an agreement.

"It’s a very important matter for peace of the whole world,” Macron said.

Trump has pushed back on the four European leaders — members of the NATO military alliance — for their lack of support for the U.S. in the conflict.

He's expected to discuss with leaders the demining of the Strait of Hormuz. Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with the demining once the conflict is paused. Fear of potential mines is among the reasons tanker traffic has come to a halt during the war, and quickly clearing them will be crucial to regaining the confidence of commercial vessels.

Macron on Monday said France was ready to move within days to deploy assets, including mine-clearing vessels, to the region to help.

Senior U.S. officials told reporters that the while the agreement provides for the immediate opening of the strait and lifting of the U.S. naval blockade, it will take weeks for traffic to return to previous levels.

Macron invited the leaders of three nations that aren’t part of the G7 — Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — to take part in a session on the Middle East on Tuesday, when Iran is expected to be a central focus.

Trump faces questions about financial incentives for Tehran

Trump had fiercely criticized President Barack Obama for the 2015 nuclear agreement, which Trump argued failed to stop Tehran from advancing toward a weapon and funneled billions of dollars into the Islamic Republic’s coffers.

In 2018, Trump exited the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union were also signatories to the pact.

Trump in an interview on Sunday with The New York Times pushed back on comparisons to the Obama-era nuclear deal. “We negotiated from strength,” Trump said. “He was basically paying them off.”

But Trump hasn't explained how his agreement will address some key issues about Iran's nuclear program, including who will be in charge of verifying that Iran is complying with the agreement and who will destroy or remove 972 pounds (441 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last summer.

The memorandum of understanding includes the possibility of releasing Iran's frozen funds, sanctions relief and a $300 billion fund to help rebuild Iran — all of which would be tied to Tehran meeting certain benchmarks aimed at assuaging White House concerns, senior U.S. officials told reporters on Monday.

Some Democrats and hawkish critics say Trump has failed to explain how the financial relief in his agreement will differ from what Obama did in the 2015 nuclear deal.

“For all his critique of JCPOA, we had international observers, we actually had an alliance there that included the Europeans, and Russia and China were all signatories,” Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CBS' “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump and an Iran hawk, expressed skepticism, saying that Congress will need to review and vote on any nuclear deal with Iran, and said he expects Vance — “the architect of the deal” — to present it.

“I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,” Graham said on social media.

Trade irritants and the war in Ukraine are also a focus

Leaders are expected to discuss a range of economic and trade issues. Trump told the New York Post he’s warned Macron the U.S. will “have no choice” but to slap 100% tariffs on French wines unless ​Paris eliminates its digital tax on American tech companies, renewing a long-running threat from him that dates to his first administration.

Wines and ​spirits exported to the U.S. from the European Union currently face ​a 15% ⁠tariff.

In an interview with broadcaster TF1, Macron said Monday that it’s not “for the United States to decide what European or French law should be.”

Macron also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a working session with G7 leaders on Tuesday to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war.

At the moment, Zelenskyy is not scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with Trump while they're both in France, but Trump on Sunday held separate phone calls with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Trump emphasized the need to end hostilities with Ukraine and stated his readiness to influence European allies and Kyiv toward that goal, including at the G7.

Zelenskyy had offered to meet Putin with Trump and European leaders at the G7 gathering, but the Kremlin didn’t reply, a Ukrainian official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, and France would be obliged as an ICC member to arrest him. The United States and Russia both oppose the court.

Trump suggested that, after an Iran deal, he'll now have greater bandwidth to focus on the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Now that this is finished, we’re going to be focusing on that,” he said, referring to diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting that followed Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

___

Madhani reported from Geneva, AP writers Samuel Petrequin and John Leicester in Paris; Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine; Michelle L. Price and Collin Binkley in Washington; and Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa contributed reporting.

]]>Julia Demaree NikhinsonThibault CamusThibault CamusJulia Demaree Nikhinson<![CDATA[A rare first edition of 'Wuthering Heights' complete with spelling mistakes is up for auction]]>https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/a-rare-first-edition-of-wuthering-heights-complete-with-spelling-mistakes-is-up-for-auction/https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/a-rare-first-edition-of-wuthering-heights-complete-with-spelling-mistakes-is-up-for-auction/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:38:01 +0000A rare first-edition copy of “ Wuthering Heights,” complete with spelling mistakes, is up for auction for the first time in more than a century, as Emily Brontë’s tragic, tempestuous romance gains new fans through a big-screen adaptation.

Christie’s auction house said Monday that it's the first copy of the novel in the publisher’s original cloth binding to be auctioned since 1908. Only about 250 copies of the first edition were printed, and this one has been in a private library since shortly after its publication in 1847.

“The vast majority of surviving copies were rebound for collectors or libraries, meaning original cloth examples are now extremely scarce,” said Christie’s books and manuscripts specialist Mark Wiltshire.

Being sold along with a copy of sister Anne Brontë’s “Agnes Grey,” it’s expected to sell for between 400,000 pounds and 600,000 pounds ($540,000 and $800,000) at a June 30 auction in London. Both books carry the male pen names the sisters adopted to get published: Ellis Bell for Emily and Acton Bell for Anne.

“Wuthering Heights” was rushed to publication after the success of Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre,” and the first edition is notorious for its typographical errors including, Wiltshire noted, the occasional misspelling of the word “heights.”

Emerald Fennell ’s recent movie with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as mismatched pair Cathy and Heathcliff is the latest work to be inspired by — and take liberties with — Brontë’s brooding, Gothic tale.

The novel shocked some critics when it was published, with one in 1848 decrying its “vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors.”

Since then, Wiltshire said, it has “moved beyond literature to become a cultural touchstone,” inspiring art, music — notably Kate Bush’s pop-operatic 1978 song — and multiple film adaptations.

“It remains a work that artists return to again and again because of its emotional force, its atmosphere, and its psychological intensity, ensuring its place not only in literary history but in wider cultural imagination,” Wiltshire said.

]]>Kin CheungKin CheungKin CheungKin CheungKin Cheung<![CDATA[Officials in Brazil investigate helicopter crash that killed 6]]>https://www.click2houston.com/entertainment/2026/06/15/officials-in-brazil-investigate-helicopter-crash-that-killed-6/https://www.click2houston.com/entertainment/2026/06/15/officials-in-brazil-investigate-helicopter-crash-that-killed-6/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:10:43 +0000Officials in Brazil on Monday were inspecting the site of a crash in which six people were killed Sunday, after two helicopters collided midair over a suburb of Rio de Janeiro.

American singer Oliver Tree was among those listed on the passenger list filed with aviation authorities for one of the helicopters that crashed into the parking lot of a car dealership, although police did not yet confirm his body was found in the crash.

Police confirmed the death of Gaspar Prim Díaz — an Argentine content creator known as Gaspi with more than 2.8 million followers on YouTube — another Argentine Lucas Vignale and three Brazilians — Lucas Brito, Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza. The body of one foreigner was not yet identified.

Human error might have led to the collision between the two helicopters, Rio de Janeiro police investigator Alan Luxardo told reporters Monday at the crash site. He added that authorities were investigating whether air traffic controllers or one of the pilots was responsible for the crash.

Tree, 32, was visiting Rio as part of a world tour that included stops in Argentina, Brazil, Portugal and Spain. On Saturday, the singer and comedian had published a comical video where Tree was seen playing soccer in a Brazilian neighborhood.

Some celebrities began to publish tributes to Tree on Sunday, including Jake Paul, a promoter known for taking on professional boxers in highly publicized fights, who called the singer “one of the most kind and funny people in the world.”

Drew Binsky, a content creator known for visiting every country in the world, wrote on Instagram that Tree had come to him for travel advice because the singer also wanted to visit every country.

“We just spoke a few days ago and I was planning to show him around Prague in three weeks,” Binsky wrote. “He has become a great friend of mine and is genuinely one of the kindest and most positive people I've ever met.”

Argentine streaming channel Blender thanked Gaspi for his art in a post on X.

“Every one of us will miss you,” Blender said.

___

Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

]]>Bruna PradoBruna PradoBruna PradoBruna PradoBruna Prado<![CDATA[Rounds of heavy rain moving through the Houston area. Send us your Click2Pins of what you’re seeing]]>https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2026/06/15/rounds-of-heavy-rain-moving-through-the-houston-area-send-us-your-click2pins-of-what-youre-seeing/https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2026/06/15/rounds-of-heavy-rain-moving-through-the-houston-area-send-us-your-click2pins-of-what-youre-seeing/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:09:32 +0000Severe storms in the Houston area have been so extreme, some areas are seeing an inch of rain in 10 minutes. Other parts of the area have already seen 2-3″ of rain and KPRC 2 Meteorologist Caroline Brown says those same areas could see 2-3″ more.

📍Send us your weather pics and let’s track the storms together.

LIVE RADAR: Extreme rainfall rates cause street flooding in some areas

LIST: Houston-area intersections, roads most likely to flood during heavy rain

Here’s how to submit. There are four ways to make it easy📸🤳:

  1. Go to Click2Pins.com to share them! It’s easy -- login or create an account. Go to the upload a pin button, find your photo on your phone, and tell us about it. Choose your category under a channel, then click upload and you’re done!
  2. Go to the Click2Houston app and click on the top left menu. In the dropdown tap Click2Pins. Log in or create an account. Go to the upload a pin button, find your photo on your phone, and tell us about it. Choose a category and channel that fits best, then click upload pin.
  3. Go to the KPRC 2+ app, click on the menu at the top left of the screen to find Click2Pins, or scroll down to the Click2Pins box. Go to the upload a pin button, find your photo on your phone, and tell us about it. Choose a category and channel that fits your pic best, then click upload pin.
  4. Go to the KPRC 2 weather app and click on the camera icon at the bottom of the screen. Log in or create an account. Go to the upload a pin button, find your photo on your phone, and tell us about it. Choose a category and channel that fits best, then click upload pin.
]]><![CDATA[Your electric bill is rising — here’s how CenterPoint Energy turns that into investor profit]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/centerpoint-made-dollar1b-last-year-heres-how-it-profits-from-your-electric-bill/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/centerpoint-made-dollar1b-last-year-heres-how-it-profits-from-your-electric-bill/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:31:00 +0000CenterPoint Energy made $1 billion in 2025; but the investor-owned utility says it doesn’t profit from the rates customers pay on their electric bills. If that’s true, how does the Fortune 500 company actually make money?

What’s on your bill

Start with this real electricity bill below: $354 total.

Of that, $150 — about 42% — went directly to CenterPoint just to carry the electricity across its wires.

CenterPoint's $8B in requests to the PUC: What Houston customers are paying. KPRC 2's Amy Davis explains how CenterPoint profits from poles, wires — not your electric bill.
CenterPoint's $8B in requests to the PUC: What Houston customers are paying. KPRC 2's Amy Davis explains how CenterPoint profits from poles, wires — not your electric bill.

On most bills, those fees are labeled “TDSP” or “TDU,” short for Transmission and Distribution Utility.

The rates change frequently. Currently, all CenterPoint ratepayers pay a flat $4.90 plus 5.1 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity used.

CenterPoint's $8B in requests to the PUC: What Houston customers are paying. KPRC 2's Amy Davis explains how CenterPoint profits from poles, wires — not your electric bill.
CenterPoint's $8B in requests to the PUC: What Houston customers are paying. KPRC 2's Amy Davis explains how CenterPoint profits from poles, wires — not your electric bill.

How CenterPoint makes money

The Texas Public Utility Commission approves those fees. Each time CenterPoint needs to build new infrastructure, it submits a request to the PUC to raise rates and cover the cost of the capital improvement.

When the PUC approves a rate increase, it includes what is called an allowed return on equity — the percentage of profit that flows directly to investors. That structure is advantageous to investors because it guarantees returns when they buy CenterPoint shares.

CenterPoint then uses shareholder money for expenses including executive salaries. The company points to that arrangement to explain how CEO Jason Wells received a 30% compensation increase from 2024 to 2025 — arguing shareholders, not ratepayers, covered the cost.

New financial reports reveal that CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells received a 30% raise in the months following Hurricane Beryl.
New financial reports reveal that CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells received a 30% raise in the months following Hurricane Beryl.

RELATED: CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells’ pay jumped to $12 million following the deadly Beryl outages.

What researchers say

Krysti Shallenberger, a researcher with the Energy and Policy Institute, said the dynamic is becoming more common across the utility industry.

“As customer bills rise, utilities’ profits increased because utilities are proposing more and more big projects, big gas plants, big transmission lines,” Shallenberger said. “Investors see an opportunity to basically reap a nice profit off of this.”

Shallenberger said CenterPoint Energy posted a 9.65% return on equity in 2025. More detail is available in EPI’s utility profit report here.

Public Citizen’s Tyson Slocum said investor-owned utilities like CenterPoint make money by growing what is known as their rate base.

“That means building more infrastructure where they’re able to then essentially bill customers over 30 or so years and every cycle, they get to add their rate of return on that infrastructure,” Slocum said. “The goal of a utility is to build as much infrastructure as possible into rate base so that they can earn decades of profit margin off of that.”

The maintenance exception

Not all utility spending works the same way.

CenterPoint does not earn a return on equity for maintenance costs. Ratepayers saw rates increase to cover expenses such as vegetation trimming near power lines — but once that work is done, no profit is realized from it. This is why Slocum says CenterPoint has little incentive to trim trees and vegetation.

CenterPoint rate increases

Since 2025, PUC filings show CenterPoint has asked for 10 rate increases to collect more than $8 billion.

To date, the PUC has approved nine of the 10, adjusting the requested amounts and authorizing CenterPoint to collect $5.1 billion from ratepayers.

CenterPoint's $8B in requests to the PUC: What Houston customers are paying. KPRC 2's Amy Davis explains how CenterPoint profits from poles, wires — not your electric bill.
CenterPoint's $8B in requests to the PUC: What Houston customers are paying. KPRC 2's Amy Davis explains how CenterPoint profits from poles, wires — not your electric bill.

CenterPoint’s response

In a statement, CenterPoint Energy said:

“Compensation for CenterPoint’s executive leadership, including Chair & CEO, is reviewed and approved annually by the company’s Board of Directors. Jason Wells leads a Fortune 400 company that serves more than 7 million metered customers across four states. His compensation reflects the scale, complexity and strategic responsibilities of overseeing a large, multi-state utility.

“Regulated utilities make money by investing in and operating the electric and gas systems. When we invest in infrastructure, we’re allowed to earn a regulated return on that investment, which is set by the Public Utility Commission of Texas in rate cases. Those capital costs are recovered gradually over time, typically over decades. Day to day operating and maintenance costs are passed through to customers without a profit.”

GLOSSARY

Rate of return: A metric that measures an investment’s gain or loss over a specified period of time, expressed as a percentage of the initial investment cost. Investors use it to evaluate performance and compare assets.

Return on equity (ROE): A financial metric that measures how efficiently a company uses its shareholders’ equity to generate profit.

KPRC 2 continues to dig into how Houston customers’ money flows through one of the state’s most powerful utilities — and is asking for viewer questions.

]]>Andrea Slaydon<![CDATA[Ground stops lifted at Hobby Airport and Bush Intercontinental]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/flight-delays-at-bush-intercontinental-airport-due-to-severe-weather/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/flight-delays-at-bush-intercontinental-airport-due-to-severe-weather/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:45:53 +0000A ground stop has been lifted at Hobby Airport before the expected time of 1:45 p.m. And during the noon hour, a ground stop also ended for Bush Intercontinental Airport that was scheduled to end at 1:30 p.m.

Earlier this morning, flight delays at Bush were lasting close to 30 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Before you head to the airport to fly or pick up anyone, you can check flight status through the Houston Airports System website.

As of 1:30 p.m., most commercial flights taking off before 2 p.m. out of Bush were delayed at least an hour.

Same story at Hobby -- most flights leaving in the next couple of hours are delayed.

LIVE RADAR: Track Monday’s rounds of severe thunderstorms

RELATED: Flood watch extended through Thursday for all of SE Texas

]]>Ashley Landis<![CDATA[Why Houston can't impose a teen curfew despite calls for action after Discovery Green takeover]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/why-houston-cant-impose-a-teen-curfew-despite-calls-for-action-after-discovery-green-takeover/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/why-houston-cant-impose-a-teen-curfew-despite-calls-for-action-after-discovery-green-takeover/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:30:10 +0000Following another large “teen takeover” event in downtown Houston over the weekend, some residents are asking why city leaders don’t simply impose a curfew to keep minors off the streets at night.

The answer is that Texas law currently prevents cities from enforcing juvenile curfews, even though Houston still has a curfew ordinance on its books.

RELATED: Houston police respond to ‘teen takeover’ at Discovery Green; shots fired, 2 detained with guns

In 2023, Texas lawmakers approved House Bill 1819, which eliminated the authority of local governments to adopt or enforce juvenile curfews. State lawmakers cited research suggesting curfews were ineffective at reducing crime.

The renewed discussion comes after Houston police responded to a teen takeover at Discovery Green on Saturday night that drew hundreds of young people to the area. During the incident, officers reported shots were fired and detained two individuals who were allegedly carrying guns.

Prior to the change in state law, Houston’s ordinance prohibited minors younger than 17 from being in public places during certain overnight hours unless they met specific exceptions. While the ordinance remains in the city’s code, it can no longer be enforced because of state law.

Some Texas communities have pushed for restoring local authority to enact juvenile curfews amid concerns about youth violence and large gatherings involving teenagers. Lawmakers have filed proposals that would allow cities to once again adopt curfew ordinances, but no changes have been approved.

Following the latest teen takeover, KPRC 2 asked Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s office whether the city planned to seek assistance from Gov. Greg Abbott or request a special order that could allow a curfew.

The Mayor’s Office responded:

“At this time, we are not going to contact the governor about this topic.”

]]>OnScene<![CDATA['Ponies' merges comedy with a gritty spy story in TV dramedy]]>https://www.click2houston.com/entertainment/2026/06/15/ponies-merges-comedy-with-a-gritty-spy-story-in-tv-dramedy/https://www.click2houston.com/entertainment/2026/06/15/ponies-merges-comedy-with-a-gritty-spy-story-in-tv-dramedy/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 04:05:05 +0000“Ponies” is a bit of a unicorn.

The Peacock series that stars Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson as widows of CIA operatives who become intelligence assets in the 1970s Soviet Union has real stakes, and real blood. But its tone is comic first and foremost. And it has been submitted for the forthcoming Emmy nominations as a comedy, despite its hourlong episodes that on television usually mean drama.

The tone-mashing comes naturally to its co-creators, Susanna Fogel and David Iserson, a couple of veterans of film and TV writing. “Ponies” — intelligence-speak for “persons of no interest” — is the first show they have worked on that they originated.

“We understand that we’re not a pure comedy and we’re not a pure drama, which is nothing that we wanted, and we were happy with that. But it was always also part of the calculus that when our characters are in peril, we should feel like they could die,” Iserson told The Associated Press in a joint interview with Fogel. “These characters are experiencing grief. These characters are experiencing peril and also they’re funny people, and that is just the way that we both see the world.”

Fogel puts it a little more succinctly: “Funny people in serious situation is our thing.”

Their two stars have youthful vibes but mature acting skills and they seamlessly handle the show's swerves. Clarke's character, Bea, begins as an innocent in a dangerous world the same way her Daenerys Targaryen began on “Game of Thrones.” Richardson's Twila starts as the same sort of worldly, savvy character she has played on “The White Lotus” and elsewhere.

Then both go on major arcs.

“We wanted to give these actresses something new that they hadn’t done, but that didn’t feel like they were fighting some essential part of who they were,” Fogel said.

She and Iserson have what she calls “an open creative marriage.”

Separately, Fogel was a writer on the 2019 film “Booksmart” and the HBO series “The Flight Attendant.” Iserson has written for series including “Mad Men” and “Mr. Robot.”

Together, their work includes the 2018 film “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” which stars Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon as women thrust into espionage. In retrospect, it feels like a dress rehearsal for “Ponies.”

“That was more on the comedic side of the spectrum for both of us and we were more excited to do something that was more grounded but had the same friendship story to it,” Iserson said. “So we took the things we loved about that experience and then used some of our other skills to make something that felt a little bit more in the dramedy sphere.”

The show felt grounded enough to some viewers that if you Google it, a question that pops up on search: “Is the TV series Ponies a true story?”

“I think good comedy is like a high-wire act. In a way it feels like a high-risk, high-reward thing to be able to do anything that’s doing that,” Fogel said. “I’m not sure how you can stand out with things that are just 100% serious.”

The half-hour comedy vs. hourlong drama split, which the overwhelming majority of historic TV series follow, really seems to matter where Emmys are concerned.

It is probably the reason the half-hour “The Bear” has been able to pass as a comedy and dominate those categories at the Emmys, to the chagrin of some makers of more purely funny stuff.

Though the hourlong comedy isn't unheard of and the Emmys have recognized that before. “Ally McBeal” would get an annual raft of nominations in the late 1990s and once won best comedy series. “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” did the same in the 2010s.

Many of the Emmys' technical and craft awards, including cinematography and sound, are broken into half-hour and hour categories instead of comedy and drama.

Another Emmy contender, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” HBO's latest “Game of Thrones” spinoff, is the flip side of “Ponies,” since it's a drama with episodes that land at just over 30 minutes.

Showrunner Ira Parker says the old distinctions maybe ought to be scrapped.

“Look at all your favorite dramas of all time, like ‘The Sopranos’ and even like, ‘The Wire,’ how funny those were,” Parker said. “I actually think the difference should be 30 minutes and an hour versus comedy and drama.”

“Ponies” has not yet been renewed for a second season, but a few Emmy nominations could change that.

___ This story has been corrected to reflect that Fogel and Iserson are co-creators but only Iserson is showrunner of “Ponies.”

]]>Katalin VermesKatalin VermesCharles Sykes<![CDATA[Big 12 sues Texas Tech, AG Paxton to enforce conference sanctions against QB who placed bets]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/06/11/paxtons-office-threatens-legal-action-if-big-12-penalizes-texas-tech-for-playing-qb-who-placed-bets/https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/06/11/paxtons-office-threatens-legal-action-if-big-12-penalizes-texas-tech-for-playing-qb-who-placed-bets/Thu, 11 Jun 2026 20:00:28 +0000The Big 12 Conference filed a lawsuit in federal court in Dallas on Sunday, seeking to clear the way for sanctions against Texas Tech University if its team plays quarterback Brendan Sorsby this fall.

Sorsby admitted to placing thousands of sports bets, including wagers on his own team’s games. Conference officials argue that if Texas Tech plays him, it would threaten public confidence in Big 12 competition.

The conference is suing Attorney General Ken Paxton, Texas Tech University, the Texas Tech University System, Chancellor Brandon Creighton, Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec and athletic director Kirby Hocutt.

“The Big 12 and its Member Institutions … have no interest in being required to endorse or even appearing to endorse unethical and indeed unlawful conduct that strikes at the heart of athletic integrity,” the conference wrote in its complaint, arguing that Paxton and Texas Tech are infringing on the conference’s First Amendment right to enforce its bylaws.

The Tribune reached out to Paxton’s office, Texas Tech and the Big 12 for comment.

The NCAA banned Sorsby from participating in football after court filings showed the student athlete placed at least $90,000 in sports bets while attending Texas Tech and playing football at two other universities. He placed bets on his own team while playing at Indiana, and when in Texas, where sports betting is illegal, sent money to people in other states to bet on his behalf.

Sorsby sued to regain his eligibility. Last week, a state district judge in Lubbock blocked the NCAA from prohibiting Sorsby from playing most of the upcoming season. The judge’s order stipulates Sorsby must continue treatment for his gambling disorder and sit out the first two games of the season. The NCAA is appealing.

The judge set a Feb. 8 trial on the matter, after the football season concludes.

The ruling sparked criticism from officials at other universities. The Big 12 alleged in its lawsuit that athletic officials in the University of Georgia and the University of Nebraska sent department-wide memos instructing coaches and staff not to schedule Texas Tech in any sport and said the schools may try to cancel already scheduled match ups.

Paxton’s office threatened legal action in the matter. In a letter sent Thursday on behalf of Texas Tech, the attorney general’s office warned the Big 12 that any effort to “disadvantage” the university would be illegal.

“The total exposure — for both the Big 12 and its members, jointly and severally — will be substantially more than $200 million,” said the letter signed by Thomas York, chief of the agency’s antitrust division.

The letter, first reported by The Athletic, came a day after Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell said there would be a legal fight if teams or conferences boycott the university, calling it “an antitrust violation” on the Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich show.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond sent his own letter Friday to the Big 12 calling Paxton’s antirust claims “facially absurd,” and encouraged the conference to sanction Texas Tech. 

Kansas Attorney General Kris W. Kobach wrote a letter to the conference Monday also disputing Paxton’s legal arguments and said his office “stands ready to assist the conference.”

In its lawsuit, the Big 12 said Texas Tech officials told the conference last week that it intended to play Sorsby in conference games. Big 12 representatives noted that Paxton’s letter stalled a possible board vote on sanctions if Texas Tech follows through, including monetary penalties or a ban from the Big 12 Championship Game.

The Big 12 cast Paxton and Texas Tech’s position as contradictory, saying both have long warned about the dangers of sports betting by student-athletes. Texas Tech has “gone further than the Big 12 itself” by making student gambling a ground for probation or expulsion, the conference wrote, while Texas prohibits sports betting outright.

The Big 12 argues that Texas Tech previously supported the same conference authority it is now challenging by voting with other members in 2017 to withhold 25% of Baylor University’s conference revenue distributions over the school’s handling of sexual assault allegations involving the football program.

In late April, Texas Tech announced 22-year-old Sorsby was diagnosed with gambling disorder and would be admitted into a rehabilitation center in Arizona.

In a statement posted on the Texas Tech website, Hocutt defended Sorsby’s eligibility and asked for critics to understand the nuance of Sorsby’s addiction.

“A young man in treatment for a clinically diagnosed addiction exercised his legal right to seek a remedy in court, and a judge agreed with him,” Hocutt said. “Our role has been to support his recovery, not to engineer his eligibility.”

In a statement, Paxton said state antitrust laws protect the university from a “coordinated effort to harm a competitor.”

“Texas Tech acted consistent with a lawful court order and no athletic conference has the right to punish a member institution for respecting the judicial process,” he said.

The conference wants a judge to declare that sanctions against Texas Tech would not violate the antitrust law and to block Paxton and Texas Tech from interfering with the conference’s authority to enforce its bylaws.

Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech from the University of Cincinnati in January and has not yet played a game on the team.

Sorsby’s legal team for the lawsuit includes Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. A spokesperson for the speaker’s office referred questions last week about Sorsby’s case to Burrows’ private law practice.

Disclosure: Texas Tech University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

]]>Nathan Giese/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal/Usa Today Via Reuters<![CDATA[AG Ken Paxton blocked from suing Democratic donor platform ActBlue]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/04/20/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-democratic-donor-platform-actblue/https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/04/20/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-democratic-donor-platform-actblue/Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:46:36 +0000Attorney General Ken Paxton must drop his lawsuit against ActBlue, the political donations platform primarily used by Democratic candidates, a Boston federal judge ruled Thursday in a decision that cited the Texas Republican’s “well-known history of filing retaliatory lawsuits.”

ActBlue sued Paxton in early May, alleging that the series of investigations and litigation he had initiated against the company was politically motivated.

District Judge Richard Gaylore Stearns agreed, alluding to the fact that Paxton resumed an investigation into ActBlue the day after Democratic state Rep. James Talarico announced he had raised $2.5 million within 24 hours of appearing on late night host Stephen Colbert’s show. Paxton and Talarico, at the time vying for their party’s respective U.S. Senate nominations, are now facing off in the November general election.

“The truth is plain and captured in Paxton’s own declarations: The lawsuit was filed in retaliation for (and in an attempt to suppress) ActBlue’s efforts to fund Talarico’s campaign,” Stearns wrote.

Paxton appealed the ruling to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from Massachusetts courts, on Monday.

Paxton filed a lawsuit against ActBlue in late April, claiming the platform allows improper donations from people outside the United States and those who have already hit federal donor limits. His pursuit of ActBlue dates back to December 2023, when his office opened an investigation into the platform. The agency later sent a letter to the Federal Elections Commission claiming it had uncovered evidence that “bad actors can illegally interfere in American elections by disguising political donations” via ActBlue.

Under Thursday’s ruling, Paxton cannot continue to litigate its state court case against ActBlue, or bring any other related state lawsuits against the company.

The ruling comes after a Wednesday hearing of the U.S. House Administration Committee focused on “preventing fraudulent donations.” As Republicans on the panel probed ActBlue’s CEO, Democrats unsuccessfully tried to subpoena Paxton for ignoring their queries about similar allegations lodged against WinRed, the GOP’s equivalent platform. The motion to order Paxton before the panel failed on a party-line vote.

Background: ActBlue is the main platform used by Democratic candidates and causes. Since its founding, more than 28 million people have donated through ActBlue, which processed $1.78 billion last year alone.

The group began facing pressure from Republican members of Congress in 2023, which Paxton followed by opening an investigation into Texas-based donations. In August 2024, Paxton claimed victory, saying ActBlue had agreed to start requiring CVV codes on credit card donations.

In April 2025, Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate ActBlue, heightening fears among Democrats about the political targeting of the infrastructure that allows them to fundraise. Paxton also involved ActBlue in his investigation of Texas Democratic House members who left the state in the summer 2025 to protest mid-decade redistricting.

The compounding investigations have led to internal turmoil at ActBlue, The New York Times reported. Earlier this month, the newspaper reported that ActBlue lawyers raised concerns that the company’s systems were not as robust as top executives had told congressional Republicans that they were.

What Paxton is saying: Citing that recent reporting, Paxton filed his lawsuit on April 20, saying that ActBlue “lied to Congress and to the American people.”

“It has blatantly ignored state law that prohibits deceptive practices, and it must pay for its illegal conduct,” Paxton said. “Fair elections are the foundation of our democracy, and I will work to ensure no illegal campaign donation flies under the radar.”

He is suing in state court under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a consumer protection statute he has deployed repeatedly over the last year to go after left-leaning organizations. The civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation could be significant if the judge were to rule against the company.

Stearns expressed skepticism that Paxton’s office was actually motivated by the New York Times article, rather than Talarico’s fundraising haul, writing in the ruling that lawyers for the state admitted they had not fact-checked the newspaper’s claims.

Paxton touted this litigation on several conservative podcasts, in which he “did not hesitate in drawing a connection between the lawsuit and his candidacy for Senate,” Stearns wrote.

Paxton’s lawyers argued that federal courts generally should not intervene in state cases, which Stearns agreed with. But in this case, he wrote, “the evidence of bad faith is sufficiently overwhelming to qualify this as one of the rare cases where the exception should apply.”

What ActBlue is saying: ActBlue’s lawsuit says Paxton is violating the company’s First and 14th Amendment rights, and alleges he misinformed the court about the results of his office’s investigation. Paxton’s investigators’ attempts to use gift cards were repeatedly denied, the company said, despite claims in the lawsuit to the contrary.

In a press release, the company criticized Paxton for framing his investigation in “partisan, not consumer protection, terms,” pointing to his comments about the company’s support for “liberal Democrats” and “left-wing campaigns.”

“Ken Paxton has spent more than two years using the power of his office to investigate, harass, and sue ActBlue,” Oliver said in a statement. “This is not law enforcement. It is retaliation against constitutionally protected speech and association, and it is exactly what the First Amendment forbids.”

Disclosure: New York Times has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

]]>Michael Cavazos For The Texas Tribune<![CDATA[World Cup teams face major travel demands in tournament spread across US, Canada and Mexico]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/world-cup-teams-face-major-travel-demands-in-tournament-spread-across-us-canada-and-mexico/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/world-cup-teams-face-major-travel-demands-in-tournament-spread-across-us-canada-and-mexico/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:46:56 +0000The Czech Republic started its World Cup campaign by traveling from its base camp in Dallas across the border to Guadalajara in Mexico. The team is now back in Texas preparing for its next game in Atlanta. It will then return to Mexico for its third group match.

Newcomer Curacao is expected to travel some 5,300 miles (8,600 kilometers) back-and-forth from its base in Florida to games in Houston, Kansas City and Philadelphia. Bosnia-Herzegovina will rack up nearly 5,200 miles (8,400 kilometers) across Canada and the U.S. while going from its base in Utah to games in Toronto, Los Angeles and Seattle.

The biggest World Cup ever has brought some logistics challenges to the 48 teams in the tournament being played across three countries and four time zones.

“We just have to live with it because that’s what others planned for us,” Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek said through a translator after a 2-1 loss to South Korea in Guadalajara last Thursday. “We're happy to be here and we want to have the best possible results. Our logistics behind the scenes is good, but of course it’s not ideal that we have to travel that much.”

Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella said “this is the reality, we have to adapt.”

His squad trains in Arizona, about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) from Vancouver, where it opened with a 2-0 loss to Australia.

“Of course after the match we’ll be back at 5 o’clock in the morning, and it’s not easy to recover, especially for people my age,” the 51-year-old Montella said through a translator ahead of the match. “After a night out you know it takes a few days to recover. America is big, Canada is very big. Mexico is big. We have to adapt. I know these things you can’t change. You can’t choose. You just have to adapt so you don’t have any excuses.”

Host teams on the move

Canada's squad had to fly nearly five hours to cover the more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) between Toronto and Vancouver after its opener. The U.S. team will travel nearly that distance in total while going back-and-forth between its training camp in Irvine, California, and its games in the Los Angeles area and Seattle. Mexico is expected to travel less than 600 miles (965 kilometers) within the country.

The England team is set to travel the most among the main title contenders, having its camp in Kansas City and playing games in Dallas, Boston and New York. Spain will have to fly nearly four hours from its base in Atlanta to a match in Guadalajara.

Argentina and France, the finalists at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, face fewer travel challenges. Argentina is based in Kansas City, where it will open its title defense before playing two matches in Dallas. France has its camp in Boston. It will play one game there and the other two in Philadelphia and New York.

FIFA has long recognized the logistic challenges for the World Cup scattered across North America. It tried to separate teams in geographical clusters where they are based and where they will play most of their matches.

Lengthy traveling was a non-issue at the previous World Cup in Qatar, which is roughly the size of Connecticut and is smaller than Switzerland. But teams faced similar travel challenges in 2018 in Russia and 2014 in Brazil.

High altitude also a factor

South Korea's squad doesn’t have to leave Mexico for its group matches, but does have to deal with the high altitude both in Mexico City (about 2,200 meters, 7,200 feet) and Guadalajara (about 1,500 meters, 4,900 feet).

The South Koreans did specific training to adjust to the altitude, and coach Hong Myung-bo said it “helped a lot” but still wasn’t enough.

“In the second half, I think we could see that everyone was very tired,” Hong said after his team’s come-from-behind win over the Czech Republic.

Heat and humidity could also become an issue for many teams training and playing in U.S. cities such as Houston, Dallas, New York and Miami.

Brazil forward Vinícius Júnior complained of the conditions after the 1-1 draw with Morocco on Saturday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“Because of the weather, the heat, the field dries up too quickly and the game gets really stuck and we can’t have game rhythm. That makes it difficult for us because we want to play, we want to move the ball from side to side, and that gets in the way of our game,” he said. “But we’re going to have to adapt because I believe it’s going to be like that for the whole competition where everyone is going to have the same field of play.”

___

AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson contributed from Vancouver.

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

]]>Julio CortezJulio CortezAdam HungerMoises Castillo<![CDATA[Spain at a Tennessee boarding school, Iraq in a rural West Virginia town: Where World Cup teams live]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/spain-at-a-tennessee-boarding-school-iraq-in-a-rural-west-virginia-town-where-world-cup-teams-live/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/spain-at-a-tennessee-boarding-school-iraq-in-a-rural-west-virginia-town-where-world-cup-teams-live/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 04:35:43 +0000In the shadow of Tennessee’s Signal and Lookout mountains, 8-year-old Beckham has been balancing on a fence for more than three hours, gripping a handwritten note and waiting for Spain’s national team to emerge.

“I love you and I look up to you,” the note reads, addressed to Pedri and Lamine Yamal. “Thanks for coming to my city. I hope you win the World Cup.”

As the players run onto the field, his eyes grow wide.

“Dad,” he whispers, “they’re real.”

The scene was equally incredible to his father, Jaxon McClure, a Marine Corps veteran who grew up in Chattanooga playing soccer with trash cans for goalposts, now coaches hundreds of local children and named his first child after one of the sport’s greatest stars.

This summer — 32 years since the United States first hosted the world’s biggest sporting competition — Chattanooga is among several cities established as World Cup base camps, where visiting teams live and train between matches.

Spain — among the favorites to win the tournament — has set up camp at a boarding school on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga; Iraq is in a mountain resort town in West Virginia with fewer than 3,000 residents; and Germany is in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where cobblestone streets and tobacco warehouses share space with German flags and television crews.

Southern hospitality on display

A 144-foot (44-meter) underground waterfall beneath Lookout Mountain is lit up red and the Embassy Suites in downtown Chattanooga, where the Spanish team is staying, is adorned with la Rojigualda — Spain’s red and yellow flag. Giant banners featuring Spanish players and declaring, “Bienvenidos a Chattanooga” greeted La Roja as the team arrived at Chattanooga Airport.

Native Chattanoogan Skip Schwartz said so many people are wearing Spanish jerseys that “you don’t know if they’re from Spain, hoping to get a glimpse, or they are locals who have bought into the La Roja bandwagon.”

Around 25,000 people entered a lottery for 1,000 tickets to watch Spain practice at Baylor School, a 600-acre (240-hectare) private academy for students grade 6 through 12.

Meanwhile, tickets to watch Germany practice at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem sold out in four minutes.

“It’s just fun to see everyone start to care about something they didn’t care about before,” said Savannah Lahey, who manages soccer bar Small Batch Beer Co. in downtown Winston-Salem. The bar has extended its hours for watch parties and created a German-inspired menu featuring schnitzel sandwiches and sauerbraten for Germany’s opening match.

“It’s getting to make people feel at home, even when they’re not at home,” Lahey said.

At the Greenbrier in West Virginia, a historic resort that has hosted presidents and foreign leaders, Iraqi flags flew alongside the Stars and Stripes as the national team arrived for its World Cup training camp.

Baylor provides outstanding soccer facilities

Teams chose from FIFA-approved base camps across North America, with higher-ranked nations getting the earliest picks. Spain selected Chattanooga over larger cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles, then worked with Baylor to create an expansive headquarters around its training fields and media facilities.

FIFA inspectors graded Baylor’s facilities, including the condition of the grass and its drainage and irrigation systems, the school’s operations and systems director Sam Green said. To preserve the pitches for Spain, Baylor’s players trained this spring on artificial turf, a sacrifice Green said seniors accepted without complaint.

Hidden behind a tree line, two grass pitches form the center of Spain’s daily training. The airport and their downtown hotel are minutes away and Atlanta — where Spain will play two group-stage matches — is within easy reach. After Spain’s first official practice, players headed straight to the campus pool, where they “swam and laid out and had a good time” before returning to training.

For Schwartz, who now serves on Baylor’s board of trustees, Spain’s choice is meaningful because he and his teammates helped to lay Bermuda sod for their new soccer field when he played soccer at Baylor in the late 1980s and early 1990s. That field has since been replaced by an indoor tennis facility — which serves as Spain’s media center — but the school now has three soccer pitches and one of the region’s premier soccer programs.

“If somebody had told me then that 40 years later Spain would be using this campus as the foundation for a World Cup, I wouldn’t even have tried to fathom it,” he said.

‘Without a doubt, I’m cheering for Spain’

Tina Ankar, a first generation Palestinian American, said she became a soccer fan because of the World Cup and her boyfriend, who grew up watching games with his Mexican family. At Spain’s open practice, hundreds of fans shouted “¡Vamos, España!” after nearly every touch. Ankar found herself swept up in the energy.

“I’ve got to watch these guys all the way to the end,” she said. “Now we really have someone to cheer on besides America.”

Before Spain’s first public practice, Baylor students slipped into the locker room and snapped photos of stalls freshly labeled with the names of Spain’s stars, debating which player had inherited “their” locker.

“I sat in that locker room almost every single day this spring,” said 17-year-old midfielder and graduating senior Heath Techasiriwan.

Techasiriwan, a Filipino American and lifelong Lionel Messi fan who rooted for Argentina in 2022, said there was no question who he will support this summer.

“Without a doubt, I’m cheering for Spain,” he said. “I can’t see players like Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal literally right in front of me and not cheer for them.”

Goalkeeper Mathew Ramirez commutes an hour each way to Baylor from Calhoun, Georgia. He grew up watching Barcelona with his father, who immigrated from Guatemala, and plans to watch Spain’s World Cup matches over carne asada with family and friends.

After practice, Yamal, who is 18, signed the 16-year-old goalie’s custom Barcelona jersey. Ramirez told the star in Spanish: “Watching you play gives me happiness.”

A young fan takes selfies and dreams of superheroes

Back in Chattanooga, Beckham collects signatures and takes selfies with players before heading home in the Spain jersey his father says he slept in the night before.

His father says Beckham kept repeating: “Wait, Dad. They’re real. Lamine Yamal is a real person. I just thought they were like superheroes. They’re on TV.”

Chattanooga has come a long way since the neighborhood games McClure remembers. He is now a soccer coach to about 850 children, and the city has professional men’s and women’s teams.

“They could have gone anywhere in this country,” McClure says of Spain, “and they chose us.”

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

]]>George Walker IvGeorge Walker IvMike StewartGeorge Walker IvMike Stewart<![CDATA[Don't expect a repeat. UFC boss Dana White says 'never again' to another White House fight night]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/dont-expect-a-repeat-ufc-boss-dana-white-says-never-again-to-another-white-house-fight-night/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/dont-expect-a-repeat-ufc-boss-dana-white-says-never-again-to-another-white-house-fight-night/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:30:50 +0000By the time Justin Gaethje pummeled his bloodied foe to a pulp and celebrated a championship win with a backflip off the top of the wire-mesh cage, then shook hands with President Donald Trump — and even fist-bumped Melania — this much about his company's future was clear to the ultimate boss of UFC: Just say no to the White House.

“It was an amazing, experience, this was a one-of-one,” UFC CEO Dana White said.

“It will never happen again.”

Oh, not because the show dubbed Freedom 250 and ostensibly held to celebrate Trump's 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing wasn't by White's accounts a smashing success. He crowed about merchandise sales and streaming service subscriptions and how UFC surpassed its goals in every metric he could list at a news conference that stretched well into the dawn's early light Monday.

And the setting?

Forget it, almost impossible to top on a night when fighters essentially treated their walkouts like they were kids on a class trip. The all-male lineup toured the West Wing, the Oval Office, walked past presidential portraits, through the Roosevelt Room, the Cabinet Room — and the winners even got a meet-and-greet with Trump.

Gaethje skimmed the copy of the Declaration of Independence that hangs in the Oval Office and said a prayer before he made the unusually long walk to the cage. Gaethje battered Spanish-Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria in the main event and won the UFC lightweight title.

“Usually, I kind of blank out when it comes to getting ready to walk to the cage,” Gaethje said. “It was pretty crazy, looking at the Declaration of Independence. The original one. Their language was different. I'm not smart enough to read that.”

Gaethje also banked a whopping $825,000 in bonus money for winning “Performance of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” honors.

Trump stayed until the end of the seven-card show and generally seemed engaged with the fights — at one point he put on a white “USA” baseball cap — and certainly was all smiles each time a fighter who had a hand raised in victory then used it on a handshake with the president.

Trump boasted on Truth Social the night was “PERFECT!”

There were few blips on the big night and the blemishes that did happen were at the expense of UFC's two more problematic fighters.

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted out of the Ellipse watch party attended by thousands more fans by a group of police officers. Heavyweight Josh Hokit took it further with an extraordinary and unfounded attack based on a right-wing conspiracy theory about former first lady Michelle Obama.

For all the hand-wringing ahead of the card, the show delivered on the star-spangled smackdown that featured pulsating patriotism from the Marine Band, tributes to first responders, active military and other White House-designated heroes. Gaethje and Ciryl Gane were crowned champions inside a blood-splattered eight-sided cage plopped in the open air right in the people's house backyard on the South Lawn.

Blood and guts were a mandate before an American fighter wrapped himself in the flag.

“Hopefully tonight created some unity,” White said as he put on his hyperbolic promoter's hat. “Even for the people that thought this was going to be some big political statement or something, this wasn't. This was Americans, all Americans celebrating the birthday. For people who tuned in for the first time, because it was at the White House, hopefully they liked the sport. They liked some of the guys' stories.”

So maybe some new fans stick around.

After all, International Fight Week is right around the corner, with UFC 329 set to mark the return after a five-year break of the company's biggest box office draw, Conor McGregor.

That fight will be held in a more traditional arena back on UFC's home turf in Las Vegas, just as they will for years to come.

But despite all the pomp and pageantry, the eyerolls and angst, White stands by his claim that UFC is one-and-done in D.C.

The constant headaches over weather concerns in the rare outdoors show, the logistics of construction of the cage and staging events at federal landmarks and the soaring cost — UFC said it was footing the $60 million tab — made Freedom 250 a one-off for a company once dubbed “human cockfighting."

“I can’t afford it," White said. "I’ll never do the Sphere again and we’ll never do this again.”

___

AP MMA: https://apnews.com/hub/mixed-martial-arts

]]>Julia Demaree NikhinsonAllison RobbertAllison RobbertAlex BrandonAlex BrandonAlex Brandon<![CDATA[A Russian barrage in Ukraine kills 11 and damages a sacred landmark, officials say]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/russian-attack-sets-fire-to-centuries-old-religious-site-in-kyiv-and-kills-5-in-kharkiv/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/russian-attack-sets-fire-to-centuries-old-religious-site-in-kyiv-and-kills-5-in-kharkiv/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 01:56:03 +0000A cathedral in one of the oldest and most sacred landmarks in Eastern Orthodox Christianity was set ablaze early Monday as Russia bombarded Ukraine’s biggest cities, killing 11 people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Russia fired the barrage of hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at the capital of Kyiv, and the second-largest city of Kharkiv, after Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke separately by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday.

Arriving in France, Trump said he had a good conversation with Zelenskyy and Putin. “Now that this (Iran) is finished, we’re going to be focusing on that,” he said, referring to diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting that followed Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

The war in Ukraine is also set to feature in talks Tuesday by G7 leaders at a summit in France. Zelenskyy also is due to attend to pushing his country's plight.

“This is how Russia shows the world its intention to continue the war,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X, referring to the overnight attack on civilian sites that included the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an 11th-century monastery complex.

“It is very important that there be a response from the G7 countries ... and that this response be decisive and substantive; more pressure on the aggressor and more support for Ukraine’s air defense, especially anti-ballistic capabilities,” he said.

Zelenskyy offered to meet Putin with Trump and European leaders at the G7 gathering in France but the Kremlin didn’t reply, a Ukrainian official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly about it. The Kremlin has said repeatedly that if Zelenskyy wants to meet Putin, he can come to Moscow.

Putin is wanted by the court on a warrant dating to March 2023 for alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine during the conflict. France would be obliged as an ICC member to arrest him. The United States and Russia both oppose the court.

Children among the wounded in Kyiv

Zelenskyy said the Russian strikes killed 11 civilians and emergency workers and wounded 53 across Ukraine.

Five were killed in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, where at least 30 others were also wounded, including two children aged 5 and 6, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city's Military Administration.

A series of powerful explosions were heard across Kyiv, with a wave of ballistic missiles followed by Shahed drones as many people sought shelter underground. Clouds of black smoke drifted over the city.

Five strikes hit civilian sites in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district in under 30 minutes, Tkachenko said, including a 25-story apartment building, while a market and a grocery store caught fire. In the Obolonskyi district, a nine-story residential building took a direct hit.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes targeted defense and industrial facilities in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, including enterprises and workshops producing components for long-range drones and cruise missiles. It said that a workshop producing medium- and long-range drones located on the premises of the Dovzhenko film studios in Kyiv was among the targets hit.

Russia also claimed to have hit Kyiv’s Radar plant, which it said makes drone components, and the Mayak plant that it said makes Ukraine's Flamingo long-range cruise missiles. Military conscription offices in Kyiv were also struck, it said.

There was no immediate information about the 11th person killed in the attacks.

Religious site damaged in attack

In Kyiv, smoke billowed around the golden domes of the Dormition Cathedral inside the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a revered religious landmark.

Its roof caught fire during the attack, said Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. He condemned the strike as another Russian crime “against humanity, against history, against Christianity,” and appealed for prayers to save the site.

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, is a sprawling complex of monasteries and churches, including some underground, built between the 11th and 19th centuries. Some of the churches at the UNESCO-listed World Heritage site are connected by a labyrinthine complex of caves spanning more than 600 meters (2,000 feet).

In a statement, UNESCO condemned the attack, which it said reportedly caused significant damage to the exterior and interior of the Dormition Cathedral.

Zelenskyy said the damage was caused by two Russian drones and called the attack Moscow’s “biggest crime yet against Christian culture.” He visited the scene with Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and other government officials.

The cathedral, churches and other buildings overlook the Dnieper River and have been a pilgrimage site for centuries.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the attack was the “equivalent, for us French, of a bombing of Notre Dame” in Paris.

Ukraine’s National Commission for UNESCO, which coordinates the country's cooperation with the U.N. educational, scientific and cultural body, urged the international community to step up pressure on Moscow to stop its invasion and to throw it out of the organization.

“By destroying Ukraine’s cultural heritage, (Russia) seeks to erase historical memory and inflicts damage upon the heritage of all humankind,” the commission said in a statement.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed, without offering evidence, that the complex was hit by one of Ukraine’s U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles, saying that it might have veered off course due to its age.

Russia fires more than 600 drones at Ukraine

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 70 missiles and 611 drones overnight, primarily targeting Kyiv, while also striking the cities of Dnipro and Kharkiv.

The military said air defenses intercepted or electronically suppressed 632 aerial targets, including 50 missiles and 582 drones.

Preliminary data showed 20 ballistic missiles and 27 attack drones hit 42 locations across the country, while debris from intercepted drones fell at 12 sites.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 123 Ukrainian drones overnight.

___

Associated Press writers Samuel Petrequin in London and Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

]]>Evgeniy MaloletkaUncreditedDan BashakovEfrem LukatskyEvgeniy Maloletka<![CDATA[UK bans under-16s from using social media apps including TikTok and YouTube]]>https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/british-leader-expected-to-impose-teen-social-media-ban-that-goes-further-than-australias/https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/british-leader-expected-to-impose-teen-social-media-ban-that-goes-further-than-australias/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 04:03:34 +0000Britain will ban children aged under 16 from using a range of social media apps, including Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, to protect them from harmful content and excessive screen time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday.

The ban, which is expected to take effect early next year, makes the U.K. part of a growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.

“Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy,” said Starmer, who has two teenage children. “I’ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them.”

The plan was met with mixed reaction, with some praising Starmer for taking action and others questioning the effectiveness of a blanket ban.

YouTube and Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — warned Monday that a blanket social media restriction could push kids into unregulated spaces.

“Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services,” a YouTube spokesperson said. Meta said a ban could drive teens to online alternatives without any parental controls.

Starmer acknowledged the challenges and said some teens would try to find their way around a ban, but said: “I do believe we can enforce it.”

He added: “Teenagers drink before they should, but we do not then say, ‘in which case let us abandon any attempt to stop them buying alcohol.’”

The prime minister — who is under pressure to step down from members of his own party over what they see as poor leadership and could face a challenge from within his Labour Party in the coming days or weeks — said he is “not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.”

Starmer says the UK will go further than Australia

The U.K. plans to follow the same model for a social media ban as Australia, which last year became the first country to bar under-16s from holding social media accounts. Platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to exclude children younger than 16 could be punished with multimillion-dollar fines.

The U.K. said its ban will apply to platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, but not YouTube Kids or messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal. Starmer stressed that enforcement action will target tech companies, not children.

He said the move was a “big moment for our country,” adding that he will go further than Australia's measures.

The government will also act to prevent strangers from contacting children on gaming and livestreaming platforms, Starmer said. AI chatbots designed to simulate romantic or sexual relationships with users will be restricted to over-18s only, and authorities are also considering additional measures including overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for those under 18.

More details are expected next month.

Some skepticism over whether a ban will work

The decision follows a public comment period in which the government received 116,000 responses from parents, the tech industry and children. More than 90% of respondents wanted an under-16 ban, the government said.

Ellen Roome, a children's online safety campaigner whose son took his own life at 14 years old, welcomed the move. She believes her son died after an online challenge went wrong and has campaigned for legal reforms to give parents access to children’s social media accounts after their death.

“The tech companies, if they wanted to make changes, they could have done that by now. They’ve chosen not to do it,” she said. “We need to come down hard on them. If they’re not going to do it, we need to be very strict.”

But others say research in Australia has shown that age verification is difficult to enforce, and that a blanket ban fails to address a deeper problem — the way social media algorithms push harmful content to young people.

“This is far too easy to work around. It is based on age verification tools that have been shown to be ineffective to date,” said Kate Edwards, head of education at the Molly Rose Foundation, which was set up in memory of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life after being exposed to self-harm content online.

“It does nothing to address the actual problem itself, the harmful algorithms, the harmful content that is existing on those platforms,” Edwards added.

A Meta statement said it shares “the goal of keeping teens safe online," and that it now features teen accounts to automatically limit who can contact them and the content they see.

“Like others, we don’t think bans will achieve this goal,” Meta said, adding that Australia had shown how “bans risk isolating teens from online communities and information.”

Jon Crowcroft, a communications systems professor at the University of Cambridge, said people supporting social bans are well-meaning but probably misguided, and changes could prevent children from accessing sites they need.

“There is a real risk this will drive some users to worse sites, and policing devices is close to impossible technically,” Crowcroft said.

Other critics including the Open Rights Group have expressed concerns about age verification companies and how users’ private data is protected.

U.S. opposes the move

The ban could further inflame tensions with the U.S., which has warned that regulations should be narrow and not violate free speech protections, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in London. It said it was also concerned that regulations would place greater burdens on American technology companies.

Starmer said he expected to discuss the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders at a Group of Seven summit in France that starts Monday.

“I honestly think that across world leaders, there has always been a recognition that leaders have to take steps to protect children,” he said. “I don’t think that’s controversial.”

___

Associated Press writer Jill Lawless contributed to this story.

]]>Kin CheungEmilio MorenattiCarlos JassoCarlos JassoCarlos Jasso<![CDATA[LIVE RADAR: Rainfall rates extreme in some areas with street flooding possible ]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/2026/06/15/live-radar-more-storms-arriving-today-with-street-flooding-possible/https://www.click2houston.com/news/2026/06/15/live-radar-more-storms-arriving-today-with-street-flooding-possible/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:26:01 +0000A cluster of storms is dropping heavy rain across parts of the Houston area on Monday, making the possibility of street flooding likely.

Shortly after noon, some areas had already seen 2-3″ of rain, and KPRC 2 Meteorologist Caroline Brown said those areas could see another 2-3″ before today’s rainfall ends.

Track it all on our live radar:

]]><![CDATA[After deadly Beryl outages, CenterPoint CEO’s pay jumped to $12M]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/04/after-deadly-beryl-outages-centerpoint-ceo's-pay-jumped-to-dollar12m/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/04/after-deadly-beryl-outages-centerpoint-ceo's-pay-jumped-to-dollar12m/Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:55:25 +0000New financial reports reveal that CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells received a 30% raise in the months following Hurricane Beryl.

Lawmakers and electric customers skewered Wells and the utility company for their disastrous response to restoring power after the Category 1 hurricane hit Houston on July 8th, 2024. At least ten people died from heat-related illnesses stemming from prolonged power outages after the storm.

SEE MORE: Houston community members react after KPRC 2’s exclusive interview with CenterPoint CEO

Wells described the power company’s actions as “inexcusable” in a special Senate Committee hearing in Austin after the storm.

“Our response to the impacts of Hurricane Beryl and communications were not acceptable,” said Wells on July 29, 2024. Wells told lawmakers he would not resign because doing so would only delay CenterPoint’s work to improve operations.

Pay Raise Instead of Resignation

New financial reports reveal that CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells received a 30% raise in the months following Hurricane Beryl.
New financial reports reveal that CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells received a 30% raise in the months following Hurricane Beryl.

CenterPoint’s annual proxy statement to its shareholders in March 2026 shows that Jason Wells’ compensation increased to more than $12 million in 2025, up from $9.2 million in 2024.

Part of the raise is performance pay, usually awarded to executives who meet important goals or metrics. CenterPoint failed on two keys metrics: Electric customers experiencing multiple interruptions and customer satisfaction.

On page 49 of the 96-page document, it reads, “Performance was below target for our operational excellence composite goal (which represents at 10% of the plan’s metrics) and below threshold for our customer satisfaction goal (which represents the remaining 10% of the plan’s metrics), which moderated overall achievement.”

Despite those failures, Wells still got the pay raise.

“It’s a huge deal, and it’s even more interesting when you consider that at the very top of their latest proxy report, they said the emphasis is on customer affordability, but their profits are increasing and the compensation is increasing,” said Energy and Policy Institute researcher Krysti Shallenberger.

The watchdog organization has tracked executive compensation of investor-owned utilities across the country since 2017.

  • They found that since 2017, average utility CEO compensation has risen 47 percent.
  • This outpaces inflation, which rose 31 percent from 2017 to 2025, and average wage growth for American workers, which has risen 38 percent in the same span.
  • The Energy and Policy Institute found if you live in the Houston area, 14 Cents of every dollar of your electric bill goes straight to CenterPoint Energy profit.

Tyson Slocum is director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program. He said the profit margins investor-owned utilities are seeing are large compared to the net single digit profit margins in most industries.

“We’re not saying they shouldn’t make money, but is a 14.5% profit margin in 2025 reasonable considering how many Texans are struggling to make ends meet?” Slocum asked.

Profit margins of this scale are high relative to most sectors of the U.S. economy. Companies in most industries typically report net profit margins in the single digits, making the margins reported by many electric utilities comparatively large.

The only people who can change the rates CenterPoint Energy charges ratepayers are the Texas Public Utility Commission. We’ve requested an interview. None of the commissioners has accepted.

CenterPoint Energy Response

When we asked CenterPoint Energy why Wells received such a large increase.

CPE spokesperson Augusto Bernal sent the following statement by email: “None of Jason Wells’ compensation and retirement expenses are borne by CenterPoint Energy’s electric customers in Texas. Those are paid by shareholders. CenterPoint Energy continues to have the lowest average price per kilowatt hour among Texas investor owned utilities in other parts of the state.”

MORE: CenterPoint disputes KPRC 2’s investigation into power outage hot spots

]]>Roger Franco<![CDATA[Portugal fans mixed on whether Ronaldo will help or hurt team’s World Cup chances]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/portugal-fans-mixed-on-whether-ronaldo-will-help-or-hurt-teams-world-cup-chances/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/portugal-fans-mixed-on-whether-ronaldo-will-help-or-hurt-teams-world-cup-chances/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:20:50 +0000It would have been unthinkable at the start of the 2022 World Cup to suggest Cristiano Ronaldo was anything other than the undisputed leader of the Portugal team.

But the Qatar edition went poorly for Portugal’s all-time leading goal scorer. After scoring just once, from the penalty spot, in the group stage, he reacted angrily to being subbed off against South Korea and was promptly dropped to the bench for his team's first knockout-stage match against Switzerland.

Then, he didn’t score at all in the 2024 European Championship. It was the first time he had failed to find the net at a major international tournament.

Now, in the buildup to what may be Ronaldo’s World Cup swan song, concerns over what the 41-year-old can still bring to the national team are at the forefront of many fans’ minds. Portugal opens play Wednesday against Congo DR in Houston.

“I think in some instances they play better without him,” fan Zach Mallias said at the team’s first open World Cup practice at its Florida base camp. “There are other players that fit the system better.”

Other fans are worried about the superstar’s ego and whether he would accept relinquishing the spotlight for the good of the team.

“He’s a very big player, he’s very loved by a lot of his fans,” Beatrice Mitankin said. “It might get to his head.”

There is some recent evidence, however, of Ronaldo still being able to positively influence games. During Portugal’s 2025 UEFA Nations League run, its second title triumph in that competition, he scored eight goals, including an equalizer in the final against Spain.

Ronaldo also recently won his first Saudi Pro League title with Al-Nassr, leading his club with 28 goals on the season.

His abundant experience and leadership are qualities some supporters say cannot be replicated.

“He’s not going to shy away from those moments when it’s the World Cup on the line,” Rob Stickle said. “He’s one of those guys you want kicking the penalty kicks for you, being on the pitch at the end of the game.”

Ronaldo, playing in a record-extending sixth World Cup, is the oldest outfield player in the tournament but still projects as Portugal’s starting striker.

Although his age has repeatedly been called into question, fan Ernesto Vilar pointed to other examples of older players, like Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Croatia’s Luka Modrić, as veterans who still play significant roles for their team.

“Age is just a number,” Vilar said. “He’s still in very peak physical condition.”

His teammates and manager would concur.

Midfielder Vitinha is still in awe over Ronaldo’s physique.

“He’s 41. I’m 26, and I’m not like that,” the Paris Saint-Germain player said through a translator. “It’s something incredible.”

Team manager Roberto Martínez has suggested Ronaldo could even appear at the 2030 World Cup, when he would be 45.

Removed from the conversation about Ronaldo’s production and effectiveness, however, are a group of fans that will always idolize him: young children. Many showed up to watch Portugal practice.

Elizabeth Stiebel, 10, says she admires how Ronaldo has always been there when his team needs a big moment.

And 13-year-old Christian Loureiro, whose favorite Ronaldo moment is his overhead-kick goal against Juventus in 2018 while playing for Real Madrid, agrees the superstar forward is still a steadying voice.

“A lot of young players on this team need an older figure to help guide them,” Loureiro said.

__

Zach Pascuzzi is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

__

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

]]>Marta Lavandier<![CDATA[Braves Hall of Famer Andruw Jones meets fans at U.S. Coins and Jewelry, cheering on native Curacao in World Cup]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/13/braves-hall-of-famer-andruw-jones-meets-fans-at-us-coins-and-jewelry-cheering-on-native-curacao-in-world-cup/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/13/braves-hall-of-famer-andruw-jones-meets-fans-at-us-coins-and-jewelry-cheering-on-native-curacao-in-world-cup/Sat, 13 Jun 2026 15:32:09 +0000Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame center fielder Andruw Jones, a 10-time Gold Glove winner will be inducted into Cooperstown in July.

On Saturday, Jones spent time with fans signing autographs at U.S. Coins and Jewelry.

On Sunday, Jones will be cheering on his native Curaçao -- the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup -- versus powerhouse Germany at Houston Stadium.

Jones, who attended an event with FIFA-licensed collectibles struck in .9999 fine silver on display, is a five-time Major League Baseball all-star selection.

Jones played in his first World Series game at 19 years old, hitting two home runs against the New York Yankees. He hit 434 career home runs, joining Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to hit 400 or more home runs while securing 10 Gold Gloves. He will be inducted into Cooperstown on July 26, 2026.

“Andruw Jones was a force in Major League Baseball for nearly two decades and is a proud Curaçao native,” U.S. Coins and Jewelry co-owner Kenny Duncan Jr. said. “We’re thrilled to host him at U.S. Coins & Jewelry in advance of the match versus Germany. We can’t wait to see his biggest fans on Saturday.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

]]>Aaron Wilson<![CDATA[JD Vance writes of journey to Catholicism in 'Communion,' his first book since 'Hillbilly Elegy']]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/jd-vance-writes-of-journey-to-catholicism-in-communion-his-first-book-since-hillbilly-elegy/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/jd-vance-writes-of-journey-to-catholicism-in-communion-his-first-book-since-hillbilly-elegy/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:00:25 +0000Vice President JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism whose faith has been central to his adult life, writes about his religious journey in a new book that could ultimately serve as a sort of origin story for a future presidential campaign.

“Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith” comes out Tuesday from Harper, and The Associated Press obtained a copy ahead of its release. The HarperCollins imprint also put out “Hillbilly Elegy,” the best-selling memoir from 2016 that helped make Vance a national figure.

Vance has been working on and off on his new book since then, a tumultuous decade that included a Hollywood movie about his youth, a short stint as a U.S. senator from Ohio and now vice president to Donald Trump.

There's not a lot about Trump or other insider stories from Vance's political years, although he does express regret for criticizing the Democratic Party's “childless cat ladies,” a comment that came back to haunt him while Trump's running mate.

Instead, “Communion” serves as a sort of manifesto for the role of religion in public life. Vance writes about transitioning from Protestant Christianity to atheism to Catholicism, and he credits his faith with giving him a sense of purpose he didn’t get through his education at Yale University or working in the financial industry.

The book hits shelves less than five months before the midterm elections that will shape the final two years of Trump's second presidency. The midterms will also mark the unofficial start of the next presidential campaign, in which Vance is expected to be a contender.

Vance recalled ‘fusion’ between religion and politics

Vance wrote how he witnessed “the fusion between Republican politics and the Christianity of my youth.” At that time, Vance wrote, “I heard a fair amount about the evils of abortion and homosexuality,” as well as then-President Bill Clinton's “rumored moral failings.”

Alongside these religious observations, Vance said he felt he was “starting to witness the beginning of a fissure in the Republican Party: between its business elites and its religious rank and file.” That's something, Vance went on, that would “eventually lead to my election as vice president.”

Vance's grandmother — his mamaw, as he calls her — was a central figure in his life, and her death led to an atrophying of his Christianity.

“With her gone, no one really cared about my faith, and soon I stopped caring, too,” he wrote. Christianity became “completely irrelevant" to him, including when he served in Iraq in the Marine Corps.

At the end of his service in 2006, Vance wrote that he “was no longer, in any real sense, a Christian.”

A near-death experience helped shape Vance's faith

Returning to his military base after his grandmother’s funeral, Vance wrote that he lost control of his car on a rain-slicked road, but inexplicably stopped before hurtling into a guardrail and potentially over the side of a mountain.

He said it was “the closest I've ever come to a supernatural experience," and the feeling remained “even during my later years as a strident atheist.”

As his military service wrapped up, a colleague introduced Vance to the work of author Ayn Rand, whose notion of the virtuousness of selfishness stood "in as stark opposition to Christian morality as anything I'd ever read.” This notion appealed to Vance, he wrote, noting that Rand's philosophy “filled a void left by the faith I'd discarded” and that he became a “self-professed atheist and meritocrat.”

“I didn't care about God's will,” he wrote. “I cared about my own.”

‘I will marry this girl’

Immediately struck by his now-wife Usha Vance, the vice president wrote that he told a friend he thought he was “obsessed” with her while they were in law school together. He praised her intensity, intelligence and curiosity.

“I will marry this girl,” he wrote. “Or I will be a lifelong bachelor.”

He also wrote how their discussion about death, sparked by Joan Didion's “The Year of Magical Thinking,” highlighted their different views on the afterlife — she was worried by it and he wasn't, even in his atheist years.

“Usha, like Didion, dreaded neither the ‘loss of heaven' nor 'the pains of hell’ for the most logical of reasons: She simply didn’t think they exist. I came to believe in both, but I still didn’t find either particularly motivating,” he wrote.

Peter Thiel was a turning point

In the midst of this, Vance wrote that he attended a talk by Peter Thiel, a Silicon Valley investor who would become one of Vance's early political backers. He was impressed by Thiel's discussion of hypercompetition among professionals, accompanied by “technological stagnation.”

“Possibly the smartest person I'd ever met, he identified very openly as a Christian," Vance wrote, adding that Thiel “defied the simple social template I had constructed — that dumb people were religious and smart people were atheists.”

‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ Trump and fame

Initially skeptical his first book would be successful, Vance described how an interview he gave in the summer of 2016 about “the sense that the hillbillies had been left behind by the leaders of a country” caught fire, dovetailing with Trump's campaign that year.

“I became a controversial figure in my own right, and I tasted my first bit of heated public criticism," he wrote.

Vance said he was “tempted by the flexibility” of “being a public intellectual," although he would choose a different path.

Vance converted to Catholicism

The future vice president recalled visiting a French cathedral in 2018 with his wife, Usha, and young son, Ewan.

Reflecting on how the Catholic Church had endured over the years, his ambivalence about religion began to fade. He writes that he felt “a distinct sense of belonging and presence.”

He was baptized a year later, writing that he enjoyed the “work” required to become Catholic — readings and discussion.

The vetting process for vice president was intense

Vance wrote that he figured it was a “long shot” for Trump to choose him as vice president.

“When his staff told me I was on the short list, I almost thought it was a prank call," Vance wrote.

He recalled the in-person interview the most fascinating part of the vetting process, which included being asked if he had ever cheated on his wife.

“I haven't, but I assume people who have don't just admit it to a stranger?” he responded.

The transition to the ticket was difficult for his family, he wrote, particularly his eldest child.

He told Charlie Kirk, the young conservative activist who founded Turning Point USA and was assassinated last year, about the struggle.

“Don't try to convince your son it's not a sacrifice,” Kirk said.

Regretting the ‘cat ladies’ comment

Vance's penchant for stirring controversy came up again during the campaign.

Critics resurfaced his 2021 remarks that the Democratic Party was run by “childless cat ladies.”

Vance now concedes that his comment was “boneheaded” and “one of the dumbest things I ever said.”

“Aside from enraging a great number of people,” Vance added, “it had the added benefit of distracting from the actual point I wanted to make, which was that our society is becoming pathologically hostile to having kids.”

Is this Vance's pre-2028 presidential campaign memoir?

The book's release likely serves to ramp up speculation that Vance will seek the presidency in 2028. That's a possibility the Republican vice president has said he’s not focused on right now, indicating he’d wait until after the 2026 midterm elections to decide on a campaign.

Presidential hopefuls often release books before launching a campaign, giving them a moment in the spotlight before new audiences and a chance to crystallize their message before embarking on a campaign.

Already, potential 2028 candidates on the Democratic side have recently published books or will do so soon, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

]]>Matt Rourke<![CDATA[Trump celebrates 80th birthday with an Iran deal and UFC cage fights at the White House]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/14/trump-turns-80-with-a-showstopping-spectacle-of-cage-fights-at-the-white-house-but-big-issues-loom/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/14/trump-turns-80-with-a-showstopping-spectacle-of-cage-fights-at-the-white-house-but-big-issues-loom/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 04:02:07 +0000President Donald Trump marked his 80th birthday on Sunday by hailing an initial agreement to end the war in Iran and staging a once unfathomable cage-fighting show on the White House's storied South Lawn.

Trump had been touting the emerging deal for weeks and the continuing conflict threatened to overshadow the UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza, where combatants inside a wire-mesh Octagon tried to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into submission.

Ahead of the event, however, the president said an agreement to end the conflict “is now complete." He declared that the U.S. will end its blockade of Iran, and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen. Crucial details still need negotiating over the coming weeks, however.

Top administration officials and Republican leaders attended the fights, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Polish President Karol Nawrocki was also at the White House.

It started with Trump and UFC chief Dana White walking together from the Oval Office to the Blue Room Balcony to survey the Octagon, standing for the national anthem as fighter jets thundered overhead.

Thousands of spectators crowded into the temporary arena under “ The Claw,” a spaceship-like metal arch fitted with lights, sound equipment and large screens. Thousands more watched on big screens from the nearby Ellipse.

“This event is a one of one event, incredible event,” said White, a close friend of the president's, during a Friday night hype session at the Lincoln Memorial, where pairs of fighters shoved and scuffled for the cameras under the stoic gaze of Honest Abe’s marble likeness.

Before Sunday's final fight, lightweight fighters Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, who wrapped himself in an American flag, each stepped out of the Oval Office and walked to the Octagon — meaning Trump even ceded his workspace as part of the show.

The American Gaethje then stunned Spanish-Georgian Topuria to win after four rounds that left copious blood on the cage floor. Trump later headed inside the cage to shake hands and watch a fireworks display that launched well after 1 a.m.

That capped a night where many of the winning fighters thanked Trump and God. Heavyweight Josh Hokit took it further with an extraordinary and unfounded attack based on a right-wing conspiracy theory about a former first lady: “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”

Hokit also headed over to Trump and placed a chain around the president's neck.

Rain didn't mar fights

Wearing a suit and tie despite the summer heat, Trump a lot of time was sitting stoned-faced, watching the action through wire-mesh cage. At one point he spoke briefly with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

When American Sean O’Malley fought Canadian Aiemann Zahabi, Trump donned a white USA hat. After O'Malley won, he shook Trump’s hand and saluted the president.

Earlier, as Diego Lopes was defeating American Steve Garcia in the opening fight, the president could be seen speaking to first lady Melania Trump. After Bo Nickal knocked out Kyle Daukaus in the second fight, Nickal went over to Trump and kneeled down, chatting briefly.

“I gotta thank President Trump for making this happen,” Nickal said in a subsequent interview, as Trump grinned. Nickal added that the president is a “special person,” before Trump-favorite “YMCA" played.

The president sought to tie the fights to larger celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But it was so geared toward himself that the G7 summit for leaders of industrialized nations pushed back their get-together so Trump was able to attend his party, then fly to Europe for the meetings.

The weekend wasn't all smiles for Trump, though. Crews pried Trump’s name off the Kennedy Center near the White House after a judge ruled naming it after the president had gone too far. And, before the fight began, UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland — an outspoken critic of Israel — was escorted out of the Ellipse by a crowd of law enforcement officers.

Still, predicted thunderstorms that delayed the UFC event briefly, never produced rain. Trump posted online later, that the weather was “perfect” and, “The White House has never looked more beautiful. The setting was unsurpassed!”

A dramatic departure from how the last president marked his 80th

The crowd repeatedly chanted, “USA! USA!” when an American fighter faced a foreign opponent. Until the finale, that didn’t always help the American fighter prevail. After winning his fight, Brazil's Mauricio Ruffy proposed to his girlfriend who — in Trumpian fashion — flashed a thumb's up from the crowd.

It was all a very long way from when Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, turned 80 in November 2022. Biden celebrated with a private family brunch at the White House, laying bare just how much and how quickly things have changed.

Asked about the contrast, White House spokesperson Allison Schuster in a statement called the UFC event “one of the most entertaining nights in American history.”

When he turned 80, Biden was the oldest president in U.S. history, and was months away from launching a reelection bid that he would ultimately abandon after a disastrous debate against Trump and mutiny among Democrats.

Trump has now supplanted Biden as the oldest person to be elected U.S. president. He’s constitutionally barred from running again, yet constantly toys with the notion. That’s despite polls showing rising public skepticism about Trump’s mental and physical health.

A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted in April found that less than half of U.S. adults think Trump has the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively as president.

The White House countered with a statement from Trump's former White House physician, Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson, saying Trump's “stamina, focus, and strength are exceptional and on display every day." Jackson added that polling concerns were “being propagated by the same biased, liberal, Trump-hating press that completely ignored the absolute cognitive and physical disaster that was President Biden.”

‘Bread and circuses’ — Trump-style

The UFC was an apt metaphor for Trump's pugilistic political style. He is as big a fan of cage-match-style politics as he is of cage-fighting itself.

But Trump has also long been a master of political misdirection, purposely presenting people with something other than his presidency to focus on when things aren’t going well.

With the war in Iran having kept gas prices high and renewing concerns about inflation while Trump's job approval ratings fall, a White House birthday party unlike anything America has ever seen can certainly qualify as a diversion.

“This is all distraction,” said Mike Fontaine, a classics professor at Cornell University, who likened it to the gladiatorial games of Imperial Rome, when combatants brutalized each other for public entertainment meant to bolster rulers’ popularity and quell potential unrest.

“This is a classic strategy," Fontaine said. “In ancient Rome, the phrase would be, ‘bread and circuses.’”

Trump says the UFC is paying for the event and while its full costs haven't been divulged, the National Park Service said in a court filing that $60-plus million and tens of thousands of hours of labor went into it, while seven government agencies have “allocated significant resources and manpower.”

UFC also announced that it was adding as an official partner for the event World Liberty Financial to create a special $250,000 athlete bonus pool for Sunday night’s winners. The cryptocurrency company is co-owned by the Trump family, founded with the president’s special diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff and run by his son, Zach.

The arrangement further blurs lines between the Trump family's financial interests and the events and construction projects the president has prioritized and used government resources to pull off.

Still, Fontaine said that when it comes to a personal flair for pageantry, the president’s second-term tendency to lean into “hardcore masculinity and brute fighting” is marrying the UFC's blood sport with Trump's trademark humor and enduring sense of showmanship.

“President Trump has a once-in-a-generation talent for this stuff,” he said.

___

Associated Press writer Fatima Hussein contributed to this report.

]]>Saul LoebAlex BrandonMark SchiefelbeinAlex BrandonAlex Brandon<![CDATA[Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud’s foundation sponsors kids to attend church camp: ‘A real heart for people’]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/12/texans-quarterback-cj-strouds-foundation-sponsors-kids-to-attend-church-camp-a-real-heart-for-people/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/12/texans-quarterback-cj-strouds-foundation-sponsors-kids-to-attend-church-camp-a-real-heart-for-people/Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:01:10 +0000When Texans team chaplain Mikado Hinson invited Vaughaligan Walwyn to speak to the football team, a connection was formed between the Space City Church pastor and star quarterback C.J. Stroud.

The words from Walwyn, a Houston native and former long jumper at Rice University known as Pastor Von Won, deeply resonated with Stroud. The former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year attended a chapel service led by Walwyn the night before a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. And Stroud credited the pastor’s words in helping him remain poised as he delivered the game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute of the fourth quarter.

“He was talking about, ‘You gotta get through the mud before you can get to the miracle,’” Stroud said. “That resonated with me. Not only in ball, but just in life. It’s not always perfect, but you know the mud makes you who you are. The mud we have is self-inflicted mud. I feel like that kind of motivates us in a sense. It motivates me.”

And the bond between Stroud and the church continues to this day.

The C.J. Stroud Foundation, run by Stroud’s mother, Kimberly, sponsored 10 kids from Space City Church to attend a church camp in Huntsville this week.

“Authentic, it’s not fake, it’s a real heart for people,” Walwyn told KPRC 2. “Kim, she’s a very kind lady, just a sweet human being. Some people, it’s intimidating to ask for help, but they’re kind, approachable people It’s a beautiful thing.”

Deeply spiritual and open about discussing his faith, Stroud often cites Biblical verses in interviews. That includes Proverbs 3:5-6: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight."

A year ago, Stroud provided financial resources for seven youth -- the same number as his No. 7 jersey -- to attend a church camp in Waxachachie.

“It means the world,” Walwyn told KPRC 2. “For C.J. and his foundation to pay those fees and help us in any capacity, it’s a blessing. It can be a big pressure sometimes and the last thing we want is a parent stressing out. Church camp impacted my life in a huge way.

“Ultimately, it’s a blessing to see the C.J. Stroud Foundation help us. We seek God to work through them and give us the fuel we need for ministry. It’s incredible for people looking at Space City Church for us to be recognized by C.J. and the Texans and to be affiliated with them.”

Walwyn called Stroud a ‘powerful ambassador of Christian faith and values, noting: ‘We’re always looking for a champion. It’s rare that you have an athlete on fire talking about Jesus."

The children posted a video on social saying in unison: ‘Thank you C.J. Stroud Foundation!"

“We wanted to send C.J. and his mom, Kimberly, a big thank you,” Walwyn said. “For them to acknowledge us, we thank them a million times. Hopefully, this gives them some gratitude.”

A musician who has collaborated with Paul Wall and Scar Face on an album “Grace Still Abides,” Walwyn was invited to preach to the team by Hinson.

During his sermon, Walwyn related difficult times he faced in the past.

On social media after his sermon, Hinson wrote to Walwyn: “My brother, thank you for pouring the Truth into our guys.”

To be at NRG Stadium and speak to the team and meet the coaching staff was a significant moment for Walwyn.

“It was very humbling,” Walwyn said. “Just me being a sports guy growing up, to see DeMeco Ryans, it meant so much. C.J. sat close to the front of the room with pen and paper out taking notes. It was great to see. When I was done, they gave me high-fives and told me I did a great job.

“I was just hoping they got the win the next day. Mikado said C.J. just gave you a shoutout. For me as a pastor in the city, I appreciate the recognition. There is no better co-sign as a Christian and most men honor football, especially in Texas, than to hear that from the star quarterback.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

]]>Space City Church<![CDATA[Must See Classic flag football game between Steven Sims Jr., Tremon Smith: ‘Going to be a great time’]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/12/must-see-classic-flag-football-game-between-steven-sims-jr-tremon-smith-going-to-be-a-great-time/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/12/must-see-classic-flag-football-game-between-steven-sims-jr-tremon-smith-going-to-be-a-great-time/Fri, 12 Jun 2026 22:00:58 +0000NFL wide receiver and Travis graduate Steven Sims Jr. has a fun Saturday afternoon planned.

A co-ed flag football game vs. Texans cornerback Tremon Smith is set for Edward Mercer Stadium in Sugar Land: the Must See Classic.

Among those scheduled to attend: Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson and Texans running back British Brooks along with Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat.

The event benefits the Must See Foundation at mustseefoundation.org .

“A couple of my NFL friends are coming out some community influencers, maybe some special guest celebrities, it’s going to be a great community event for the kids,” Sims told KPRC 2. “This is going to be a great time.”

The proceeds benefit players’ youth football camps, including Sims’ annual youth football camp July 25 at Travis High School.

“It’s been great to be a blessing to the kids and pass on my knowledge of the game,” Sims said. “This should be fun. Me vs. Tremon, it’s gonna be a showdown.”

Sims played for the Texans in 2023 and 2024, returning a punt 67 yards for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC divisional round playoff game.

A free agent, Sims has also played for the Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sims has drawn interest from NFL teams and is planning his next move.

“I don’t really care about the noise,” Sims said. “I take it one day at a time, go to work, put my hard hat on and everything else will handle itself. I haven’t hung up the cleats yet.”

At Travis, Sims was a standout who earned a scholarship to Kansas. He played wide receiver and returned kicks and had 214 career reception for 2,582 yards and 19 touchdowns.

In the NFL, Sims has 78 career catches for 704 yards and five touchdowns.

His most satisfying moments in football: playing high school football.

“It was just for the love of the game,” Sims said. “Those are really the glory days I think back all the time on those moments.

“Playing for the Texans, it was just a blessing. Playing for my hometown team and being here, it meant a lot to me. I feel like it was cut short, bu you never know what’s next.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

]]>Aaron Wilson<![CDATA[How Texans new QBs coach Jerry Schuplinski impacts C.J. Stroud, how team has ‘already seen’ leap from him]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/13/how-texans-new-qbs-coach-jerry-schuplinski-impacts-cj-stroud-how-team-has-already-seen-leap-from-him/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/13/how-texans-new-qbs-coach-jerry-schuplinski-impacts-cj-stroud-how-team-has-already-seen-leap-from-him/Sat, 13 Jun 2026 15:15:57 +0000Standing next to C.J. Stroud, Texans new quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski huddled with him between throws.

As Stroud heads into his fourth NFL season and second season in offensive coordinator Nick Caley’s system, the collaboration between Schuplinski and the quarterback is one of the keys to the season.

The Texans and quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson mutually parted ways this offseason, shifting Schuplinski from senior offensive assistant-pass game specialist to running the quarterback room.

What Schuplinski has already seen from Stroud is encouraging to him in terms of his conditioning, understanding of the offense and how he’s orchestrating the offense.

“He’s been really steady,” Schuplinski said as the Texans wrapped up their offseason with a three-day minicamp. “Doing a really good job of everything we asked him to do. Coming with a great attitude, he looks good, he looks lean. Really worked hard on his body. He’s been putting in the extra time, you can tell on his own. The operation looks really good.

“The huddle command, getting the play calls out, getting to make sure we’re operating the line of scrimmage correctly. Shifts, motions, all that kind of stuff. And then he’s been taking all the stuff pre-snap to the field and then doing a good job post-snap, too. Seeing coverages, getting the ball out on time and playing pretty well.”

The roots of Jerry Schuplinski run through familiar ground for a Texans employee with a background with the New England Patriots and John Carroll University.

Schuplinski, 49, was hired last year and works hand in hand with offensive coordinator Nick Caley, a former Patriots colleague who also attended John Carroll, a Division III football powerhouse.

He was once the assistant quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots working with legend Tom Brady, winning Super Bowls on the Bill Belichick staff.

Now, Schuplinski is coaching Stroud. Stroud, who’s coming off a rough postseason with five interceptions and five lost fumbles, has heavily praised Schuplinski.

“Jerry is amazing,” Stroud said.“He’s somebody who is very vocal, challenging. He’s very old school. He reminds me of a long-lost uncle, just how he approaches how he coaches. I think he’s done a great job of challenging us to push other guys and also push ourselves to be great.”

Stroud is 3-3 all-time in the playoffs and 28-18 in the regular season in three NFL seasons. He reduced his interceptions from 12 interceptions in 2024 to eight interceptions during the regular season this past year, finishing with 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was sacked a career-low 23 times during the regular season.

Stroud led the Texans to a 10-game winning streak, seven wins by him, three by backup Davis Mills. The Texans are seeing Stroud take ownership of the offense and expect a leap from him as he has gained a comfort level in the Caley playbook, which has a lot of the elements of Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense. And Stroud has a significant voice in everything the Texans do as an offense.

“Everything we probably do is geared towards him, whether it be from a protection standpoint, the plays we’re going to run, downfield shots, quick throws,” Schuplinski said. “But we do a good job of installing our stuff and then we try to do a good job of listening to all those guys too because they’ve got the ball in their hands and they see some things or, more importantly, feel some things out there that we might not. So there’s some adjustments that get made and all that. And he’s got valuable input.”

The Texans don’t just anticipate a jump from Stroud this season. They believe it’s already obvious.

“I think we’ve already seen it,” Schuplinski said. “The big thing we talked about as an offense in general was operation and building our foundation. There was probably a lot of issues we had last year, just getting the ball on the scrimmage, hurrying up to get the play off. And so the big thing we’ve pushed on all of our offenses, getting the huddle right, getting the play call in, getting the play called, breaking the huddle fast.

“Using the shifts, being able to use the motion and still have plenty of time to operate and also use cadence with that. So, that’s the big emphasis we put on everybody. They’ve done a nice job of it. Now we’ll just try to carry it over to training camp.”

The Texans extended tight end Dalton Schultz on a one-year, $12.6 million deal. And they signed Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins to an upgraded contract that adds $17 million in raises over the next two years with a $27 million signing bonus

Stroud definitely appreciates the reinforcements, and the financial commitment to the offense.

“I think we’ve taken a huge step from where we were last year to where we are now,” Stroud said. “Even in practice, we’re competing. We’ve got guys that want to play ball, want to do the right things, who have been here. I think the culture is starting to pick up on offense and we’re starting to get it together.”

Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins is seeing encouraging signs from Stroud. He sees a big season unfolding.

For his career, the former second overall pick, consensus All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist from Ohio State has completed 63.8 percent of his throws for 10,876 yards, 62 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.

“Different guy, different dude, man on a mission,” Collins told KPRC 2 during his annual youth football camp. “Man, he’s ready to hunt.”

Running back Woody Marks sees a similar approach from Stroud.

“Yeah, he’s been there since March 2, since we started the offseason workout, he’s been grinding,” Marks said. “Just seeing the quarterback, the leader of the team out there working in the offseason, not working somewhere else, putting in work at where he belongs at and that’s in Houston.

“He’s been doing a tremendous job. He got bigger and stronger. His times when we were running outside, he’s getting faster. I’d say he should be using his legs a lot this year, too.”

The Texans like the background and knowledge of Schuplinski, who has previously worked for the Los Angeles Rams for Sean McVay along with Caley, and with the Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants.

“Jerry has done a great job, as well, with the communication with C.J., all those guys,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I’m pleased where we are right now with our quarterback position.”

Texans general manager Nick Caserio is a record-setting JCU quarterback alum. Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross and director of pro personnel and former Patriots scout D.J. Debick also attended John Carroll.

Texans quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski
Texans quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski

He coached for the Patriots for six seasons, first joining the Belichick staff in 2013.

Schuplinski is a former high school football coach, math teacher and athletic director at Trinity High School in Garfield Heights, Ohio in the Cleveland area.

At John Carroll, Schuplinski was a fullback and teammates with Caserio and McDaniels. He earned bachelor’s and masters degree in business administration from John Carroll where he began his coaching career as a running backs and special teams coach.

Before coaching Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett with the Patriots and Daniel Jones with the Giants, Schuplinski built his coaching acumen at his alma mater, which has also produced Hall of Fame coach Don Shula and Hall of Fame linebacker London Fletcher.

John Carroll is where it all started for Schuplinski.

“I was proud to go there, my parents were proud that I graduated from there,” Schuplinski said. “It’s a great school. I’m honored for my time there. We probably had a lot of like-minded guys that just really loved football and tried to get a good education in the same respect. And when you get a lot of those people together and you kind of have the same similarities in terms of your personality, your love of the game and all that stuff, it just kind of keeps growing.

“That whole pipeline started way before I got there. I just happen to be lucky enough to be a part of that. When you get hired or someone hires you for that role, it’s basically like you don’t want to be the one to screw it up. So, you’re pulling weight for not just yourself but for everyone else.”

The relationship between Caley and Schuplinski doesn’t go back quite as far as it does with Schuplinski and Caserio.

They’ve built a strong friendship that started off a bit bumpy.

“I’ve gotten to know Nick really well, I consider him a great friend of mine and someone that I’m very fortunate to work with,” Schuplinski said. “The first time meeting him, he’ll kill me when I tell you this. We ran into each other on the road recruiting when I was working at a small school. He was working at a bigger school. I felt like he kind of big-timed me right there. He’ll tell you he didn’t, but I think he did.

“When he started working in New England, he took over a lot of my responsibilities at the time. So, I was glad to dump that stuff on his desk and say, Go ahead, buddy. Just seeing how he’s grown, developed, he’s such a special guy. He’s got such a great knack of bringing everyone together with him and uniting people.He’s got great command. He’s great at building relationships. He’s great at communicating with guys, and he’s just really grown as a coach.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

]]>Aaron Wilson<![CDATA[Flood watch extended through Thursday for all of SE Texas]]>https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2026/06/15/houstons-rain-timeline-tracking-waves-of-downpours-monday-that-may-lead-to-street-flooding-clone/https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2026/06/15/houstons-rain-timeline-tracking-waves-of-downpours-monday-that-may-lead-to-street-flooding-clone/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:46:51 +0000Track Live Radar: A flash flood warning for parts of the College Station area has now expired. However, we are now watching a flood advisory for parts of Grimes, Texas.

We’re under a flood watch until Thursday, 7 a.m. As we watch and track rain and thunderstorms throughout the day. Most areas will pick up 2 to 3 inches of rain, but there could be some locally higher totals near 8 inches over the next couple of days.

Putting the areas that you see in red at a moderate flood risk as we track the next round of rain today.

Tracking a higher flood risk for areas in red
Tracking a higher flood risk for areas in red

TIMELINE:

  • Isolated rain in the morning (rain for a select few but not all)
  • Picking up around 11 am on the west and north side (rain for some, not all)
  • Shifting more to the northern areas by dinner time with heavier rounds of rain.
Through Wednesday
Through Wednesday

You can track the radar here before you leave for work today:

Tracking a line of scattered showers more to the north by 7 am.
Tracking a line of scattered showers more to the north by 7 am.
Tracking a scattered line to the north
Tracking a scattered line to the north
tracking more widespread rain with pops of thunderstorms
tracking more widespread rain with pops of thunderstorms

Moisture headed to southeast Texas:

I’m monitoring a low-pressure system moving through Mexico; it is expected to funnel deep, rich tropical moisture into the area. The low-pressure system currently has a 30% chance of developing into a tropical system, but regardless of development, it will still draw in tropical moisture into southeast Texas at least through the end of the week.

A low chance for tropical development, but a high chance for tropical moisture to reach southeast Texas
A low chance for tropical development, but a high chance for tropical moisture to reach southeast Texas

Monday through Wednesday, the tropical moisture will combine with a slow-moving cold front. That will help bring waves of rain through the middle of the week.

Slow moving front arrives early week
Slow moving front arrives early week

10-day forecast:

Rain and storm chances continue through the late week. By the weekend, southeast Texas dries out, but the heat and humidity will return swiftly.

Showers and thunderstorms through the late week
Showers and thunderstorms through the late week
]]><![CDATA[World Cup racism monitor urges FIFA to remove match official over hand gesture on TV broadcast]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/2026/06/15/world-cup-racism-monitor-urges-fifa-to-remove-match-official-over-hand-gesture-on-tv-broadcast/https://www.click2houston.com/news/2026/06/15/world-cup-racism-monitor-urges-fifa-to-remove-match-official-over-hand-gesture-on-tv-broadcast/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:39:00 +0000FIFA’s discrimination monitor at the World Cup called Monday for a video review official to be removed for appearing to make a hand gesture resembling a white supremacist sign.

When the official broadcast of Germany's opening game against Curaçao on Sunday cut pre-game to show the team of video review analysts, Shaun Evans from Australia made an “OK” symbol with his right hand in front of his right leg. Though the game was played in Houston, video officials work in Dallas at the World Cup broadcast center.

In 2019, the gesture — with thumb and forefinger touched in a circle and other fingers outstretched — was designated a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League.

“Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” said the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and European soccer body UEFA to monitor racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international games.

“Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” Fare said in its statement, describing the gesture as “neo-nazi.”

FIFA was asked for comment.

In Australia, the Professional Football Referees Association and governing body Football Australia were contacted for comment.

It was unclear if Evans, working at his second straight World Cup and his first game at this edition, was making a political gesture or playing a children’s game prank.

The “gotcha” or “circle game” is where someone flashes an upside-down OK sign below their waist and punches in the shoulder anyone who looks at it.

It was appropriated a decade ago as a signal for white supremacy that started as a hoax on the far-right online message board 4chan.

The sign got global attention in March 2019 in New Zealand, after it was made during the first court appearance by the white supremacist shooter who killed 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch.

Later in 2019 when the sign was designated as a hate symbol, Oren Segal, director of the ADL’s Center on Extremism, said context is key to interpreting whether an “OK” symbol is hateful or harmless.

At the time, he said: “There is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add.”

Evans is among 30 video review analysts selected by FIFA to work at the World Cup being played in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?” Fare said. “We note that in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience.”

___

AP Sports Writer John Pye in Brisbane, Australia, contributed to this report

____

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

]]>Michael Wyke<![CDATA[How AAPI adults are being affected by Trump's immigration crackdown, according to a new poll]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/most-aapi-adults-say-the-us-is-no-longer-a-great-country-for-immigrants-new-poll-finds/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/most-aapi-adults-say-the-us-is-no-longer-a-great-country-for-immigrants-new-poll-finds/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 04:10:01 +0000Many Asian American and Pacific Islander adults have experienced or witnessed some degree of upheaval because of the Trump administration's heightened immigration policies, a new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll finds, while most say the U.S. is no longer the land of opportunity for immigrants.

A new poll released Monday from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about half of AAPI adults say they — or someone they know — have been detained or deported within the last year, started carrying proof of immigration status or U.S. citizenship, upended travel plans or significantly changed their routines because of immigration status.

The findings come after more than a year of immigration crackdowns. The poll indicates that the Trump administration’s aggressive approach, which has resulted in multiple clashes between protesters and enforcement officers and led to the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year, may be changing the way some people in immigrant-heavy communities see the U.S. itself.

AAPI adults are one of the country's fastest-growing demographic, and most AAPI adults in the U.S. were born outside the country. The survey found a majority of AAPI adults — about 6 in 10 — believe the U.S. used to be a great country for immigrants but is not anymore. Only about 3 in 10 AAPI adults say America is a great place for immigrants, while a few, 5%, say it was never a great place for immigrants.

At the same time, AAPI adults are more likely than Americans overall to see the mixing of culture and values from around the world as central to the country's identity.

“America’s success story has depended critically on the role of Asian Americans, but also immigrants in general,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data. “When you have people who are already in this country, have been here for decades saying, ‘I’m not really sure that this is the best country anymore,' that’s a warning sign.”

'Better safe than sorry’ approach

Even some immigrants with legal status have been affected by the Trump administration’s policies. One policy that would have hiked fees for certain types of visas was shot down in federal court this month. Another judge struck down a policy that “categorically barred” immigrants from 39 Asian, African, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries from receiving final decisions on asylum, work permit, green card and citizenship applications.

Khoa Tran, 27, of San Antonio, Texas, came to the U.S. from Vietnam in 2015 at age 15. He gained citizenship four years later. In 2023, he sponsored his wife from Vietnam.

Last year, Tran became concerned when his social media feed kept bringing up posts about how essential it was that even legal immigrants carry documentation. It had not occurred to the couple that his wife should have her green card with her at all times.

“It seemed like we needed to do it. It's literally become like a second form of identification in addition to the driver's license,” Tran said.

He has also seen how international students in his community have put off trips to visit family in Asia due to concerns about student visas.

“They're just scared. They don't know the law around that,” Tran said. “Better safe than sorry.”

About half of South Asian adults — compared to about 4 in 10 AAPI adults overall — know someone who started carrying proof of legal status or citizenship over the last year. South Asian adults are much more likely than East Asian or Southeast Asian American adults to have been born outside the U.S., according to the survey. Many of those immigrants may have green cards or be naturalized citizens, Ramakrishnan said, yet feel “like their presence and their status in this country is under question.”

Cultural identity matters as much as American identity

AAPI adults are likelier to say their family's ancestry or country of origin is “extremely” or “very” important to their personal identity, compared to being an American.

Just over half of AAPI adults say their family's ancestry or country of origin is important to who they are, while 44% say this about their American identity. That extends to AAPI adults who were born in the U.S. About 6 in 10, 59%, U.S.-born AAPI adults say their family's heritage is important to their personal identity, while 47% say this about being an American.

A separate AP-NORC survey conducted in April found that 55% of U.S. adults say being an American is important to who they are, while only 37% said that about their family's ancestry.

Abigail Jeyaraj, 22, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, was born in Texas. Her Indian parents' decision to build a new life in the U.S. is something she never takes for granted. When she describes her nationality, she identifies herself as not just “American” but South Asian American.

“Especially as a South Asian woman, I'm very sensitive to the fact that I have opportunities that my mother and my grandmother, all the women before that didn't," Jeyaraj said. "I really try to honor that culture. I try to maintain really strong connections to my family in India.”

Soonho Kwon, 30, of La Mirada, California, was born in Korea. His family settled in New Jersey when he was 8 years old.

"I think I still feel more Korean. I came right around the age where I had very solid memories from growing up in Korea. My immediate family’s back there now,” Kwon said. “I’m a naturalized citizen. I’m committed to living here, but identity is a different question.”

Ambivalence around America's 250th anniversary

The vast majority, 73%, of AAPI adults say the mixing of cultures and values from around the world is “extremely” or “very” important to the U.S.'s identity as a nation, compared to only 55% of U.S. adults in the April AP-NORC poll.

Jeyaraj grew up around Dallas and Houston — cities where she was “able to interact with people of so many different races and different cultures that weren’t my own.” She credits that experience with making her more empathetic.

Restrictions on immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives leave her feeling conflicted about celebrating the country's 250th anniversary this year.

“I'm proud we made it this far as a country,” Jeyaraj said. “You have recent actors who are trying to undo that progress. They maybe view it as restoring an ideal, but it’s removing so much work that powerful and influential people made to bring us toward an ideal of equality and justice.”

The anniversary feels arbitrary to Tran, a math teacher.

“I don't think this country is ‘founded’ at some point in time. It just changes from one form to another,” Tran said. “Even the Native Americans (were) a long time here. I'm pretty sure that was more than 250 years.”

___

The poll of 1,075 U.S. adults who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders was conducted April 20-28, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel, designed to be representative of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. This poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, which are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.

]]>Erin HooleyWilfredo Lee<![CDATA[Newscast Producer]]>https://www.click2houston.com/careers/2026/06/15/newscast-producer/https://www.click2houston.com/careers/2026/06/15/newscast-producer/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:22:06 +0000Join KPRC 2, the Graham Media Group-owned NBC station in Houston and be part of a forward-thinking team dedicated to redefining the news landscape. As a Newscast Producer, you’ll have the opportunity to bring your passion for news, dedication to high-quality journalism, and innovative spirit to our newsroom. If you’re ready to take your creative talents to the next level and play a pivotal role in connecting our community with the news that matters, we invite you to apply.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Newscast Producer at Graham Media Group will be at the helm of evolving news content for our diverse audience. This creative role involves overseeing all major aspects of newscasts, including story development, writing, and coordination between field crews, fellow producers, content center staff, video editors, the digital team, and directors. This position aims to break out from the traditional newscast mold, focusing on crafting creative, memorable newscasts that resonate with our community.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Develop original content ideas that cater to the interests and needs of our consumers, ensuring alignment across all platforms.
  • Showcase our team outside of the studio, identifying engaging storytelling opportunities within the community to strengthen connections with viewers.
  • Create moments for on-air talent to share their expertise and community connections, utilizing process language to provide clarity and transparency.
  • Utilize modern and clean graphics to enhance storytelling, removing any distractions that may detract from the content.
  • Maintain consistent communication with team members to ensure a seamless news delivery process.
  • Oversee newscast preparation, including writing for on-air products and creating graphics.
  • Produce breaking news and weather cut-ins as needed and generate content for our website and digital platforms.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

  • Prior years’ experience as a producer in a television news operation.
  • Strong writing, proofreading, and critical thinking skills to quickly ascertain the impact of a story.
  • Ability to work in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment, managing deadline pressures and frequent changes.
  • Demonstrated ability to break out of the traditional newscast mold, with a passion for exploring innovative production and distribution methods.
  • Extensive knowledge of television news production techniques, with experience in line producing and confidence in a control room environment.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across work groups.
  • A visionary in the use of graphics and video to tell stories, understanding the importance of aligning content with consumer needs and platform strengths.
  • Must embrace a multi-platform approach to news.
  • Willingness to work flexible hours, including mornings, nights, and weekends.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Proficiency with newsroom and digital content systems.
  • A college degree in journalism or broadcasting.

Location: KPRC 2

8181 Southwest Freeway, Houston, Texas 77074

To apply: Please submit your updated resume and application to:

Karen Araiza, Manager of Content and Coverage at karaiza@kprc.com

Mike Wortham, PM Executive Producer at Mwortham@kprc.com

Click HERE to download and complete employment application.

Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications, and reference checks. You must hold a valid driver’s license and be insurable under Texas Law.

No Phone Calls Please

KPRC 2 is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition to complying with the requirements of federal law, KPRC 2 will comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination.

]]><![CDATA[Congo reports large daily jump in Ebola cases a month after outbreak was declared]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/congo-reports-a-record-daily-increase-in-ebola-cases-a-month-after-outbreak-was-declared/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/congo-reports-a-record-daily-increase-in-ebola-cases-a-month-after-outbreak-was-declared/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:50:49 +0000Congolese authorities have reported one of the highest daily increases in Ebola cases in a month-old outbreak as the virus spreads quickly in a remote region whose shifting population challenges efforts to find those exposed.

Congo’s Ministry of Health on Sunday said 72 new cases were reported in a 24-hour period, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 782. Those include 181 confirmed deaths, with 29 new ones.

“One month on, the Ebola disease outbreak is outpacing the response effort,” Kate White, emergency medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Congo, said Monday. “No one knows the true scale or exactly where the disease is spreading in Congo.”

The medical charity said treatment centers in the epicenter of the outbreak are overwhelmed, many patients arrive in advanced stages of illness and most were not identified as contacts of infected people before seeking care.

Congo's health ministry said that while the numbers show the outbreak is spreading rapidly, it also reflects more active surveillance. “Community members are reporting suspected cases, and response teams are investigating them,” it said on X.

The number of cases in what could become history’s worst Ebola outbreak is believed to be higher because the outbreak was confirmed on May 15, weeks after it is suspected to have begun.

The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which was not tested for in the early days. The more common Zaire virus, which now has a vaccine, was responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

The outbreak is concentrated in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, which accounts for more than 90% of the cases. Cases have also been recorded in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces and have spread across the border to Uganda.

Congo said the contact tracing coverage rate is 56%, a sharp decrease from last week, as authorities hurry to find people who may have been exposed.

There was no immediate explanation for the drop. Congolese health authorities previously said contact tracing has been hampered by community resistance in some areas and by the rapid expansion of the outbreak into new health zones, increasing the workload for surveillance teams.

Nearly a million people have been displaced by years of conflict in Ituri, according to the U.N. humanitarian office, making contact tracing difficult as people flee attacks or move frequently in the vast province with dense forests, poor roads and remote villages that can take days to reach.

Tracing is also difficult among the thousands of miners who regularly move among remote sites in the mineral-rich region.

The health ministry said Sunday 40 people have recovered since the start of the outbreak, and the current fatality rate of the outbreak is 23%.

Life goes on, including nightlife, as the population adjusts.

The World Health Organization said Sunday it is intensifying testing and contact tracing and treatment. Tons of supplies from the WHO have arrived in Congo.

And Africa’s top health body said it is deploying technical expertise and supporting laboratory systems, case finding and community engagement efforts to accelerate the response.

“We remain committed to supporting affected countries until transmission is stopped. We call on partners and donors to urgently mobilize resources to strengthen the response and save lives,” said the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jean Kaseya.

___

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.

]]>Moses SawasawaMoses Sawasawa<![CDATA[Hours before FIFA World Cup debut in Houston, Curaçao earns Guinness World Record]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/hours-before-fifa-world-cup-debut-in-houston-curacao-earns-guinness-world-record/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/hours-before-fifa-world-cup-debut-in-houston-curacao-earns-guinness-world-record/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:05:44 +0000Curaçao has officially been recognized by Guinness World Records as the smallest nation ever to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, marking a historic milestone just days before its tournament debut on Sunday.

The Caribbean island, with a population of roughly 150,000 people, secured its place in World Cup history after completing a remarkable qualifying campaign and punching its ticket to the expanded 2026 tournament.

Guinness World Records confirmed the achievement, recognizing Curaçao as the smallest country — by—population—ever to qualify for a men’s FIFA World Cup.

The honor comes as the team prepares to make its first-ever World Cup appearance, turning years of development in the nation’s soccer program into a global breakthrough moment.

Curaçao’s qualification surpassed Iceland’s previous record, which had stood since the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when the island nation became the smallest country to ever reach the tournament at that time.

The team’s qualification run included a decisive draw against Jamaica in CONCACAF play, sealing its place among the 2026 World Cup field and sparking celebrations across the island.

Much of Curaçao’s squad features a blend of locally developed talent and Dutch-born players with Curaçaoan heritage, a factor that has helped elevate the nation onto the world stage.

Curaçao will now prepare for its World Cup debut, entering a group stage that places the nation against established international powers as it steps into the biggest tournament in soccer.

by—population—ever

]]><![CDATA[U.S. Supreme Court rejects Texas death row inmate’s appeal challenging hypnosis testimony]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/06/15/us-supreme-court-rejects-texas-death-row-inmates-appeal-challenging-hypnosis-testimony/https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/06/15/us-supreme-court-rejects-texas-death-row-inmates-appeal-challenging-hypnosis-testimony/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:53:34 +0000The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected Texas death row inmate Charles Flores’ efforts to force the state’s highest criminal court to reconsider his appeal.

The Supreme Court denied the petition without comment.

Flores argued that his 1999 conviction should be overturned under the Texas “junk science” law because testimony from a key witness was improperly influenced by hypnosis performed by a police officer who was investigating the murder of 64-year-old Elizabeth “Betty” Black in Dallas County.

The Texas junk science law permits inmates to challenge convictions that relied on outdated or disproven scientific procedures or practices.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had declined to review Flores’ junk science claims, saying he failed to meet the state law’s requirement that new evidence be previously unavailable, among other standards. The Supreme Court rejected Flores’ request to order the Texas court to reconsider the appeal.

Jill Barganier, one of Black’s neighbors, saw two men enter Black’s house the morning of the murder. Hoping to improve her recollection, Barganier asked investigators to place her under hypnosis. Alfredo Roen Serna, a Farmers Branch police officer, complied despite having never before performed hypnosis, Flores told the Supreme Court.

Before the hypnosis session, Barganier told police both men entering Black’s house were white and had short hair. According to the petition, Flores, a Hispanic man, had long hair at the time of the crime.

In addition, Barganier did not identify Flores in a photo lineup. It was only when Barganier took the witness stand that she identified Flores as one of the two suspects.

A law passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023 said evidence gathered through “investigative hypnosis performed by a law enforcement agency” was inadmissible in court.

In 2016, the Court of Criminal Appeals granted Flores a stay of execution due to questions raised about Barganier’s hypnosis, but the attempt to overturn the conviction based on the junk science law was ultimately unsuccessful.

Flores’ lawyer, Gretchen Sween, said his conviction “rests on the kind of testimony that is now barred from use in Texas courtrooms.” 

“The new science around memory tells us that the initial tests of an eyewitness’s memory are the only reliable ones — not the tainted testimony of a witness who has been hypnotized and makes an identification 13 months after a crime has occurred in this case,” Sween said in a statement. 

“For too long, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has imposed arbitrary, unexplained barriers, denying death-sentenced prisoners with credible innocence claims, like Charles Flores, a chance to even get inside a courthouse to present their evidence of innocence before being executed,” she said. 

Sween said she will continue to “pursue every available means to prove Mr. Flores’s innocence.”

“All he wants is a fair trial untainted by patently unreliable testimony and official misconduct,” she said.

]]>Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune<![CDATA[UFC brings its trademark mayhem to the White House as President Trump celebrates 80th birthday]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/14/donald-trump-turns-80-and-celebrates-with-ufc-cage-fighting-on-the-white-house-lawn/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/14/donald-trump-turns-80-and-celebrates-with-ufc-cage-fighting-on-the-white-house-lawn/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 14:23:21 +0000President Donald Trump emerged from the Oval Office first, then fighters from around the globe followed straight into the fight cage, in part for the president’s 80th birthday celebration and to bring a sport long on the fringe of mainstream acceptance into a main event on the White House South Lawn.

For a president who revels in winners, Trump had to enjoy crowning two champions on a big fight night staged closer to the Rose Garden than Madison Square Garden in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250.

American lightweight Justin Gaethje capped his unification championship victory in the main event over Ilia Topuria with a backflip off the top of the cage. He crouched near Trump for a celebratory chat and the betting underdog draped the American flag over one shoulder — and the 155-pound title belt over another. Trump later stepped into the cage to congratulate Gaethje.

“Hey, I'm from America, 250 years ago we were way more than 6-1 underdogs,” Gaethje said. “I know that was absolutely legendary because I cannot even believe it.”

Topuria and Gaethje made their walkouts from the Oval Office as fireworks exploded overhead during Bruce Buffer’s introductions. Gaethje — who appeared to skim the copy of the Declaration of Independence on his way out — mustered some scattered “USA!” chants against the Spanish-Georgian Topuria, though not even the main event could stop the trend of mostly quiet fights.

It took the gory sight of a bloodied Topuria — his back to Trump in a white “USA” hat as he peered through the wire-mesh cage — nearly having the fight waved off to get a “let them fight!” chant going. The fight continued, and the 37-year-old Gaethje won eventually via corner stoppage in the fourth round.

“Hard work, baby,” Gaethje said. “I am made for these moments. This sport is made for me.”

Earlier, Ciryl Gane hammered Alex Pereira with a series of elbows and fists to the head and won via TKO in 1:27 of the second round to claim the interim heavyweight belt for a second time and set up a rematch with heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall.

Like the bulk of the fighters who had their hands raised in victory, Gane thanked Trump.

The White House was a most improbable all-American setting for a fight promotion that long ago shed the “human cockfighting” tag and decades later became entwined with the emboldened right-wing “ manosphere ” that soaks up UFC fights and threw its support behind Trump in two elections.

Trump and UFC boss Dana White, the tempestuous tag-team that rallied the fight company to the nation's capital, walked from the Oval Office to the Blue Room Balcony to chants of “USA! USA!” to kick off the fight card jacked up by a dose of high-octane patriotism on a blustery night for cage fighting.

This was no Easter egg roll.

UFC ramped up the patriotism for White House debut

The Marine Band jazzed up the festivities and played fighter entrance music in front of the White House and Zac Brown sang the national anthem — never performed before normal UFC fight cards because of the mix of nationalities fighting inside the Octagon. The Navy’s Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds zipped overhead as part of a flyover to celebrate Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.

The 4,000-plus fans — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison among them — on the South Lawn who sat under the claw, the flying saucer-like, open-air structure that housed the cage, mostly sat on their hands until the fighters used theirs to deliver punishing blows and a true fighting spirit that got everyone on their feet.

Bo Nickal delivered the red, white and boom when the three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Penn State earned the TKO win over middleweight Kyle Daukaus and immediately bolted the Octagon for a cage-side chat with Trump. Nickal met Trump in 2019 during a ceremony at the White House for collegiate national champions.

The first blight of the night for Trump came when American heavyweight Derrick Lewis lost his fight after he got a personal invitation from the president. Trump proclaimed himself a fan of Lewis and his unconventional celebrations and asked White to add him to the card. Josh Hokit instead improved to 10-0 when he flattened Lewis by TKO.

Sean O'Malley celebrated his walk-off KO win with a salute, and Mauricio Ruffy and Diego Lopes won their fights earlier in the night.

“That was sexy,” O'Malley said to cheers. “I felt the energy in here. I truly felt the energy in here.”

UFC says it's only running one card at the White House

More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor were poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn, and the looming threat of rain that threw White into a tizzy each time a miserable forecast was raised never materialized over the early portions of the card.

The constant headaches over the weather, the site and the cost — UFC said it was footing the $60 million tab — made the Freedom 250 a one-time show.

“It will never happen again,” White said. “I can't afford it. I'll never do the Sphere again and we'll never do this again.”

White said he and Trump discussed the possibility of holding a “fight for the troops card” at an unspecified site at some point next season.

“He wanted it this year,” White said. “I said, ‘Sir, I need a year to recover financially for the White House fight, so give me a year.’”

Fight night came hours after the United States and Iran reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months after the war began.

The rare UFC outdoors event marked the pinnacle of the relationship between White and Trump that has yielded personal, political and financial dividends for both parties. White's first card as UFC president came in 2001 at an event held at Trump Taj Mahal.

Trump attended fights throughout the decades from New York to New Jersey to Florida while White introduced Trump at two Republican National Conventions.

Trump got a home game for this one, making the short walk from the Oval Office to the Octagon, much like the fighters who made the walk down West Wing halls covered with presidential portraits and were flanked by first responders and medal of honor recipients, among other individuals who served.

Strickland causes trouble at the fan zone at the Ellipse

Thousands more outside the White House lawn watched the fights on big screens from the nearby Ellipse, though not everyone was able to get tickets.

Even one of UFC's champions.

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted out of the Ellipse event by a group of police officers.

U.S. Park Police said in a statement that Strickland’s presence drew enough attention from attendees that it resulted in disorder. He wasn’t cited or arrested, they said. Instead, he was taken to his hotel and told not to come back to the venue.

___

AP MMA: https://apnews.com/hub/mixed-martial-arts

]]>Saul LoebAlex BrandonAlex BrandonJacquelyn MartinAlex BrandonAlex Brandon<![CDATA[The Knicks made a championship run that will be remembered in New York and in NBA history]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/the-knicks-made-a-championship-run-that-will-be-remembered-in-new-york-and-in-nba-history/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/the-knicks-made-a-championship-run-that-will-be-remembered-in-new-york-and-in-nba-history/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 05:53:54 +0000By the time Jalen Brunson and the Knicks returned home, it was as easy to find something orange around New York as at Halloween.

The city was caught up in this championship run for nearly two months and the party will last at least a few days more, with the Knicks' first parade through New York — they didn't have one in 1970 or '73 — scheduled for Thursday.

The team will be remembered long after the confetti is picked up off the streets of Broadway — and not only in New York.

The 2025-26 Knicks have a place in NBA history.

Their postseason performance is in the discussion for the best in the 80-year history of the league, a run of routs and then comebacks for their first championship since 1973.

“What a run!” former President Barack Obama wrote in a tweet congratulating coach Mike Brown, Brunson and the rest of the Knicks.

One that was arguably as good even as any of Obama's beloved Bulls.

The Knicks finished 16-3, an .842 winning percentage that matched the 2024 Boston Celtics for the second best since the format switched to best-of-seven series in all rounds beginning in 2003. The 2017 Golden State Warriors finished 16-1.

The Los Angeles Lakers went 15-1 in 2001 and the Philadelphia 76ers finished 12-1 in 1983. Five teams finished a postseason with two losses.

The Knicks won 13 consecutive games at one point, second only to the Warriors' 15 in a row in 2017. They set records by winning nine straight on the road and outscoring their postseason opponents by 283 points.

They were still midway through the NBA Finals when rapper Fat Joe, one of the Knicks' orange-and-blue dressed celebrity fans, came to Brown's news conference and said what the team had spent weeks making clear.

“Let’s just wait until it’s over, but right now you analyze the numbers, we might be looking at the greatest team ever, like if you analyze the numbers,” he said.

And when things stopped coming easily, the Knicks set records for the other ways they won. Their comeback from a 29-point deficit in Game 4 was the biggest rally in an NBA Finals game since detailed play-by-play began in 1997, and the Knicks capped it off by coming from 16 down in the clincher.

Add it up, and the Knicks can make a compelling case for the most dominant postseason ever.

“It's absolutely one of the greatest ever," said Mike Breen, who calls Knicks games on MSG Network during the regular season and has been ABC's lead announcer for the NBA Finals since 2006.

"It's impossible for me to rank it, but when you take into account the point differential, the nine straight road wins, clinching all four series on the road, the two losses by one point, the two record-setting comebacks, it's in the conversation as the best ever.”

Two of the Knicks' losses were by one point to Atlanta in the first round. The other was by four points in Game 3 against the Spurs, leaving them six points from a perfect postseason.

On the other side, they won clinching games by 51, 30 and 37 points in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Knicks were never going to care about how they won, just that they did. Before the playoffs started, All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns summed up the pressure the players faced in trying to get back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 by saying: “At the end of the day we’ll be judged by what we do in this run.”

They will be judged well — historically well.

“We went through a lot this season, a lot of ups and downs, but we just stayed with it,” forward OG Anunoby said. “We’re resilient, mentally tough and we won.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

]]>Darren AbateDarren AbateRoss D. FranklinRoss D. Franklin<![CDATA[Foundations are emphasizing their community services to counter narratives of fraud and partisanship]]>https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/foundations-are-emphasizing-their-community-services-to-counter-narratives-of-fraud-and-partisanship/https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/15/foundations-are-emphasizing-their-community-services-to-counter-narratives-of-fraud-and-partisanship/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:37 +0000A nationwide network of charitable foundations is encouraging its members to emphasize their positive contributions to American life, a 250th anniversary campaign aimed at quelling what it calls the “greater intensity" of scrutiny felt from the federal government and populist movements.

Popular notions of philanthropy as merely a game for the ultrawealthy to fund partisan projects and commit fraud have left the sector vulnerable to political attacks, as the Council on Foundations sees it, influencing policies that hamper essential community services. The advocacy group, which represents about 1,000 nonprofits, hopes to overcome what CEO Kathleen Enright calls the sector’s “perception gap” with its “Generosity Builds” campaign, launched Monday.

Enright believes most Americans don’t recognize their reliance on the charitable sector. Just about 1 in 20 adults said they or anyone in their immediate family received nonprofit services in the past year, according to a 2023 Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy report.

“This week, I got an MRI at Georgetown University Hospital, I participated in my church at St. Columba's, my daughter was inducted into National Junior Honor Society. Four or five nonprofits have been instrumental in my life this week," she said. “Folks just aren’t putting that tag on it.”

And that tag is growing increasingly important, Enright said. Last year, negotiations over President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill included proposals to levy new taxes on private foundations that Enright said would have taken resources from communities if they made it into the final law.

The battle over defining what nonprofits actually do has recently been amplified from the highest rungs of the Trump administration, which has upended decades of partnerships built with nonprofits. Trump froze, cut or threatened a sweeping range of social service grants characterized by the White House as “government largesse that's often riddled with corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse." More recently, the Department of Justice charged the Southern Poverty Law Center — a civil rights nonprofit accused by Republicans of targeting conservatives in its work tracking extremists — with defrauding donors through payments to informants.

Vice President JD Vance described the Ford Foundation, the Gates Foundation and the Harvard University endowment as “cancers on American society" back as a 2021 U.S. Senate candidate, telling Tucker Carlson that “we are actively subsidizing the people who are destroying this country and they call it a charity.”

“All across our country, we have nonprofits — big foundations — that are effectively social-justice hedge funds," he said in a talk that year on “woke capital.”

Narratives about nonprofits being “overly politicized” or wasteful are “extreme minority stories" that don't reflect how philanthropy operates, according to Enright.

Across many surveys, trust in the nonprofit sector has remained higher than most others. But its impact is sometimes difficult to measure and explain. The sector hasn't faced an environment this challenging in almost six decades, according to Kathryn Thomas, the vice president of communications for the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in Flint, Michigan.

She cited the congressional effort to increases taxes on foundations' investment incomes and acknowledged the Trump administration's federal funding cuts.

“In an era when everything is under partisan attack and there's so much polarization, we really have to do a better job of emphasizing why we exist,” Thomas said.

Enright said the story of philanthropy is not one where a rich person “saves the day.” She sees growing concerns about billionaires' influence fueling suspicion about philanthropists' motivations. Some argue the charitable sector allows moneyed interests to decide how tax dollars are spent rather than elected officials.

The campaign will emphasize that most donors “have just a little bit more than they need and therefore want to give back,” she said, especially at the local level.

“Money does not solve problems. It’s a tool that creative people and institutions inside communities use to solve problems,” she said. "The real heroes of most of these stories are nonprofit leaders, religious leaders, civic leaders who just roll up their sleeves and get something done — but do it with some financial underpinning by charitable foundations.”

That's the story told by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation in Sarasota, Florida. A 10-apartment affordable housing complex for military veterans opened last year with the foundation's support.

The area has an “embarrassingly high” number of veterans without housing, according to Jon Thaxton, the foundation's director of policy and advocacy. Many are priced out in Sarasota, increasingly a luxury destination with high real estate prices.

Local donors had been trying to build a similar project when they approached the foundation in 2020 for help. Thaxton secured land already vested for affordable housing, corralled $2.2 million in donations, got $800,000 from the city and won the backing of their U.S. representatives.

The foundation's leaders believe their track record made that possible. Phillip Lanham, the president and CEO, noted the project was completed across multiple election cycles and a pandemic, suggesting that community foundations are well situated to “play the long game.”

“Most people think that foundations like us deal with money and donors. We really don't. We deal with relationships and trust,” Thaxton said. “That's our commodity. That's what we earn. That's what we save. And that's what we contribute back to the community.”

The Council on Foundations will also elevate examples of early, ordinary philanthropists as part of its case for philanthropy as an integral “part of the American story.” Enright credited a formerly enslaved man with donating land in North Carolina that became an African Methodist Episcopal church that endures as a pillar of the local community.

Lillian Kuri, the president and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation, welcomed the focus on everyday philanthropists. The Cleveland Foundation is considered the first community foundation, established in 1914 by lawyer Frederick Harris Goff as a way to fund durable change in the city.

The foundation aims to find new ways to expand today's tent of philanthropists dedicated to improving their surrounding areas. It announced new investments this week in a fund dedicated to turn vacant industrial land into job-ready work sites. They've also launched a fund that allows donors to invest in major Northeast Ohio companies, supporting local business growth while that money increases into a sizable amount that can be donated to nonprofits.

“Generosity cuts across everybody,” she said, adding that community foundations offer “a way for everyday people — not just the largest, wealthiest people — to participate in the change they want to see in their communities."

___

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

]]>Erin HooleyJacquelyn Martin<![CDATA[Kids who spend 3+ hours a day on social media more likely to experiment with drugs, study finds]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/study-early-heavy-social-media-use-linked-to-higher-odds-of-alcohol-tobacco-and-cannabis-experimentation-in-teens/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/study-early-heavy-social-media-use-linked-to-higher-odds-of-alcohol-tobacco-and-cannabis-experimentation-in-teens/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:00:01 +0000A new study suggests children who begin using social media at a younger age and spend more time on it may be more likely to experiment with alcohol, tobacco and cannabis during adolescence.

The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, followed more than 7,100 children from ages 9 to 11 through ages 13 to 16 as part of the ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Researchers tracked social media use over several years and examined whether it was associated with substance use experimentation later in adolescence.

Researchers identified four patterns of social media use, ranging from little or no use to early-onset, rapidly increasing use. Teens in the highest-use group had significantly greater odds of experimenting with alcohol, nicotine and cannabis compared to those with little or no social media use.

According to the study, adolescents in the early-onset, rapidly increasing social media group had nearly 17 times the odds of trying cannabis and about 14 times the odds of experimenting with nicotine products compared to their peers with little or no social media use. The highest-use group was generally associated with social media use of three hours or more per day.

Researchers cautioned that the findings do not prove social media causes substance use. However, the study found a strong association even after accounting for factors such as age, sex, race, household income, parental education, mental health symptoms and other screen time.

The authors said the results highlight the importance of helping children develop healthy digital habits during early adolescence.

“These findings underscore the need for public health strategies that support healthier digital habits during early adolescence,” the researchers wrote.

Health experts have increasingly raised concerns about the effects of excessive social media use on young people. Previous research has linked higher social media use to increased symptoms of depression, attention problems and other mental health challenges among adolescents.

]]>Rick Rycroft<![CDATA[Lawmakers fight to stop the Trump administration's dismantling of a $386M ocean observatory project]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/lawmakers-fight-to-stop-the-trump-administrations-dismantling-of-a-386m-ocean-observatory-project/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/lawmakers-fight-to-stop-the-trump-administrations-dismantling-of-a-386m-ocean-observatory-project/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:49:17 +0000A group of Democratic senators and one Republican, as well as two Democratic House committees, sent letters Monday to the National Science Foundation asking it to reverse course on its plan to dismantle a sprawling ocean monitoring network, with House lawmakers going further and accusing the agency of acting illegally.

The Ocean Observatories Initiative is a network of more than 900 ocean sensors built at a cost of $386 million. Over the last decade it has tracked ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, climate change and extreme weather, producing data freely available to the public and informing more than 500 scientific publications. The project was slated to run another 15 to 20 years.

The National Science Foundation had directed the removal of most of the system’s instruments from waters off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland by 2027 — a decision scientists said came with no warning and no scientific review. The independent federal agency, which was established by Congress, described the move not as a cancellation but as a “descoping” aligned with a strategy to prioritize “evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies.” The Trump administration’s proposed 2026 budget had included a 55% cut to the agency.

‘Supreme stupidity’

“It just seems like this is supreme stupidity and a violation of the fundamental distribution of powers in our Constitution,” Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon told The Associated Press. “This program is authorized, it’s funded, and for the administration to shut it down without direction from Congress violates that vision in which the people’s representatives decide what’s done and funded, and the executive branch executes that vision.”

Merkley and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska co-led the letter, which was also signed by Democratic Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Ron Wyden of Oregon. It urged the National Science Foundation, or NSF, to halt the dismantling of the Ocean Observatories Initiative and conduct a thorough review, including consultation with the marine science community, before any further action is taken.

“Eliminating most of this complex ocean monitoring system threatens the safety of our coastal communities while undermining our nation’s ability to monitor coastal environments, marine currents, and extreme weather events,” the senators wrote.

In a sharper rebuke, Democrats from the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee sent a joint letter demanding the agency “cease this expensive, destructive, and — crucially — illegal action at once.” The letter was led by Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrats on their respective committees, and was signed by 23 Democratic members from each panel.

In a June 3 statement, the NSF said its decision drew in part on a 2025 National Academies report on the future of ocean science. “NSF remains committed to ocean science and will continue working with the scientific community on high-priority research objectives,” it wrote.

Cuts seen as sign of broader retreat

The ocean observatory cuts are part of a broader retreat from environmental and climate-related science under President Donald Trump's Republican administration, which has moved to scale back research programs, reduce staffing at agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, and ease emissions regulations.

Federal appropriations law requires the NSF to notify the House and Senate Appropriations Committees at least 30 days in advance of any planned decommissioning of agency-owned facilities or assets valued at more than $2.5 million. The House letter said no such notification had been transmitted.

Merkley said he learned of the dismantling through news reports.

“It was like the alarm bells just went off,” he said. “None of us knew about this, and there didn’t appear to have been any consultation or any scientific commission or stakeholders that were leading to this.”

Merkley said his office is still confirming whether formal notification was given, but he added: “If there was no notification, this would appear to be illegal.”

He and Murkowski planned to file legislation Monday that would prohibit the NSF from spending federal funds to decommission instruments until a thorough review has been completed.

Pulling buoy off Oregon coast

Scientists are scheduled to begin pulling the first buoy off the Oregon coast on Tuesday.

In their letter, the senators cited the approaching El Niño — a periodic Pacific warming that disrupts weather patterns and supercharges marine heat waves — as evidence the cuts are particularly ill timed.

“The loss of this deep-water observation system would threaten our ability to prepare for and monitor future El Niño events,” they wrote, warning coastal communities, fishermen and emergency responders would be left without crucial information.

“Instead of paying for the valuable insights that can be gleaned from the 10-years-and-counting continuous monitoring, taxpayers are now paying for research vessels to span the ocean dredging up hundreds of pieces of instrumentation. This is pathetic,” the House letter states. “In a time of strained resources, the NSF is wasting time and money to destroy its own scientific infrastructure.”

___

Follow Annika Hammerschlag on Instagram: @ahammergram.

___

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.

]]>Véronique LacapraDarlene Trew Crist<![CDATA[CenterPoint Energy prepares crews, resources ahead of heavy rain, storms across Greater Houston]]>https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2026/06/15/centerpoint-energy-prepares-crews-resources-ahead-of-heavy-rain-storms-across-greater-houston/https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2026/06/15/centerpoint-energy-prepares-crews-resources-ahead-of-heavy-rain-storms-across-greater-houston/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:35:26 +0000CenterPoint Energy says it is preparing to respond to potential power outages and weather-related impacts as heavy rain, thunderstorms and possible flooding move into the Greater Houston area this week.

According to the National Weather Service, the region could see between 2 and 5 inches of rain through midweek, with isolated areas receiving as much as 6 to 8 inches. Forecasters are also warning of thunderstorms, gusty winds and localized flooding through early Wednesday.

In response, CenterPoint said it is pre-staging crews, contractors and equipment across the area to support restoration efforts if outages occur.

“Our CenterPoint team is taking action to support our customers ahead of expected rain and storms, including continuing to monitor conditions and staging crews and equipment to restore power safely and as quickly as possible,” said Jason Fabre, CenterPoint’s vice president of special response and incident commander. “We encourage all of our customers across the Greater Houston area to prepare and stay safe in anticipation of quickly changing weather conditions.”

How CenterPoint is preparing

CenterPoint said its storm preparedness efforts include:

Pre-positioning frontline workers, contractors and equipment to support restoration efforts.

Monitoring weather conditions around the clock through its meteorology team.

Providing safety and preparedness information to customers through phone calls, emails, text messages and social media.

Coordinating with local officials and emergency management partners on response efforts.

Power Alert Service and outage tracking

CenterPoint is encouraging customers to enroll in its Power Alert Service to receive outage notifications, estimated restoration times and updates through phone calls, texts or email., and updates via phone calls, texts,

Customers can also monitor outages through CenterPoint’s online Outage Tracker, which provides outage and restoration information by county, city and ZIP code in both English and Spanish.

Safety tips for residents

CenterPoint urges residents to make emergency preparations before severe weather arrives, especially those who rely on electricity for life-sustaining medical equipment.

The company recommends having an emergency plan in place, monitoring weather forecasts and keeping devices charged in case of power outages.

Officials also remind drivers to avoid flooded roadways and follow guidance from local emergency management agencies as weather conditions change.

CenterPoint said it will continue monitoring conditions and adjust its response efforts as needed throughout the storm system.

]]>Roger Franco<![CDATA[A diamond, a whale bone and lots of letters: What's inside the America 250 time capsule]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/a-diamond-a-whale-bone-and-lots-of-letters-whats-inside-the-america-250-time-capsule/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/15/a-diamond-a-whale-bone-and-lots-of-letters-whats-inside-the-america-250-time-capsule/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:34:31 +0000Paper, the traditional gift for marking a couple’s first year of marriage, also is a great choice for 250th anniversaries — especially when filling a time capsule celebrating American independence.

The 2016 law creating the nonpartisan America250 commission mandated that a time capsule be buried in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, and dug up 250 years later in 2276. Last week, the resulting 900-pound cylinder was sealed shut, capping years of technical design and construction, collaboration with states and meticulous review of collected items.

“Once it was closed, it was a little bit anti-climactic, and then it was kind of really emotional,” said Michael Berilla, who directs the fabrication technology office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and led the team that designed and built the capsule.

Designed to stay dry

Berilla’s office, part of the Department of Commerce, has built encasements to protect historical documents in the past, but those tend to be stored indoors under carefully controlled conditions. With time capsules, the number one enemy is water, so much of the design work focused on how to keep it out.

The stainless steel capsule is shaped like a cylinder, not the typical box, because square edges tend to crack and break. It will be covered with a secondary cylinder that will trap air and push out any approaching water, and the capsule itself is rimmed with a soft metal that compresses under pressure.

“When you smash it shut with the lid, that metal goes into all the cracks and spaces and makes an airtight, watertight seal,” Berilla said.

The items inside were at 35% relative humidity. That's moist enough to ensure they won’t dry out and disintegrate, but dry enough that they won’t create moisture problems. The capsule will be buried 10 feet below ground, safe from temperature fluctuations or storm damage, Berilla said.

“Philadelphia would have to be six feet underwater in order for this time capsule to even possibly take on water,” he said. “And if Philly is six feet underwater, you’ve got way bigger problems in the world.”

Filled with diversity

Inside the capsule are contributions from the three branches of the federal government, many of the ongoing America 250 events and programs, and all 50 states, the five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Most contents are in small archival boxes, while paper documents are in a separate compartment. According to a list posted on the America250 website Monday, archival quality paper was a particularly popular choice, with states submitting hundreds of letters, postcards, posters, poems and other printed material.

In a nod to its past, New Hampshire submitted a brochure featuring a timeline of major events in the state’s Revolutionary War history. California looked to the future, including the answer it got when it asked an AI ChatBot, “Write me a prediction of what California will be like 250 years from July 4, 2026.” Highways will be gone, grizzly bears will be back, and the entire state will secede and join Oregon, Washington and British Columbia to form the “Pacific Federation.”

Some states went all out. Utah sent 100 cards featuring historical citizens, 13 coins, eight documents, eight pins, two granite disks and a booklet. Arizona used nano-etching technology to put the full text of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution on a stainless steel coin. Other submissions were more bare bones, literally. Maine’s submission included a bone from the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Arkansas sent a diamond.

The variety was fascinating, said Tom Medema, a retired National Park Service official and project manager for the time capsule.

“I’m glad there wasn’t really a prescription for it,” he said. “I know that was hard for them, but in the end, it was just up to them to represent themselves.”

Anything that might degrade or metals that would rust over time was forbidden: Maryland’s submission of Old Bay seasoning was rejected, while Native American beaded artwork backed by elk hide was resubmitted on a fabric background.

Some of the items reflect dark historical times, Medema said, as well as the nation’s current challenges. But an air of optimism still surrounded the project.

“There’s great hope in what this capsule represents and the messages that are put in it,” he said. “Something about this capsule has been truly uplifting for everyone who’s been involved in it.”

Looking back and ahead

This isn’t the first national time capsule tied to the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

A “Century Safe" filled in 1876 was opened by President Gerald Ford in 1976. That year in turn saw the creation of an official Bicentennial time capsule, which is stored at the National Archives and will be opened in 2076. And there’s another time capsule in the works that will be housed at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.

To ensure the America 250 capsule is found in 2276, the National Park Service has included details about it in its succession plans to be passed down through time. A capstone with information about it will cover the spot where it's buried.

Berilla, who helped build the capsule, said when he thinks back to what America was like 250 years ago, he thinks about resilience.

“And when I think forward to the future, I hope that’s what they see from us,” he said. “That, yes, we had it hard compared to them, but more importantly, we were diverse. We were interesting. We were creative. We worked together.”

The capsule contains a photo of his team and a letter he wrote on their behalf.

“Greetings from the living, breathing hearts and hands of 2026,” Berilla wrote. “We will have long since returned to dust, but our devotion, pride, and unwavering hope for what our world could become are alive right here inside this steel. We built this for you.”

]]>Matt RourkeMatt Rourke<![CDATA[Colorado's Deion Sanders weighs in on wagering as gambling scandal ripples through college football]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/colorados-deion-sanders-weighs-in-on-wagering-as-gambling-scandal-ripples-through-college-football/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/colorados-deion-sanders-weighs-in-on-wagering-as-gambling-scandal-ripples-through-college-football/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:25:09 +0000Nobody has lived on the edge of the risk-reward nature of sports more than Deion Sanders over the years.

One place the Colorado coach won’t go — gambling on the college game, the likes of which has generated a scandal inside the very conference his team resides. Wagering has jumped to the forefront of college football as Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby won a court order early last week that restored his eligibility and set aside a ban by the NCAA for betting on pro and college sports. Colorado plays Big 12 rival Texas Tech on Oct. 3 as part of homecoming festivities.

“Somebody’s gambling on a sport they’re playing? You don’t think something’s wrong with that?” Sanders said in a recent interview with The Associated Press and before the latest court ruling with Sorsby. “Just say that to yourself: This guy on my team is gambling on the sport, in the competition, that we’re about to go out there and have. Something’s wrong that.”

Sanders has plenty of thoughts on refining the game in this day and age of the volatile transfer portal and lucrative name, image and likeness deals. His takes include a salary cap in an effort to even the NIL playing field, hiring a retired coach as commissioner (a Nick Saban type ), instituting some sort of an age limit, expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams and, of course, a hard pass when it comes to betting (he's talked to his squad about this topic).

“The game is still the game,” Sanders said. “The game is just positioned differently. Money’s involved, and any time money’s involved people tend to migrate to what they think they can get out of it, instead of what they could put into it — and that’s unfortunate.”

Bladder cancer diagnosis

A year ago, Sanders was going through treatment for bladder cancer, which included having a section of his intestine reconstructed to function as a bladder. This being Men’s Health Month, he's working with Depend underwear to encourage regular checkups (and launching a program titled “Depend Wake Up Calls” that allows consumers to receive video messages from Sanders through June).

Earlier this spring, Sanders stepped away from the team for a few days as he dealt with blood clots. But he said he's “feeling great. I've got my old swagger back.”

Along with it, a new outlook, which includes actually taking vacation time. Sanders recently partnered on a beachfront property in St. Croix with his son, Shedeur, who's entering his second season as a quarterback with the Cleveland Browns.

“I never would’ve done that, because I don’t go anywhere,” the 58-year-old Sanders said. “I'm stepping out, just living life.”

Sanders missed football camps last summer in Boulder as he went through cancer treatments. The Buffaloes finished with a 3-9 mark a year after making a bowl game behind Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

This offseason, a more hands-on version of Deion Sanders.

“I have everybody in that locker room because we said we want them,” he said. “Because I sat there and watched tape on them and said, ‘That’s who I want, that’s what I want. Let’s go get them.’”

The new landscape of college football

Sanders found it funny that his heavy reliance on the transfer portal once drew so many raised eyebrows.

“Now, everybody’s doing the same thing that I did,” he said. “But it was crazy back then, right?”

He's seen and heard the plans from conferences — and the legislation proposals from lawmakers — on how to adapt college football in this new landscape. It’s a lot to untangle, which is why he advocates for an authoritative figure to help oversee the sport.

“A guy like Coach Saban and some of the other coaches that have walked away from the game not because they can’t coach anymore but because they were fed up with how things are operating,” he said.

Sanders also would be in favor of implementing a salary cap (see: NFL).

“So you can really have a consistency with the game,” Sanders said. “The thing about the pro game, everybody gets to spend the same amount of money. It’s who is crafty in regard to business. College football isn't like that. You may have a team that's spent $40 million playing against a team who spent $10 million. You darn well know the outcome in that game.”

That leads him to his next point — a potential age cap.

“You can’t have a 30-year-old man playing against a 21-year old man and think it’s fair,” he said. “Should be a transfer rule as well. You’re teaching kids not to fight through adversity when you're having kids able to transfer two or three or four times.”

As for NIL, he momentarily pondered if anything might have been different for him had a similar system been in place when he was at Florida State.

“It probably wouldn’t have (changed),” said Sanders, a college and pro football hall of famer. “I've had a pretty good run. I’m still running, too — still high stepping. I’m probably in the third quarter of this game (of life) and we’re winning. We’re up by about 21. I’m loving life.”

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

]]>Kirk Irwin<![CDATA[2 Newsletter: Street flooding possible in Houston today. Here’s when storms are expected to hit]]>https://www.click2houston.com/meta/newsletter/2026/06/15/2-newsletter-street-flooding-possible-in-houston-today-heres-when-storms-are-expected-to-hit/https://www.click2houston.com/meta/newsletter/2026/06/15/2-newsletter-street-flooding-possible-in-houston-today-heres-when-storms-are-expected-to-hit/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:07:00 +0000Good morning friends!💃🏽.

I know we have been enjoying some soccer this weekend, but if you’re in Houston for the FIFA World Cup or just in Houston, you may want to pack an umbrella.

According to our meteorologists, rain is expected today, with flash flood watches and warnings in effect in most counties through Wednesday.

Some areas are expected to see two to three inches of rain, and some could see up to eight over the next couple of days.

To read more, click here.

➡️ Love our morning newsletter? Share it with your family and friends!

YOUR MORNING FORECAST ☀️

TODAY:84° TONIGHT: 78°

KPRC 2 Meteorologist says:

“We’re under a flood watch until Wednesday, 7 a.m. We are watching and tracking rain and thunderstorms throughout the day. Most areas will pick up 2 to 3 inches of rain, but there could be some locally higher totals near 8 inches over the next couple of days. Putting the areas that you see in red at a moderate flood risk as we track the next round of rain today.”

Get your forecast details here.

TOP STORIES

LIVE RADAR: More storms arriving today with street flooding possible

See when rain will hit your area with our live radar.

FIFA Fan Fest to close Monday as Houston faces forecasted thunderstorms

FIFA Fan Festival Houston will be closed Monday, June 15, due to anticipated severe weather and guidance from public safety officials, organizers announced Sunday evening.

The closure comes after weather repeatedly disrupted activities at the festival on Sunday, when organizers temporarily cleared the grounds twice because of lightning in the area.

A tentative deal is reached to end the Iran war and Trump orders a stop to the US naval blockade

The United States and Iran reached an initial agreement early Monday to open the Strait of Hormuz and further extend a shaky ceasefire in the Iran war, potentially allowing desperately needed oil and natural gas to reach the global market.

Details of the deal were not immediately released and Iran signaled implementation would not start until the signing, which key mediator Pakistan said would occur Friday in Switzerland. It could provide a way to end a war that killed thousands across the Middle East, including the top leaders of Iran’s theocracy, and sparked a historic energy crisis.

ARE YOU A KPRC 2 INSIDER? HERE’S SOME EXCLUSIVES

Houston survival guide for FIFA Fan Festival

CLICK2PINS: SHOW US WHAT YA GOT 📷

See a news story in your neighborhood? Capture a great weather moment? Just want to share a photo of your pet? Send your photos and videos to Click2Pins, and you may see them on air and online!

Sign up for our morning newsletter and Start Here, Houston!
Sign up for our morning newsletter and Start Here, Houston!
]]><![CDATA[2 Newsletter: FIFA World Cup is here. Houston, are you ready? ]]>https://www.click2houston.com/meta/newsletter/2026/06/12/2-newsletter-fifa-world-cup-is-here-houston-are-you-ready/https://www.click2houston.com/meta/newsletter/2026/06/12/2-newsletter-fifa-world-cup-is-here-houston-are-you-ready/Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:21:49 +0000Good morning friends!💃🏽.

Soccer fans, are you with me? Thursday marked the first day of the FIFA World Cup games and the opening of the Houston Fan Fest. Although Houston doesn’t have its first game until Sunday, fans still gathered at the fan fest to watch the first match, Mexico v. South Africa.

If you would like to catch some games this weekend, you can check out our full FIFA Fan Fest guide.

To read more, click here.

➡️ Love our morning newsletter? Share it with your family and friends!

YOUR MORNING FORECAST ☀️

TODAY:94° TONIGHT: 78°

KPRC 2 Meteorologist says:

“Another warm, humid start on Friday. Waking up to temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s. By the afternoon, the heat and humidity make it feel like the triple digits. We are back in a typical June pattern! We’re hot and humid with afternoon highs feeling like 100 degrees. Every day, there will be a chance for a quick afternoon downpour, but by Sunday, rain chances become widespread as tropical moisture marches into southeast Texas.”

Get your forecast details here.

TOP STORIES

FIFA World Cup turned NRG Stadium into ‘Houston Stadium’: Here’s a sneak peek inside

The countdown is on for the FIFA World Cup 2026, and Houston Stadium is nearly ready to welcome fans from around the world.

Media members were given a first look inside the venue this week, offering a glimpse of the transformation underway as Houston prepares to host seven World Cup matches over the next month. The stadium has undergone several changes to meet FIFA’s standards, including the installation of a natural grass playing surface, replacing the artificial turf typically used at the venue.

Exclusive look inside Houston Stadium, which is the venue hosting the FIFA World Cup games here in Houston
Exclusive look inside Houston Stadium, which is the venue hosting the FIFA World Cup games here in Houston
Exclusive look inside Houston Stadium, which is the venue hosting the FIFA World Cup games here in Houston
Exclusive look inside Houston Stadium, which is the venue hosting the FIFA World Cup games here in Houston

Houston-area World Cup 2026 watch parties, events across the city

Houston is gearing up for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a slate of watch parties and fan events across the city, offering free screenings, family activities, food vendors and themed entertainment.

FIFA World Cup 2026 in Houston: Complete guide to matches, parking, Fan Fest, transportation and more

For one month this summer, Houston will be among the cities hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 with seven matches at Houston Stadium (also known as NRG Stadium) and welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the globe.

Whether you’re planning to attend a match, visit the FIFA Fan Festival, host out-of-town guests or simply navigate the city during the tournament, here’s what Houstonians need to know.

ARE YOU A KPRC 2 INSIDER? HERE’S SOME EXCLUSIVES

Houston survival guide for FIFA Fan Festival

CLICK2PINS: SHOW US WHAT YA GOT 📷

See a news story in your neighborhood? Capture a great weather moment? Just want to share a photo of your pet? Send your photos and videos to Click2Pins, and you may see them on air and online!

Sign up for our morning newsletter and Start Here, Houston!
Sign up for our morning newsletter and Start Here, Houston!
]]>Charlie Riedel<![CDATA[Passenger killed, driver injured after vehicle crashes into tree, catches fire on Memorial Drive]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/passenger-killed-driver-injured-after-vehicle-crashes-into-tree-catches-fire-on-memorial-drive/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/passenger-killed-driver-injured-after-vehicle-crashes-into-tree-catches-fire-on-memorial-drive/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:09:39 +0000A passenger was killed, and a driver was critically injured after a vehicle crashed into a tree and caught fire along Memorial Drive Monday morning, according to Houston police.

The crash happened around 12:38 a.m. when a white sedan was traveling eastbound on Memorial Drive. Investigators said the driver lost control of the vehicle, left the roadway, and struck a tree.

The impact caused the vehicle to catch fire.

Houston Fire Department crews responded to the scene, extinguished the flames, and transported the driver to an area hospital in critical condition.

A passenger in the vehicle died at the scene.

Authorities said the victims are believed to be one male and one female, though their identities have not been released.

Due to the extensive fire damage, investigators have not been able to determine the make or model of the vehicle.

]]><![CDATA[Texas stopped funding gambling addiction programs years ago. A surprising donor is helping fill the void.]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/06/15/texas-stopped-funding-gambling-addiction-programs-years-ago-a-surprising-donor-is-helping-fill-the-void/https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/06/15/texas-stopped-funding-gambling-addiction-programs-years-ago-a-surprising-donor-is-helping-fill-the-void/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000Working to create the Texas Lottery in 1991, state lawmakers ran into concerns that government-sponsored gaming would tempt Texans prone to compulsive or problem gambling.

In response, lawmakers devoted $2 million a year to a state-run “compulsive gambling program” to identify and treat problem gamblers.

In its first two years, the program funded treatment for about 760 people with addictive gambling behavior and produced two influential studies of Texans’ gambling behavior.

That was the heyday of the state’s gambling addiction response.

In 1996, the Legislature cut funding by more than 80%, leaving enough money to continue a problem gambling hotline that handled thousands of calls a year. Money for the hotline was cut off in 2004 when lawmakers dissolved the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

The state law creating the compulsive gambling program was removed in 2009, only to be revived six years later when lawmakers updated health and human services statutes. The defunct program remains on the books, though with no state money allocated — despite indications from industry professionals that gambling addiction is a growing problem in Texas and the U.S.

“For all those years, thousands and thousands and thousands of Texans have been suffering,” said Carol Ann Maner, chair of the Texas Coalition on Problem Gambling, the state’s leading organization aimed at treating compulsive gambling.

Texas is among only seven states that do not fund assistance for problem gamblers, treatment experts say.

Maner and her coalition hope to step into the Texas void with help from an unexpected source: Las Vegas Sands, one of the world’s largest casino companies that has long sought to expand operations into Texas.

Sands gave $100,000 to the Texas Coalition on Problem Gambling in April to increase the number of trained therapists to treat gambling addiction. The coalition also hopes to convince lawmakers to create a state certification program for therapists, social workers and nurses to help compulsive gamblers, Maner said.

The coalition also hopes to start a Texas-specific hotline, she said.

“Their donation will make many of those programs possible,” Maner said.

Clinicians can qualify for an international certification after taking courses and passing an exam, but it is not attuned to Texans’ specific needs, Maner said. Six internationally certified gambling counselors operate in Texas, including Maner, up from three in 2025, according to the coalition.

The new push to address gambling addiction comes as researchers and clinicians warn of an emerging health crisis — particularly among young adults — fueled by a deluge of online betting opportunities in prediction markets, daily fantasy sports and offshore sportsbooks.

“Our kids and our young adults are in a really tough place right now because they just can’t get away from it. It’s nonstop,” said Linda Uphoff, a licensed counselor associate who runs a gambling clinic focused on minors and young adults in Dallas. “It’s the sports ads. It’s just everywhere. Like I said, it just pops up on your phone without you asking.”

Although Texas has some of the nation’s most restrictive gambling laws, there are more ways than ever to make wagers legally, illegally and in between. Those offerings, most of them unregulated, present opportunities to engage in problematic gambling habits, Uphoff said.

More than half of U.S. men ages 18 to 49 have an active account with a sportsbook, allowing them to wager on anything from game outcomes to who will hit the next home run, according to a Siena Institute study. A Common Sense Media study in January found that more than a third of U.S. boys ages 11 to 17 had already gambled in some way, including online sports betting.

Uphoff said specialized training for clinicians is paramount for gambling disorder, which is often more elusive — and potentially more dangerous — than others. Those with diagnosable gambling disorder have an increased risk of suicide that is comparable to depression, a 2025 study found.

“They call this the hidden addiction for a reason, because most of the time we don’t notice it until it’s usually in crisis,” Uphoff said. “There’s no smells, there’s no stumbling of words, there’s no paraphernalia to find. Kids are just doing it.”

Conversations about gambling addiction in Texas swelled after Brendan Sorsby, quarterback for Texas Tech University’s football team, was diagnosed in April with gambling disorder and admitted into an Arizona rehabilitation center. The 22-year-old had placed more than $90,000 in bets over four years while enrolled at Texas Tech and at two other universities, including betting on his own team while playing at Indiana University.

Maner and the coalition’s primary goal for the next legislative session is to improve care in Texas by creating a state certification program for clinicians. Several other states, including Louisiana and Oklahoma, have programs Texas could model, she said.

“We can do the same here in Texas, and I got to tell you, the need is for that is very great,” Maner said.

In Texas, legislative attempts to bolster state resources for problem gambling have typically been tied to attempts to legalize casinos, sports betting or video lotteries.

With problem gambling already on the rise, Maner said, state leaders can no longer wait for a new game to help at-risk Texans.

The Texas Lottery, which briefly helped fund the problem-gambling hotline through ticket revenue, today provides no direct funding for gambling addiction treatment or awareness programs, a spokesperson confirmed. It does maintain a web page of problem-gambling hotlines and tips for “positive play.”

Gambling opponents, like Texans Against Gambling chair Russ Coleman, acknowledge that gambling addicts deserve treatment. However, Coleman said, state attention would be better spent closing gaps in enforcing state gambling restrictions.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” he said. “The best way to deal with gambling addiction and how to treat it is to simply not have people become gambling addicts in the first place.”

Maner and Uphoff said Texas needs to acknowledge that many modern forms of gambling are readily available.

Prediction markets have exploded in popularity by selling contracts tied to the predicted outcomes of sporting events, elections and much more — a structure many, including most state attorneys general, consider to be poorly disguised wagering.

Thus far, prediction markets have escaped regulation by Texas and other states because a federal agency, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has allowed the activity under its authority to regulate financial trading.

“It’s becoming a bit of a problem,” said Devin Mills, an addiction and recovery researcher and professor at Texas Tech University. “A lot of people have actually already just assumed that sports betting is legal in the state — which maybe is the point. Maybe that’s the goal.”

Offshore sites, like digital casino Stake, are increasingly popular, allowing players to win money through cash payouts, gift cards or cryptocurrency by playing games similar to those found in casinos.

Daily fantasy sports apps from gambling companies like FanDuel and DraftKings — legal in many states but not in Texas, according to a nonbinding attorney general’s opinion — also allow players to bet on athletes’ performance.

“When I hear the argument from Texans saying, ‘well, it’s not legal here,’ I don’t think they understand the accessibility is really no different,” Uphoff said. “In fact, it could be worse in a way sometimes, because we’re dealing with an illegal, unregulated market that the kids are getting on.”

Sands did not respond to multiple requests for comment about its $100,000 donation to the Texas Coalition on Problem Gambling — the largest donation in the nonprofit’s history. Maner said the money will let the coalition expand its efforts to help Texans and does not reflect a change in the group’s approach.

“Addressing gambling-related harm requires collaboration across all these sectors,” Maner said. It’s just a natural part of what we do.”

Coleman, however, said gaming concerns often donate to anti-gambling efforts to launder their reputations.

“This is in some ways just to create a veneer of respectability,” Coleman said. “They come up with this concept of irresponsible, responsible gambling, and it’s an attempt to shift the onus to the gambler.”

Prediction markets, most of which opened business in the U.S. in 2025, have become a particular area of concern, and Uphoff said she has begun to see problem gamblers she has treated using them.

Mills, the Texas Tech researcher, said preliminary data from a soon-to-be-published study found roughly 10% of people in the U.S. were using Kalshi or Polymarket, the two largest prediction market platforms. Almost half of those users showed problem gambling symptoms, with 38% eligible to be classified as problem gamblers, he said.

“We are primed for having a huge issue with regards to gambling,” Mills said. “It just feels like it’s even faster and exploded far, far quicker, far more rapidly … and I think the harms from it are going to be felt much more acutely.”

Disclosure: Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Texas Tech University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

]]>Pavlo Goncha/Sopa Images Via Reuters Connect<![CDATA[In far West Texas, the threat of land seizures for a border wall has families on edge]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/06/15/in-far-west-texas-the-threat-of-land-seizures-for-a-border-wall-has-families-on-edge/https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2026/06/15/in-far-west-texas-the-threat-of-land-seizures-for-a-border-wall-has-families-on-edge/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000REDFORD — As a teenager, Joe Carrasco would help his father pick onions and cotton on the family’s 40-acre ranch on the banks of the Rio Grande. On the weekends, he would mount his horse and wade across the river into Mexico, where he would race his horse and drink beers.

Today, Carrasco is 71, retired after 26 years working in the oil fields, sitting under a carport with a Michelob Ultra beer and staring at the mountains while his cows graze on his alfalfa farm.

“I like what I see,” he said.

But he doesn’t like what he sees coming.

Carrasco is one of an estimated 400 landowners in the Big Bend region whose land has been targeted by the Trump administration. Like other property owners along the Rio Grande, Carrasco received a letter from U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier this year asking him to let contractors on his land to survey it or risk losing it through eminent domain.

Over the past year, the Trump administration has sent mixed signals about its plans to erect border barriers in this rugged, mountainous region, saying that it prefers other infrastructure such cameras, sensors and vehicle barriers inside Big Bend National Park and the neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Even though immigration officials have claimed they’re not building a wall in the parks, the federal government has awarded billions of dollars worth of contracts to companies that have previously built border walls for work within the parks.

It has also waived environmental laws in the state and national park to speed up the process. And contractors are seeking permits to access enough water to house hundreds of workers in the area who will be tasked with building some form of border security infrastructure.

But what is clear is that the federal government has threatened to seize land along broad swaths of the Rio Grande away from the parks. And that’s causing alarm up and down the river.

“I don’t want a wall, I want to see this view,” Carrasco said, pointing at the mountains on the Mexican side of the river.

One-quarter of the border, 1% of migrant traffic

Big Bend is the largest Border Patrol sector, covering 77 Texas counties and 517 miles of the 1,954-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border.

It is also the least busy.

Sunflowers grow on property belonging to the Peña family in Redford on June 4, 2026. The family has been on the area for generations, and is opposing border wall construction by Customs and Border Protection. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

Fields irrigated from the Rio Grande in Redford on the U.S.-Mexico border on June 4, 2026. Customs and Border Protection plans to construct border wall in this remote region have triggered strong opposition by locals in the area.

Wild horses near Candelaria, where Customs and Border Protection has plans to build border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border on June 3, 2026. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency recorded 3,096 migrant encounters in the sector in fiscal year 2025, or 1.3% of the 237,538 apprehensions recorded across the entire U.S.-Mexico border. That is a 74% drop compared to the two previous fiscal years.

And in the first seven months of the current fiscal year, the sector has logged 1,236 encounters, a 42.5% drop compared to the first seven months of the previous year.

Still, the Trump administration has described the region as “an area of high illegal entry where illegal aliens regularly attempt to enter the United States and smuggle illicit drugs.” On Wednesday, a U.S. House of Representatives committee killed a proposal by U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, to bar the Trump administration from erecting border barriers in Big Bend National Park.

The region is surrounded by rugged canyons and residents live mostly in isolation among desert plants and wildlife, including endangered species. Some residents can trace their family history to the founding of Redford in the 1870s. Others moved to the area more recently after experiencing its quietness and breathtaking views of the mountains. Some have started businesses catering to tourists such as renting river canoeing equipment or serving as river guides. Both old-timers and newcomers fear they would lose their way of life if the federal government seized their land for a border wall.

The threat of losing their land has galvanized some landowners, who say they’re appalled that the government would forcefully seize land in a state that prides itself on defending private property rights.

Some said that they feel powerless and lack the legal and financial resources to fight the federal government.

“I don’t want a wall, but if they’re going to build it, how am I supposed to fight it?” said Adan Madrid, 65, a descendant of one of the founding families. In March, he received a CBP letter offering $2,500 for a right of passage on his farm that sits near the riverbank, or risk losing the whole property, including his home, through eminent domain.

Other residents are trying to unite landowners to fight the Trump administration’s efforts, saying they won’t willingly give up land they’ve cultivated and handed down through generations for hundreds of years.

“It’s just something that’s been happening for generations, people coming in and trying to take land and families fighting to keep it,” said Yolanda Alvarado, 38, who also received a CBP letter seeking access to her land in nearby Pilares. “But I think this generation is more vocal and able to fight back. We have access to more resources and unlike older generations there isn’t a language barrier.”

Yolanda Alvarado, 38, in Marfa on June 5, 2026. Her family’s ranches are in the path of planned border wall construction between El Paso and Presidio. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

“I just want to protect my dad’s land”

Carrasco, who lives mostly in Odessa but frequently visits his ranch, said he signed off on allowing a surveyor on his property, hoping that he could get additional information about what the federal government wants to do on his property and whether he would be paid for it.

He said he could use the money after an oil company he worked for declared bankruptcy and he lost $260,000 of his employer-sponsored 401K.

Carrasco said he’s one of the few Trump-supporting Republicans in Presidio County, a Democratic stronghold sandwiched between Republican-leaning Jeff Davis and Brewster, the two other counties that make up the Big Bend region.

He said he agreed with Trump that the Biden administration was to blame for hundreds of thousands of immigrants crossing the Texas-Mexico border.

But he did not expect the Trump administration would target his land for border security infrastructure.

He said he’s told CBP representatives that he doesn’t want a border wall because it would ruin his farm, cut off access to an irrigation pump that pushes Rio Grande water into his alfalfa farm and ruin the big sky mountain views he’s enjoyed his entire life. He said the contractors he’s spoken to have offered scant details on what they intend to build.

“I want to come down here and die here in however many years I have left,” he said, taking a drag from his cigarette. “But now I have to deal with this.”

Carrasco’s grandfather owned the ranch and gave parcels to Carrasco’s father, who eventually divided that land among Carrasco and his brothers and sisters. After Carrasco graduated from high school, he went to work in El Paso, nearly 300 miles upriver, before getting a job in the Odessa oil fields in the 1980s.

Joe Carrasco, 71, at his home in Redford on June 4, 2026. Carrasco opposes border wall construction near his home, where migrant crossings have always been low, but he doesn’t want to see waves of migration in other parts of the border like those seen under former President Joe Biden. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

An old tractor under a mesquite tree on Carrasco’s property in Redford. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

As his brothers and sisters either passed away or moved on from the family ranch, he continued to invest in it, building a second home and remodeling the original adobe home he and his father were born in.

When he retired four years ago, he began to focus more of his time here, adding a carport for his tractor and the ATVs he bought for his grandchildren. He fixed water pipes and added additional irrigation lines. He also put in a pool with an outdoor restroom.

“I just want to protect my dad’s land,” he said.

Valenzuela, Carrasco’s neighbor, hasn’t received any communication from CBP. But he is expecting it because his mobile home is about 200 feet from the Rio Grande.

His wife, Diana Valenzuela, 74, said it stresses her out not knowing if the federal government also plans to seize their land. She said they’re too old to move and couldn’t afford to find a new home.

Jesus Valenzuela, 75, and his wife Diana Valenzuela, 74, in their dining room in Redford on June 4, 2026. Their property on the Rio Grande is in the path of border wall construction. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

Jesus Valenzuela holds mesquite beans pulled from a tree in Redford. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

After meeting in Roswell, N.M., where Diana was born and her husband lived for a while, they moved to Redford 40 years ago and raised two sons and a daughter on the riverbank. They now have 12 grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and one great great grandchild who all visit during their summer break from school.

Jesus Valenzuela, a retired commercial driver, compares the border wall to the dividing line between North and South Korea, something that will separate people on both sides of the Rio Grande who have always felt like a single community.

“But it’s like they don’t care who they step on,” Diana Valenzuela said.

Coming home again

Mario Peña, 62, was born and raised in Redford. He grew up on his family’s farm, growing onions and cantaloupe. Like Carrasco, he left to work in the oil fields, then started his own business as an oil field contractor.

The Peñas have not received any type of communication from CPB, but their neighbors on either side have. Peña said he expects the federal government will also want a piece of his farm.

“I’m willing to die to protect my land,” Peña said, sitting in a metal chair under a carport that overlooks the lush green farm that stretches to the river.

As his children got older, he said he began to miss the 40-acre farm, which he had inherited after his father died. Shortly before the start of the COVID pandemic, Peña started to revisit the farm and laid an irrigation pipe to pump river water to the fields for alfalfa. At the height of the pandemic, Peña moved into his childhood home fulltime. His son joined him later that year.

“I always wanted to come back home,” he said. “I have to do something for my dad before I die. To get the farm all green up to the river — that’s my goal.”

Family photos of the Peña family at their home in Redford on June 5, 2026. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

Mario Peña, 62, at his family’s ranch in Redford on June 5, 2026. Peña fears a border wall would cut off his ranch from the Rio Grande, which they depend upon for irrigation water. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

Joaquin Peña, 37, with his dog Paulie on his family’s land in Redford on June 4, 2026. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

His son, Joaquin Peña, was laid off from his job at an oil field service company in nearby Monahans in 2020 and joined his father in reviving the family farm. His father named him after the Mexican bandit Joaquin Murrieta, memorialized in literature and movies for revenge hunting down the Anglo settlers who lynched his brother and raped his wife during the 1849 Gold Rush in California.

The son said that he supports his father in taking any legal action necessary to protect their land. He said his father has invested too much time and money to easily give it up for political reasons they don’t agree with.

“What’s the point of putting all this money into the farm if the government is just going to take it away from us?” the younger Peña said as he drove on a utility vehicle through a muddy access road with his white Great Pyrenees dog riding next to him.

“I’m not willing to live in a cage”

David Keller, 55, an archaeologist who previously worked for Sul Russ University in nearby Alpine, moved to the Big Bend region 25 years ago after completing his master’s degree in Montana. He was born and raised in Lubbock, but after moving to Redford he decided he would never leave.

He bought two properties, one on the riverbank. Like other landowners, he also received a CBP letter seeking permission to access his land. But like many here, he refused to sign anything.

“We are not against border security,” he said, standing on a dirt path next to his 7-year-old Poodle mix named Sola. But he doesn’t see the use for a border wall.

“People across the river are our family and friends, there’s no animosity, we’re not afraid of them,” he said. “So to put a border wall here, it’s the most wrongheaded thing to do.”

David Keller, 55, and his dog Sola in his truck in Redford on June 4, 2026. Customs and Border Protection is requesting access to Keller’s property for survey and potential construction, which he is opposed to. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

In 2022, Keller led an archaeological project that found new artifacts from a 1918 massacre, in which Texas Rangers killed 15 Mexican-American men and boys in nearby Porvenir. The Rangers at the time said they were targeting bandits raiding people’s ranches, but families of the victims have said they were innocent and the attacks were motivated by racism toward American citizens of Mexican descent.

He said the region is filled with overlooked Mexican-American and Native American history that could be lost if construction crews begin bulldozing new roads and scraping the ground to build a wall.

In Arizona, border barrier construction crews damaged a Native American archaeological site believed to be at least 1,000 years old.  In El Paso, the Trump administration has also sued the Catholic Diocese of neighboring Las Cruces, New Mexico, for 14 acres of land at the bottom of Mount Cristo Rey, where a 29-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ draws hundreds of pilgrims each year and overlooks Ciudad Juárez, El Paso and Sunland Park, N.M.

“This could destroy the feeling of this place,” Keller said. “I’m not willing to live in a cage.”

However, he said he has come across residents who are afraid to challenge the government out of fear of retaliation, partly because of historical precedent and because many residents depend on federal government jobs. He said he’s tried to convince those families that without their voices they may lose this battle.

Concepcion “Chon” Prieto, 87, inherited his 400-acre ranch on the riverbank in Redford from his grandmother. His family has been in the area for at least five generations, he said, and have survived hard times. In 1934, a Texas Ranger fatally shot one of Prieto’s cousins while searching for bandits,  according to a book written by Keller. Prieto heard the story as a child and said the experience made his family wary of people coming onto their land.

Most of his family has moved away, but he said he stays in Redford to continue watching over the family land. He said he does not want to give it up and plans to sell the land to the person who is taking care of it for him.

“I would rather give it up to someone who cares about it than the government,” he said, sitting on a recliner surrounded by mail — including letters from CBP saying that the federal government wants feedback as part of a public comment period from owners with property on the riverbank.

Concepcion “Chon” Prieto, 87, looks at a photo from his military days. Prieto’s family’s ranch in Redford is also on the Rio Grande, and he opposes border wall construction. Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune

Disclosure: Sul Ross University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

]]>Paul Ratje For The Texas Tribune<![CDATA[Sweden gets 2 goals from Yasin Ayari and pounds Tunisia 5-1 to move atop World Cup Group F]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/sweden-gets-2-goals-from-yasin-ayari-and-pounds-tunisia-5-1-to-move-atop-world-cup-group-f/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/sweden-gets-2-goals-from-yasin-ayari-and-pounds-tunisia-5-1-to-move-atop-world-cup-group-f/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 04:16:26 +0000Yasin Ayari scored twice and Sweden showed it belonged at the 2026 World Cup, pounding Tunisia 5-1 on Sunday night to move atop Group F.

Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres each had a goal and an assist, and Mattias Svanberg also scored for Sweden, which entered ranked 39th in the world and missed the 2022 World Cup after reaching the quarterfinals eight years ago in Russia.

Omar Rekik scored for 45th-ranked Tunisia, which is playing in its seventh World Cup but has never advanced beyond the group stage.

The higher-ranked teams in the group, the Netherlands and Japan, played to a 2-2 draw earlier Sunday at Arlington, Texas.

Ayari bookended the scoring for the Swedes at Estadio BBVA with long-range goals in the seventh minute and in second-half stoppage time. He was muted in his celebration of the first goal, raising his hands out of respect for the country where his father was born.

Isak scored his 18th international goal in the 30th minute when Gyökeres found the Liverpool striker — who was sidelined much of last season with a broken leg — on a counterattack. Isak cut inside and fired a low shot past the hands of Tunisian goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh, who struggled all night.

Isak said he and Gyökeres and “have quite different qualities which is very beneficial for the team,” adding: “We can bring different types of attacks.”

After Rekik stalled Sweden's momentum with his goal in the 43rd minute, Isak and Gyökeres put Sweden back in control. Isak stole the ball and found Gyökeres for a one-on-one against Chamakh that the Arsenal striker won easily for his 16th goal in his last 15 appearances for Sweden and 21st overall.

Sweden coach Graham Potter said Isak and Gyökeres have strong chemistry.

“Behind them, they needed a team that functioned well. I’m pleased for the players tonight that we took a step forward in that,” Potter said.

Svanberg scored in the 84th minute, a goal that was awarded after a lengthy video review.

Sweden will play the Netherlands at Houston on Saturday, while Tunisia will remain in Monterrey and face Japan the same day.

___

Ethan Wilcox is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

]]>Moises CastilloMatias DelacroixMatias DelacroixSofia YakerDolores Ochoa<![CDATA[Hurricanes use stifling defense to blank Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 and win the Stanley Cup]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/rod-brindamours-hurricanes-60-minutes-from-a-cup-with-vegas-still-daring-a-game-7/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/rod-brindamours-hurricanes-60-minutes-from-a-cup-with-vegas-still-daring-a-game-7/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 05:16:21 +0000Carolina spent the first part of the Stanley Cup Final surviving, finding ways to overcome deficits and play a high-scoring game that didn't fit the Hurricanes' typical style.

But when it came down to doing what it takes to win the Cup, the Hurricanes' defense put its stamp on this series, shutting down the Vegas Golden Knights and not letting up.

The Hurricanes held Vegas to five total goals in Games 4 and 5 and used a suffocating defense in a 3-0 shutout Sunday night in Game 6 to win their first championship in 20 years.

“That’s a lot of years,” said Carolina center Jordan Staal, who received the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. “It’s amazing. This is something I’ve been going after ever since we got the first one. You want to win it again and again and again. "

Brandon Bussi, whose entrance late in Game 3 helped turn around the series, had his first career playoff shutout in stopping 22 shots. Jackson Blake had a goal and assist, and Taylor Hall scored just 3:47 into the game to set the tone. Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-netter.

“Your mind wanders the last couple of days and wonder what it may be like out here (on ice after winning) and it’s better than I could have expected," Hall said.

The Golden Knights struggled badly to muster any kind of offense in Game 6 and went 18:37 between shots on goal in the second and third periods. Playing in their third Cup final, this is the first time they have been shut out.

This final game was what many observers expected the series to be like between the defensive-minded teams, but each side watched leads of two-plus goals disappear in the first three games.

Now, the Cup belongs to the Hurricanes, led by coach Rod Brind'Amour, who also captained Carolina to its 2006 title.

“It's just as awesome,” Brind'Amour said. “But as a player, it was a little different. I worked and dreamt of winning the Cup my whole life, so that was like a piano came off my back. This time around, I wanted it for the group."

This was the first game of the series that Vegas goalie Carter Hart didn't allow four goals in a game. He finished with 20 saves.

The Hurricanes began to assume control of the series after falling behind by the score of 4-0 in Game 3. They came back force overtime, and though the Canes lost, they outplayed the Golden Knights from there on out.

Reflecting the do-or-die situation for the Golden Knights, they made several lineup changes, with Brett Howden replacing the injured William Karlsson at second-line center. Mitch Marner could have moved there, but remained at right wing.

Original Golden Knight Reilly Smith made his Cup final debut at third-line right wing, and Braeden Bowman made his playoff debut at fourth-line right wing. Kaedan Korczak replaced Dylan Coghlan on the third defensive pairing.

“This is tough to be on this side of it,” Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “But on the other side, these chances don’t come around very often. So it stings."

This title is a testament to Carolina’s resilience as a franchise that kept coming close to winning the Eastern Conference, but couldn’t quite get through until now.

Brind’Amour made sure the Hurricanes kept getting back up after losing in the conference final twice in the past three years and three times in their current eight-year playoff run. The talent was clearly there, but there was always a stumbling block.

Not anymore.

After dispatching Montreal in five games to make the final, the Hurricanes then faced perennial power Vegas and took care of business there, too. Now, Brind’Amour will get his name on the Cup for the second time.

So will 37-year-old Staal, who also won the title in 2009 with Pittsburgh. He planted himself in front of Hart and dared the Golden Knights to knock him out of the way. Staal scored in each of the first five Cup final games, the first time that has happened.

The Hurricanes got off to a fast start with a goal just 25 seconds into Game 1, only to lose 5-4 on a late goal from Tomas Hertl. And the Golden Knights were on the verge of taking complete control as minutes ticked down in Game 2 while holding a 2-0 lead and appearing as if they would take a two-game advantage back home.

Then, it all changed. Carolina showed a fight that not only brought the Hurricanes back into the series by rallying to win 4-3 in overtime on Seth Jarvis’ one-timer, but would serve as their signature throughout the series.

That was especially true the following game when the Golden Knights took a 4-0 lead into the third period and the Canes seemed to have no answers. Brind’Amour even appeared to wave the white flag by removing goalie Frederik Andersen and replacing him with Bussi.

But the Hurricanes weren’t simply trying to get to Game 4. They sent a message, going on a remarkable rally to force overtime. Though Carolina lost, it was inflection point, with Bussi backstopping a team that was only growing stronger. Carolina then went on to win the next two games and moved within a victory of the championship.

The Hurricanes got it done against the Golden Knights team that was on a heater after John Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season. Vegas then went from third in the Pacific Division to first, knocked off Utah and Anaheim in six games apiece in the playoffs and shockingly swept Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado to win the West.

“I am very proud to be a part of this organization, very proud to lead this team, very proud to play with every single guy that steps into our locker room,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said. “This feeling sucks. I never want to have it again."

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

]]>Candice WardJohn LocherCandice WardCandice WardJohn Locher<![CDATA[Once a journeyman, Brandon Bussi backstops the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup championship]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/once-a-journeyman-brandon-bussi-backstops-the-hurricanes-to-the-stanley-cup-championship/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/once-a-journeyman-brandon-bussi-backstops-the-hurricanes-to-the-stanley-cup-championship/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:04:35 +0000Hours before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Rod Brind'Amour praised Brandon Bussi while also expressing some measure of relief that the Carolina Hurricanes did not need to turn to their backup goaltender during this playoff run.

“Haven’t had to use him, (and) to be honest, I hope we don’t because something’s gone wrong,” Brind'Amour said.

Turns out the late-blooming goaltender came out of the bullpen after all and backstopped the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup.

“I thought they were really good tonight, Vegas," Hurricanes wing Jackson Blake said. “If it wasn't for Bus, there's no way we're winning that game.”

After Frederik Andersen was in net for every minute of the first three rounds and the start of the final, Bussi came in during Game 3 and finished out the series. He stopped 81 of the 87 shots he faced against Vegas as Andersen’s status was shrouded in mystery; the veteran from Denmark did not dress from Game 4 on because of a knee injury that was only revealed after the final was over.

“Freddie battled," Brind'Amour said. “He got a little nicked up, wasn’t 100%. I felt for him, but he got us here and then Bus took over. This is a team.”

Bussi and Andersen embraced after Game 6 ended Sunday night. Andersen, at 36 the second-oldest player on the team, was the first player captain and playoff MVP Jordan Staal handed the Cup to after getting it from Commissioner Gary Bettman.

“It’s disbelief, really," Andersen said. "I did not expect that. It really beat every emotion I could think of or what I’ve been feeling."

Bussi, a 27-year-old from Long Island, was not an unknown quantity for the Hurricanes because he played in nearly half their games this season, winning 31 of his 39 starts to help Carolina earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. He got a three-year extension at a bargain-basement $5.7 million price in February.

Before the past several months, he was on track for the career of a journeyman.

Going undrafted, he spend several years in the Boston Bruins' farm system with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL and Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. Liking what they saw, the astute back-to-back champion Florida Panthers signed him last summer to be their third goalie behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov.

Trying to get him to the AHL in Charlotte, the Panthers lost Bussi when Carolina claimed him off waivers. He and fiancée Mary Raclawski were 10 hours into a drive from from South Florida to North Carolina when his agent called to tell him the Hurricanes had claimed him.

“The next thing you know, the following day I’m in Raleigh and I’m on the opening night roster,” Bussi said. "It’s crazy.”

Injuries to Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov thrust him into an important role for a top contender.

Bussi was even more needed in the final. He entered at the second intermission in Game 3 with the Hurricanes down 4-0. He stopped all 18 shots to allow a stirring comeback, and the only goal he allowed was the Golden Knights' winner in double overtime when the puck took a bad bounce off the end boards behind him and Bussi inadvertently kicked it in.

In the Game 6 clincher, Bussi denied playoff-leading goal-scorer Brett Howden, who got in all alone in the first period. He stopped Tomas Hertl on a 2-on-1 rush in the second, much to the joy of family members watching from the stands. Then Bussi robbed Hertl and Mark Stone on quality scoring chances in the final few minutes of regulation.

“Their goalie gives them a really good opportunity in the second part of the series to give them the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup," Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said.

Hurricanes fans in Las Vegas chanted “Buss-i! Buss-i!” on the way to his third career shutout. A journeyman no more, Bussi is now a Stanley Cup champion. So is Andersen.

“This is something everyone dreams of," Andersen said. "You don’t really know what it feels like until you try it, and now we’re here.”

___

Whyno contributed from New York.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

]]>Candice WardCandice WardCandice WardJohn LocherKarl B Deblaker<![CDATA[Daichi Kamada's late goal gives Japan a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in World Cup opener for both]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/daichi-kamadas-late-header-gives-japan-a-2-2-draw-with-the-netherlands-in-world-cup-opener-for-both/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/daichi-kamadas-late-header-gives-japan-a-2-2-draw-with-the-netherlands-in-world-cup-opener-for-both/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 22:10:46 +0000Daichi Kamada and his Japanese teammates were minutes away from a World Cup -opening loss that wouldn't have been unexpected considering the opponent.

His tying goal will be remembered for a long time in his homeland, especially if the country with some soccer momentum reaches the round of 16 again.

Kamada scored when a header by teammate Koki Ogawa deflected off his head into the Dutch goal in the 88th minute, sending the Samurai Blue fans into a frenzy and giving Japan a 2-2 draw with the higher-ranked Netherlands on Sunday.

While the Dutch extended their unbeaten streak to 17 games in group play, the orange-clad Oranje supporters were stunned by the late goal that left them with 21 wins, two losses and 11 draws in group play at the World Cup.

“Our players managed to be tenacious but at the same time be patient and just keep calm and finding and seizing an opportunity,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said through an interpreter. His team reached the round of 16 for the fourth time in 2022 in Qatar.

Virgil Van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville scored off each post for the Netherlands early in the second half, while Keito Nakamura had a goal between those as part of a three-goal flurry in just 14 minutes.

A mostly uneventful first half changed quickly after the break for a crowd evenly split at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys with the retractable roof that offered relief from the muggy Texas heat, and the giant video board that fans had a hard time keeping their eyes off.

Summerville gave the eighth-ranked Dutch the lead in the 64th minute, and Japan was running out of hope until a Ogawa's perfectly timed header off a corner kick. The ball glanced off Kamada's head and past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who got his hands on it with a sprawling dive but couldn't keep it from going in.

Van Dijk sent a header toward the far post on the right in the 50th minute, bending forward from inside the penalty area as he stared at the ball before it caromed in for the Dutch captain’s 13th international goal.

Nakamura answered seven minutes later for 18th-ranked Japan, turning and rifling a shot past Verbruggen from the left side of the arc after taking a pass from Takefusa Kubo.

Another seven minutes later, Summerville took a pass from Ryan Gravenberch and sent a left-footed shot to the far left post past Zion Suzuki, where it caromed in again.

“It’s disappointing now because obviously conceding the lead is never good,” said Van Dijk, the second-oldest Dutch goal scorer in a World Cup at 34 years, 341 days, behind Giovanni van Bronckhorst at 35 and 151 against Uruguay in 2010. “It’s extra disappointing that we conceded from a set piece so late on.”

The Dutch’s most recent loss before the elimination round came the last time the World Cup was in the United States in 1994, when a group play defeat was followed by a quarterfinal loss to Brazil at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

The pressure is always on the Netherlands to reach the elimination round, in part because it's the only country to reach the final three times without winning the World Cup.

A draw to open Group F, which includes Sweden and Tunisia, won't ease that pressure on coach Ronald Koeman, who faced several pointed questions about strategy and shot back with cryptic replies.

The Dutch beat Japan in their only other World Cup meeting in 2010.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t win, but that’s because we were ahead twice,” Koeman said through an interpreter. “Many people underestimated Japan, but for the 100,000th time, if you underestimate them, that’s your problem. You think Japan’s strength was overexaggerated before the match? Let’s wait until the end of the tournament to see who’s right.”

The Netherlands plays Sweden on Saturday in Houston, while Japan goes to Monterrey, Mexico, to face Tunisia on Saturday.

___

This story has been corrected. A previous version reported incorrectly that Kamada scored on a header off Ogawa's corner kick.

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

]]>Jessica TobiasTony GuttierezSam HoddeJulio CortezJulio Cortez<![CDATA[Some anglers praise forward-facing sonar, others say high-tech fishing ruins a day at the lake]]>https://www.click2houston.com/tech/2026/06/15/some-anglers-praise-forward-facing-sonar-others-say-high-tech-fishing-ruins-a-day-at-the-lake/https://www.click2houston.com/tech/2026/06/15/some-anglers-praise-forward-facing-sonar-others-say-high-tech-fishing-ruins-a-day-at-the-lake/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 04:03:38 +0000Ah, the serenity of fishing.

Just an angler, a fishing pole and maybe thousands of dollars worth of sonar equipment offering an exact image of what that walleye or bass is doing in the watery depths below.

It's called forward-facing sonar, and the hot-selling products are not only helping anglers increase their catch, they are raising questions about why people go fishing in the first place and whether fish populations can survive the new technology.

“You’ve got people that are concerned about what’s going to happen to the sport of fishing,” said Gary Korsgaden, who has written about the sport for decades.

How fishing with sonar works

Fish-finding sonar is typically mounted on the bow or back of a boat, sending out sound frequencies that are converted into a picture on a screen based on the time it takes the pings to hit the bottom and return. Earlier products would show where fish were located, but advancements now enable anglers to see images of fish in real time.

“With forward-facing sonar, you can attach it to a trolling motor and you can look around the water under you and you could find exactly, pinpoint where that fish exactly is at any given time,” said Dave Dunn, a sales executive at Garmin, a company that manufactures the equipment.

Dunn notes the equipment, which costs about $2,500 for a full setup, enables anglers to even see their lures and cast directly to fish. It does have a learning curve.

For Minnesota angler Terry Rehm, the new technology is invaluable. Rehm said he doesn’t get a lot of lake time due to his work and kids’ schedules and forward-facing sonar ensures he makes good use of his time plying the waters.

“It’s just nice to be able to hone in on them a little quicker and find them quicker and catch more fish when I’m out here,” he said.

Growing use of the technology

Tens of millions of people fish recreationally each year, making it one of the nation's top activities.

But people fish for different reasons and those who care most about the tranquility and beauty of being on a lake can find it puzzling that other anglers eagerly hunch over their screens, watching as fish swim by below.

Still, the use of the technology is growing dramatically, with surveys in Minnesota finding about 30% of anglers now use forward-facing sonar. Surveys of anglers on several Minnesota lakes found the user rate as high as 63% on one lake last fall, Walleye Alliance spokesperson Nate Blasing said.

Much of the debate around forward-facing sonar plays out on social media, but also podcasts, online fishing forums, trade shows and tournaments.

“It's much like politics now. It tends to get personal. You can agree to disagree,” Blasing said.

Criticisms and reactions go back and forth on social media, said Korsgaden, the fishing writer. He said tournament anglers have banned him from their Facebook pages for even raising the topic.

“I think the unfortunate reality is fishing has gotten to be more about, shall we say, success or numbers or quantity, that type of thing, instead of the actual enjoyment of the engagement and making decisions on your own,” Korsgaden said.

Sonar may make little difference

Even as anglers say the equipment helps ensure they will actually catch fish, some studies indicate it hasn't led to overfishing.

Wisconsin researchers conducted a controlled experiment last year with two teams of anglers fishing for smallmouth bass, one with forward-facing sonar, the other without. Halfway through the summer, the teams switched.

The team without the technology had higher catch rates, though the team using it caught slightly longer fish, said Greg Sass, fisheries research team leader with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Office of Applied Science. The sonar users searched more for fish before even fishing, while the other team spent more time actively fishing.

Sass said he is reluctant to apply the study to all fish species and water bodies, but the findings “would be counterintuitive to what I'm hearing in the bait shops or from other people that are on both sides of the fence with technology,” he said. More studies are ahead, including for the muskie, a prized predator fish.

Eric Sanft, a fisheries specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said an analysis of lakes across the state didn't find “negative impacts” from the use of forward-facing sonar in fishing.

Surveys by wildlife officers in Minnesota found people using forward-facing sonar ended up catching similar numbers and variety of fish as anglers who cast their lines the old-fashioned way.

“To some degree, it can get scapegoated a little bit, and people’s perceptions of what other people are doing is often different than what the reality is,” said Marc Bacigalupi, a regional fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The department has proposed reducing the daily walleye limit from six fish to four, partially because of advancements in fish-finding technology, among other factors such as a boom in ice fishing, attention on hot spots from social media and lower limits in surrounding states.

Fishing is about ‘making memories’

For Daren Schneider, a lifelong angler from Bismarck, North Dakota, forward-facing sonar has changed everything he thought he knew about fishing.

When seeking walleye, for example, he thought you needed to catch them on or near the lake bottom, but after watching on sonar, he found “they do all kinds of things that you never thought a walleye would do.”

The technology has enhanced his understanding of fish and his enjoyment of fishing, Schneider said.

“Fishing isn’t necessarily about catching fish and getting your limit or whatever,” he said. “It’s about being out there and making memories, and if it’s making memories with forward-facing sonar, why is that such a bad thing?”

]]>Mark VancleaveMark VancleaveMark Vancleave<![CDATA[Iranian Americans plan protests and watch parties ahead of team's World Cup opener]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2026/06/15/iranian-americans-plan-protests-and-watch-parties-ahead-of-teams-world-cup-opener/https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2026/06/15/iranian-americans-plan-protests-and-watch-parties-ahead-of-teams-world-cup-opener/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 04:38:43 +0000Iranian Americans are torn over Iran's participation in the World Cup, as some community members plan to watch Monday's match and others plan to protest outside the stadium where the team will play.

A rally is planned for outside the stadium near Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran. Many of Southern California’s Iranian Americans arrived after the Islamic Revolution, and a hub of eateries, shops and markets about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the stadium is known as “Tehrangeles.”

Rally participants plan to wear lion-and-sun T-shirts and wave the country's flag from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in protest of Tehran’s deadly January crackdown on dissent.

Ali Javahery, a 59-year-old consultant who was born in Iran and lives in California's Orange County, said he will be outside protesting Iran's opening match against New Zealand, not inside watching it. He said soccer and politics are intertwined, and though he loves the sport, he says the national team's players are under pressure to adhere to the Iranian government's positions.

“This is not ‘Team Melli,’” as the national team is known in Persian, Javahery said. “This is Team Islamic Republic.”

Iran's participation in the tournament has been fraught with conflict because of the country's war with U.S. and Israeli forces. The team moved its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona, and some of the country's key soccer officials had not been granted visas to enter the United States. Many in the diaspora have mixed feelings over how to show their support of the Iranian people, but not the government, through their love of soccer.

“We play for every Iranian, be it in the diaspora or in Iran. People have different opinions, but we are here to unite people and we will try to bring joy to all Iranians wherever they live,” team captain Mehdi Taremi said at a press conference Sunday. “We are here to bring joy to Iranian people. We do not get involved in politics. We are here to play football.”

Reza Garajedaghi, 57, said he will watch the game with his 96-year-old father in San Diego. He said he didn’t buy tickets for the game, partly because of the sky-high pricing. But he said he supports the team, politics aside, while respecting the wide range of views shared by Iranians in the diaspora.

“I’m a football die-hard, and the boys, they’re representing all Persians, Iranians around the world,” said Garajedaghi, who left Iran when he was 10 years old. “To me, it has nothing to do with whatever government they have in Iran.”

Watch parties are planned to cheer on the team in Southern California, and when Iran was assigned last year to play in LA, many bought tickets. But in recent months some said they have sold off their tickets in anger, following January's brutal repression.

Some Iranian American soccer fans have also said the team is currently tied up in politics. In the past, Iranian athletes have faced serious consequences for speaking out. In 2022, a prominent former member of the national team was arrested for allegedly protesting against the country’s leadership, and star striker Sardar Azmoun wasn’t selected for the World Cup squad this year, reportedly because of a social media post that angered authorities.

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei called Azmoun an “excellent player” and said he wished he were with the team.

“I am just happy that they are coming to watch us and I hope that they will pray for us and I hope that they will encourage us,” Ghalenoei said Sunday when asked about the sizable diaspora. He added that he hoped the team would pay back that loyalty by playing a good game.

Some Iranian Americans are also upset about FIFA's rule barring political flags from being flown. They want to fly the pre-revolution lion-and-sun flag, which is not the official flag of Iran. The Iranian American Institute for Voices for Liberty said it filed a lawsuit last week in California to challenge FIFA’s flag rule.

During Friday's opening ceremony in Los Angeles, members of the mostly American crowd booed when Iran's flag was brought onto the field.

Late Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had reached a deal with Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has rattled the region and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. Details of the deal, expected to be signed Friday, weren't available.

___

AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham contributed to this report.

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

]]>Andre PennerAndre PennerBenjamin HansonAndre PennerBenjamin Hanson<![CDATA[A tentative deal is reached to end the Iran war and Trump orders a stop to the US naval blockade]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/14/qatari-mediators-travel-to-tehran-for-final-touches-on-a-possible-deal-to-end-war/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/14/qatari-mediators-travel-to-tehran-for-final-touches-on-a-possible-deal-to-end-war/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 09:48:23 +0000The United States and Iran reached an initial agreement early Monday to open the Strait of Hormuz and further extend a shaky ceasefire in the Iran war, potentially allowing desperately needed oil and natural gas to reach the global market.

Details of the deal were not immediately released and Iran signaled implementation would not start until the signing, which key mediator Pakistan said would occur Friday in Switzerland. It could provide a way to end a war that killed thousands across the Middle East, including the top leaders of Iran's theocracy, and sparked a historic energy crisis.

But the memorandum of understanding over the war already faced intense challenges. Israel's continued hostilities with the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israel bombed Beirut's southern suburbs Sunday, nearly derailed the negotiations.

Meanwhile, the deal gives just 60 days to resolve what to do about Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium and its atomic program. That took years to resolve in Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from that accord in his first term, setting the stage for the tensions that culminated in the war.

“Congratulations to all!” Trump wrote on social media as he celebrated his 80th birthday Sunday with a UFC cage match fight at the White House.

He added, “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade,” which was imposed in retaliation for Iran’s grip on the crucial waterway.

He soon hedged, however, saying the strait wouldn’t open until Friday’s signing.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed the agreement on state television but said Iran would not start implementing it until it was signed Friday. He said the deal followed talks with Qatar, another mediator.

Israel, which has insisted it be allowed a freehand to pursue Hezbollah as it occupies southern Lebanon and has extended its military operations into areas its forces haven't been in a quarter century, did not immediately comment. Israel joined the U.S. in launching the war on Feb. 28.

Benchmark Brent crude oil fell more than $4 a barrel on the news as Asian stock markets rallied.

Pakistan, a key mediator, announces deal

Pakistan first announced the deal, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying “both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” It remains unclear whether Israel, which relies on the U.S. but has launched in wars against its enemies since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, agreed to that term.

He added that mediators this week will facilitate meetings to “lay the foundation for the technical talks.”

Broader negotiations on outstanding issues like Iran’s nuclear program would continue over the next 60 days, two senior Pakistani officials said earlier Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. If the sides fail to reach a resolution within that time, the timeline could be extended.

Iranian state television cited the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council saying the war on all fronts “will end immediately and permanently beginning tonight” — but that the U.S. blockade “will be terminated immediately and in full.”

Qatari mediators later left Tehran following 17 hours of negotiations, said an official briefed on the developments who spoke on condition of anonymity due to sensitivity of the talks. Separate preparatory meetings with each side will take place in Doha this week, the official said.

It was not clear who from Iran would sign the deal on Friday. U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News the White House was still figuring out who would attend: “I certainly plan to be there, but it’s possible the president himself could be there.”

But concern among Republicans in the U.S. already could be seen. They included U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who described Vance as “the architect of the deal.”

“I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,” Graham wrote online.

U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Congress would exercise oversight on any accord with Iran.

“We have seen time and again: War cannot change the Iranian regime," he said.

Interim deal faces intense scrutiny

The first strike of the war killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Khamenei’s son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is now supreme leader. He has not been seen in the public since the war began, but his approval was needed for Iran to sign off on the deal.

There was apparent friction inside Iran in the hours before the announcement, as the government warned that division at home over the deal weakened its negotiating position.

The deal likely returns the region to a status that existed before the war, but with Iran having proven its ability to disrupt shipping in the strait. The waterway is crucial to significant shipments of oil, natural gas and related products like fertilizer, and its effective closure rocked the global economy.

Even with a deal, it will take months for oil and gas supplies to flow freely enough for the world’s needs to be met because shipping and insurance companies want to be confident the agreement will last, energy experts said.

Tehran also still has a ballistic missile arsenal and enough highly enriched uranium to build several nuclear weapons, should it choose to pursue them.

Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful and has not publicly committed to giving up the enriched uranium, which is believed to be buried under three nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last year.

The U.S. has sought the removal of the enriched uranium from Iran as part of a deal. Russia has offered to take it. But Iran insists it wants to keep the uranium.

___

Frankel reported from Jerusalem, Sewell from Beirut and Weissert from Washington. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Cathy Bussewitz in New York and Cara Anna in Lowville, New York, contributed to this report.

]]>Vahid SalemiBilal HusseinVahid SalemiBilal HusseinBilal Hussein<![CDATA[Carolina's Jordan Staal wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, oldest on record at age 37]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/carolinas-jordan-staal-wins-the-conn-smythe-trophy-as-playoff-mvp-oldest-on-record-at-age-37/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/carolinas-jordan-staal-wins-the-conn-smythe-trophy-as-playoff-mvp-oldest-on-record-at-age-37/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:16:06 +0000Rod Brind'Amour knows a thing or two about how Jordan Staal is feeling. Now the Carolina Hurricanes' coach, Brind'Amour was their captain when they won the Stanley Cup two decades ago, and now Staal wears the “C.”

Before the final against Vegas started, Brind'Amour was clear about one thing.

“We’re not here today without Jordan Staal,” he said. “I can promise you that. We’re very lucky. And as a coach, you’re super fortunate to have a guy like that be your leader.”

The 37-year-old Staal led the Hurricanes to the second championship in franchise history by being the two-way shutdown center and faceoff ace he has been his entire NHL career. By elevating his game and leading them in goals with six in the final against the Golden Knights, Staal won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

He is the oldest player to win the honor.

“He’s always really good, but yeah, he’s stepped it up at such a pivotal time,” teammate Seth Jarvis said. “It’s incredible to watch, and it’s so much fun playing with him and being around him.”

Staal is the longest-tenured player in the organization. He was also the only player on the roster with a Cup ring, from winning with the Penguins in 2009.

The 17 years in between is the longest gap between championships, breaking the record of 16 held by Chris Chelios.

“That’s a lot of years," Staal said. “It’s amazing. This is something I’ve been going after ever since we got the first one. You want to win it again and again and again. What a feeling.”

Staal joined the Hurricanes in 2012 in a trade from Pittsburgh on his wedding day. His first half-dozen years with them passed without a postseason appearance.

“I don’t want to say that the losing that he had to do for four, five years when he got here might have fueled him even more, but I think it did,” fellow veteran Jordan Martinook said. “The fact that he’s seen some pretty dark days here and then to be on the other side of it ... he stuck through it the whole time.”

The past seven seasons, Staal and the Hurricanes made the playoffs but failed to reach the final. He became captain in the middle of that stretch in 2020, taking on a role once filled by Brind'Amour from 2005-10 and older brother Eric from 2010-16.

Staal took on the weight of those premature exits.

“Each scar, each moment just drives a hunger even deeper into you,” Staal said. “Being a part of this core and all the scars that we’ve gone through just brings that care factor for each other that we want it for each other that much more.”

Staal has never gotten the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward, but he has been a finalist and this run shows why. He won more than 56% of his faceoffs and is so valuable on draws that he begins power plays just to get the Hurricanes the puck.

“People got to see what I’ve know for forever — what kind of player he is, what kind of leader he is,” Brind'Amour said. "And here we go, he’s finally rewarded.”

Told of Brind'Amour's pre-series comment that the team would not have gotten this far without him, Staal praised his coach and downplayed changing anything in his game. The two shared a long hug on the ice in the moments after the Game 6 win.

“I’m just being me,” Staal said. “I’m not really anyone different. But just my day-to-day presence is showing up and working. That’s all I’ve done since I got here in Carolina, and being consistent with that must have been enough.”

The offensive outburst against Vegas put Staal over the top for the Conn Smythe after it looked like Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall were Carolina's front-runners. He never scored 30 goals in a season, but his six in the final put him in the record books with the likes of Hall of Famers Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy.

“I’m not really surprised,” Brind'Amour said. “You take the goals away, it’d be the same impact. It’s just added that extra element.”

___

AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

]]>John LocherJohn LocherCandice WardJohn LocherJohn Locher<![CDATA[‘Where is everybody?’: Houston World Cup buzz falls short for some downtown businesses]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/where-is-everybody-houston-world-cup-buzz-falls-short-for-some-downtown-businesses/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/where-is-everybody-houston-world-cup-buzz-falls-short-for-some-downtown-businesses/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:29:49 +0000Whether it’s a big city or a small town, Main Street has traditionally been considered the heart of a community.

But on this evening — just hours after Houston hosted the first of its seven FIFA World Cup matches — one question seemed to linger in the downtown air:

“Where is everybody?”

“I don’t know,” said soccer fan Jason Schmitz. “That is a very good question.”

For many downtown business owners, restaurant managers and bar staff, the anticipated surge of customers tied to the World Cup has yet to materialize.

“The restaurants got the message, but they haven’t got the crowd,” said Janluc Blakborn, a Dutch native who now calls Houston home.

Many businesses invested heavily ahead of the tournament, expecting an influx of visitors and soccer fans.

“We invest money, we hire people, we change our menu, we have a new drink menu, we have a new food menu,” said business owner Fernando Villegas.

However, when asked about the return on that investment, Villegas offered a blunt assessment.

“Today, not too many people.”

Restaurants and bars throughout downtown echoed a similar sentiment. Despite months of anticipation and projections of significant economic activity, many say opening weekend has not lived up to expectations.

When asked whether business was stronger than usual the night before, Villegas said there was little difference.

“Last night we were busy,” he said. “Were we busier than normal? No, it was normal.”

At The Little Dipper, employees reported a similar trend, with one bartender telling KPRC 2 News that this has been one of the slowest weekends of the year.

The muted turnout has surprised many because each of Houston’s seven World Cup matches was promoted as having an economic impact comparable to hosting a Super Bowl.

Schmitz, a longtime Houston resident, said the atmosphere did not match the expectations.

“I’ve been here through Super Bowls. I’ve been here through Astros World Series games,” Schmitz said. “This is like a regular day. There’s been nothing special about today.”

While opening weekend may not have delivered the crowds some businesses anticipated, Villegas is not ready to sound the alarm.

He made it clear that he is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding staffing adjustments as the tournament continues. Villegas remains hopeful that visitor traffic and spending downtown will increase as more matches are played in Houston.

]]><![CDATA[FIFA Fan Fest to close Monday as Houston faces forecasted thunderstorms]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/news/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/15/news/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:02:09 +0000FIFA Fan Festival Houston will be closed Monday, June 15, due to anticipated severe weather and guidance from public safety officials, organizers announced Sunday evening.

The closure comes after weather repeatedly disrupted activities at the festival on Sunday, when organizers temporarily cleared the grounds twice because of lightning in the area.

According to FIFA Houston Host Committee officials, the festival operates under a weather safety plan that requires guests to leave the venue whenever lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius.

The site can only reopen after 30 consecutive minutes without additional lightning strikes within that zone, with the clock restarting after each strike.

Sunday’s closures came as storms moved across the Houston area amid oppressive heat and increasing tropical moisture.

KPRC 2 Chief Meteorologist Anthony Yanez warned that Southeast Texas was entering a stormier weather pattern, with the potential for heavy rain, frequent lightning and localized flooding.

The threat of severe weather is expected to continue into Monday and Tuesday as a low-pressure system in the Bay of Campeche pulls deep tropical moisture into the region.

READ MORE: Here’s why daily downpours are headed to Houston

Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected across much of Southeast Texas, with isolated areas potentially receiving 5 to 6 inches.

The FIFA Fan Festival has served as a gathering place for fans during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, featuring live match broadcasts, entertainment, food vendors and interactive activities.

Organizers have not yet announced whether any additional schedule changes will be necessary later this week.

Fans are encouraged to monitor official FIFA Fan Festival Houston channels for the latest updates on operations and weather-related impacts.

]]>Rachel Drickamer<![CDATA[Houston’s Rain Timeline: Tracking waves of downpours Monday that may lead to street flooding]]>https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2026/06/13/tracking-spotty-showers-and-storms-moving-into-western-harris-county/https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2026/06/13/tracking-spotty-showers-and-storms-moving-into-western-harris-county/Sat, 13 Jun 2026 20:13:21 +0000Stay weather-aware this week as daily downpours may lead to street flooding. Houston is under a flood watch through Wednesday morning. Most areas will pick up 2 to 3 inches of rain, but there could be some locally higher totals near 8 inches!

Through Wednesday
Through Wednesday

Moisture headed to southeast Texas:

I’m monitoring a low-pressure system moving through Mexico; it is expected to funnel deep, rich tropical moisture into the area. The low-pressure system currently has a 30% chance of developing into a tropical system, but regardless of development, it will still draw in tropical moisture into southeast Texas at least through the end of the week.

A low chance for tropical development, but a high chance for tropical moisture to reach southeast Texas
A low chance for tropical development, but a high chance for tropical moisture to reach southeast Texas

Monday through Wednesday the tropical moisture will combine with a slow-moving cold front. That will help bring waves of rain through the middle of the week.

Slow moving front arrives early week
Slow moving front arrives early week

Monday’s Rain Timeline:

Monday morning, spotty showers and storms turn scattered mainly north of I-10 by 9 AM.

spotty showers
spotty showers
Scattered showers north of I-10
Scattered showers north of I-10

Monday afternoon through Monday night, waves of rain and storms move in from southwest to northeast.

Scattered showers and storms move in south of I-10
Scattered showers and storms move in south of I-10
Scattered showers and storms
Scattered showers and storms

10-day forecast:

Rain and storm chances continue through the late week. By the weekend, southeast Texas dries out, but the heat and humidity will return swiftly.

Showers and thunderstorms through the late week
Showers and thunderstorms through the late week
]]><![CDATA[Amad Diallo scores in the 90th minute to lift Ivory Coast past Ecuador 1-0 in the World Cup]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/amad-diallo-scores-in-the-90th-minute-to-lift-ivory-coast-past-ecuador-1-0-in-the-world-cup/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/amad-diallo-scores-in-the-90th-minute-to-lift-ivory-coast-past-ecuador-1-0-in-the-world-cup/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 01:22:27 +0000Ivory Coast did not make the knockout round in three previous World Cups. Les Éléphant came to the United States set on changing that — and they are off to a great start.

Amad Diallo scored in the 90th minute to lift Ivory Coast to a 1-0 victory over Ecuador in its first World Cup appearance in a dozen years.

“We came here with ambitions and high hopes,” coach Emerse Faé said through an interpreter. “Everything is going well.”

The teams combined to hit the crossbar three times before Diallo — the Manchester United winger who entered as a substitute in the 56th minute — broke through with a left-footed shot from just inside the penalty area that beat diving goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez. Wilfried Singo set up the goal with a strong run down the right side.

“This was a fantastic goal,” Faé said. “(Singo) delivered a wonderful assist to Diallo, and he finished well. Very happy to see just what we worked on.”

Ecuador saw its 19-game unbeaten streak end with its first loss since a 1-0 decision against Brazil on Sept. 6, 2024.

“It hurts,” Ecuador coach Sebastián Beccacece said through an interpreter. “This is a very painful situation. It needs to make you stronger for the future.”

Elye Wahi hit the crossbar in the 52nd minute for Ivory Coast after Ecuador’s John Yeboah and Nilson Angulo did the same in the opening half.

Ecuador, making its fifth World Cup appearance and looking to reach the knockout round for the second time, was playing a virtual home game at Lincoln Financial Field, with most of the capacity crowd of 68,274 wearing the yellow jerseys of La Tri.

“I am very sorry we did not give our fans the joy they came to seek,” Beccacece said.

Ecuador looked strong before Diallo’s goal. Its best chance after halftime came in the 68th minute on Gonzalo Plata’s hard shot from about 25 yards out that was parried away by goalkeeper Yahia Fofana.

“We’re leaving with a loss, but we’re keeping our heads held high knowing that this is just the beginning and there’s still a tournament ahead of us,” Ecuador captain Enner Valencia said.

Ivory Coast was bolstered by the forward play of Yan Diomande. The Leipzig attacker created several scoring chances, particularly down the right side. That included Wahi’s near goal on a flick following Diomande’s hard cross.

“He is very talented,” Faé said. “Incredible player.”

Ivory Coast, which did not concede a goal while going 8-0-2 in 10 qualifying matches, will next face four-time World Cup champion Germany, which defeated Curacao 7-1 earlier Sunday in Group E. Ecuador will meet Curacao. Both matches will be played June 20.

Ivory Coast captain Franck Kessié set the tone for the physical play of Les Éléphant with a hard foul in the fourth minute. Kessié went on to pick up one of three yellow cards for his side, all for reckless challenges, in the opening 45 minutes. Jackson Porozo of Ecuador was cautioned in the 73rd minute.

“We know that high-level football requires much intensity,” Faé said.

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

]]>Petr David JosekPetr David JosekPetr David JosekPetr David JosekPetr David Josek<![CDATA[You may be told to leave FIFA Fan Fest Sunday if lightning moves in]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/13/you-may-be-told-to-leave-fifa-fan-fest-sunday-if-lightning-moves-in/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/13/you-may-be-told-to-leave-fifa-fan-fest-sunday-if-lightning-moves-in/Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:07:19 +0000HOUSTON - As storms and triple-digit “feels-like” heat rolls through Houston on Sunday, FIFA organizers say they are ready to clear the FIFA Fan Festival if lightning gets too close.

FIFA’s lightning plan (8-mile rule)

In a statement provided to KPRC 2, a spokesperson with the FIFA Houston Host Committee, said:

“HPD and HFD are monitoring weather at FIFA Fan Festival, and if there is lightning detected within an eight-mile radius, fans will need to exit the grounds and move to a safe location. Following a 30-minute period without any additional lightning detected within that radius, the gates will reopen. The 30-minute clock will restart with each lightning strike within that eight-mile radius.”

Sunday weather timeline

KPRC 2 Chief Meteorologist Anthony Yanez said the heat index could again hit the triple digits Sunday as Southeast Texas shifts into a stormier pattern.

Storms are expected to increase around noon, with the peak window for lightning and heavy rain from about 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The forecast also includes a 60% chance for lightning around Houston Stadium (which locals know as NRG Stadium), making weather monitoring especially important for visitors not used to how quickly conditions can turn dangerous in Houston.

A low-pressure system in the Bay of Campeche is expected to pull deep tropical moisture into the region starting Sunday. Even if it doesn’t become a named tropical storm, it could still bring significant rain.

Looking ahead

Heavier rain is possible Monday into Tuesday, with forecast totals of 1–3 inches from Sunday through Tuesday and isolated spots up to 5–6 inches.

]]><![CDATA[Georgia's vote-counting method will soon be banned. Lawmakers will try to find a fix this week]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/14/georgias-vote-counting-method-will-soon-be-banned-lawmakers-will-try-to-find-a-fix-this-week/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/14/georgias-vote-counting-method-will-soon-be-banned-lawmakers-will-try-to-find-a-fix-this-week/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 11:37:21 +0000When Georgia lawmakers return to the Capitol this week for a special session, they are expected to try to clean up an election mess of their own making.

The election system used throughout the political battleground state relies on a QR code printed on ballots to tally the votes. Legislators passed a law two years ago barring the use of that barcode for the official vote count beyond July 1 of this year, but no replacement method of tabulating votes was ever implemented.

One of the instructions Republican Gov. Brian Kemp laid out for lawmakers when he called the special session is to “address issues created” by that law. Meanwhile, the secretary of state's office and the State Election Board have further muddied the waters by issuing conflicting guidance for county election officials about how votes should be cast and counted.

If the issues are not resolved soon, there is likely to be confusion and possibly litigation over the state's elections after July 1. A special election to fill a U.S. House seat is scheduled for that month.

How did we get here?

Georgia's current election system was first used statewide during the 2020 primary. After the general election that year, when Republican President Donald Trump narrowly lost the state to Democrat Joe Biden, Trump and his supporters claimed without evidence that the machines had deleted or switched votes.

Trump's backers continued to complain about the touchscreen voting machines, with some loyalists espousing wild conspiracy theories. Election integrity advocates also criticized the machines, saying they are vulnerable to hacking and that voters cannot be sure their selections are accurately reflected because people can't read QR codes.

Republican lawmakers in 2024 tried to address those concerns by passing a law banning barcodes for the “official tabulation count” after July 1, 2026. But in the two years since, no other counting method has been adopted. Now, the deadline is fast approaching and a major midterm election looms.

Trump singled out those machines, which are used in at least some counties in more than a dozen states, in his first executive order on elections shortly after he took office for his second term in January 2025. That order has been blocked by multiple courts and is not being enforced.

The governor steps in

Last month, Kemp announced a special legislative session, scheduled to start Wednesday, to draw new congressional maps for the 2028 elections and to address the QR code issue.

It's possible that lawmakers could extend the deadline in the law to allow the QR codes to be used for now and give themselves some breathing room to come up with a new system before elections in 2028. But in the waning hours of the regular legislative session earlier this year, they rejected a proposal that would have done that.

Even if lawmakers agree on a solution, it might be tough to implement before a special election to fill the remainder of the term of U.S. Rep. David Scott, who died in April. The special election is set for July 28, with early voting beginning July 6.

Secretary of state offers guidance to election offices

The secretary of state's office last week issued guidance to election officials in the six counties included in that congressional district. The office says it's preliminary and subject to change based on any developments from the special session.

The ballots will be run through the scanners, which will read the QR code to generate the election night vote count. Then, before county certification, electronic images created by the scanners for each ballot will be uploaded to a server, where optical character recognition software will be used to tally the votes using the human-readable text. The results of that second process will be the official tabulation count.

The secretary of state's guidance expressly says counties must continue to use the current election system, including the touchscreen voting machines, and that there is nothing in the law that authorizes the use of hand-marked paper ballots for in-person voting.

Conflict with the election board

The State Election Board weighed in two days later with conflicting guidance. Board members argued the plan proposed by the secretary of state is not authorized by law.

The board passed a resolution instructing counties on what to do if the special legislative session does not result in an extension of the deadline for using QR codes. The resolution directs counties to use their emergency backup, which calls for hand-marked paper ballots with scanners used to count voters' selections.

When asked about the conflicting guidance during the election board meeting, Elizabeth Young, a lawyer with the state attorney general's office, said that while the guidance is not binding, "obviously it would cause confusion for elections superintendents if they are getting differing instructions from two agencies, both of which have some authority over what they’re doing.”

The election board has been controlled by a Trump-aligned majority and is often at odds with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who is a frequent Trump target.

Local election officials are in the middle

Henry County in Atlanta's suburbs is one of the counties where voters will go to the polls for next month's special election. Axiver Harris, interim elections director, said the county is aware of the conflicting guidance and is awaiting further clarification from the state.

“Given the uncertainty surrounding the guidance currently available, we believe it is wise to wait for further direction to ensure that any decisions made are consistent with state requirements and election administration best practices,” he wrote in an email.

Marcye Scott, who is running in the special election to serve the remainder of her late father's term, said she is not sure most voters are even aware of the issue and is focusing her attention elsewhere.

“My goal is to get people to the polls, get my people to the polls and get them to vote for me,” she said.

But Carlos Moore, another of the six candidates running in the special election, said he is worried about legal challenges if a new method of vote-counting is implemented without enough time. He hopes lawmakers extend the deadline to allow the use of the QR codes for now.

“I would ask that legislators do the right thing, leave well enough alone for the special election," he said. “Otherwise, it’s almost certain there will be challenges in court.”

]]>Mike StewartBrynn Anderson<![CDATA[Oil and gas supplies could take months to return to normal after Iran deal, energy experts say]]>https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/14/oil-and-gas-supplies-could-take-months-to-return-to-normal-after-iran-deal-energy-experts-say/https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/14/oil-and-gas-supplies-could-take-months-to-return-to-normal-after-iran-deal-energy-experts-say/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 23:52:53 +0000High oil and gasoline prices and energy supply problems won't be solved overnight, despite an agreement to end the Iran war and open the Strait of Hormuz announced Sunday.

It will likely take months before energy companies can resume operations to the point of meeting the world’s demand, according to energy experts. The slow pace of the process of shipping and refining crude oil, and doubts about the security of traveling through the strait mean the effect won't be seen immediately, they said.

Ships loaded with crude oil have been stranded in the Persian Gulf for more than three months, unable to safely travel through the waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and gasoline supplies typically traveled before the war began.

“It’s going to take time for people to feel comfortable and for insurance to be in place ... particularly to get people on the ground to restart some of these assets,” said Daniel Evans, global head of fuels and refining research at S&P Global Energy.

Still, oil prices slipped early Monday after the deal was announced.

Brent crude, the international standard, was down $3.45 at $83.89 per barrel. U.S. benchmark crude oil lost $4.03 to $80.85 per barrel.

Those prices are still well above the roughly $70 per barrel where oil was trading before the war started.

As the higher prices unwind, ships that have been stranded will have to exit the strait, and then new tankers will have to come in to be loaded, Evans said.

“To bring a ship in, you need to be confident that you’ve got a big enough window of safety to bring it in, load it and move it out," he added.

Oil tankers also move slowly, he explained. It takes months to travel from the strait to distant countries, deliver the crude oil to a refinery for processing and then arrive at its final destination.

In addition, some producers in the Middle East paused extracting oil from the ground, known as a shut-in, when they ran out of storage space. Restarting those operations can be a slow process.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, where there are alternate pipelines or routes besides the Strait of Hormuz to deliver oil, may be among the quickest to resume production, said Alan Gelder, senior vice president of refining, chemicals and oil markets at Wood Mackenzie, an analytics firm.

“But places like Iraq could be much more challenged because they’ve had a much bigger shut-in, their fields are more difficult ... it may well take about a year before they get back," he said.

Investment in the energy system, which can take years to see the results, ground to a halt after the strait's closure, Gelder said. So it will take time for this capital to restart.

Countries that shut in oil production won't want to restart until they know there is a stable, durable strait, and that a ceasefire will last more than 30 or 60 days, said Daniel Sternoff, senior fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.

“We don’t know what open means or what the speed of evacuation of trapped material is going to be,” he said.

]]>Carolyn KasterNam Y. Huh<![CDATA[Rockies hit jackpot with 23 runs in steamy Vegas as A's finish wild stretch in future home]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/rockies-hit-jackpot-with-23-runs-in-steamy-vegas-as-as-finish-wild-stretch-in-future-home/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/rockies-hit-jackpot-with-23-runs-in-steamy-vegas-as-as-finish-wild-stretch-in-future-home/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 01:37:28 +0000All those home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field, and the Colorado Rockies never rang up the scoreboard the way they did Sunday in steamy Las Vegas.

If this is what big league baseball looks like in Sin City, pitchers might run for cover in a couple of years under every craps table in town.

Willi Castro had seven RBIs, Hunter Goodman got a career-high five hits and the Rockies set a franchise record for runs with a 23-9 victory over the Athletics on a 101-degree afternoon at Las Vegas Ballpark.

“You’ve just got to make contact and the ball’s gonna go,” Goodman said.

Castro and Goodman each hit two of Colorado’s six homers. Troy Johnston and TJ Rumfield also went deep for the last-place Rockies (27-45), who ended a three-game losing streak.

Scheduled to move to Las Vegas full time in 2028, the A's got a taste of the city this week with a six-game homestand against Milwaukee and Colorado at the site of their top minor league affiliate.

The teams involved combined to score 102 runs in a stretch that began with a wild slugfest last Monday night, when the Brewers outlasted the Athletics 15-14 in a 12-inning game that featured 11 homers and 34 hits.

Colorado's lineup provided an exclamation point Sunday, but Goodman is going to reserve judgment about major league baseball in Vegas.

Because while the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators of the Pacific Coast League play outdoors, the A's are gearing up to move into a new $2 billion stadium under construction on The Strip. That building will be enclosed.

“I’ll be curious to see how it plays,” Goodman said. “I think time will tell. With it being indoors, I don’t know if it will play the same or not. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer has participated in plenty of games similar to Sunday’s series finale, especially at Triple-A Albuquerque.

“This is a very, very tough environment to play baseball,” he said. “As you saw, obviously the ball flies in the thin air, the heat and the sun. It’s just a hard place to play.”

Castro finished with four hits, including a grand slam off Scott Barlow in the eighth inning. Goodman drove in four runs and Kyle Karros also had four hits as the Rockies piled up 24 in all — one shy of the team mark established against Houston on Sept. 25, 2011.

Max Muncy and Tyler Soderstrom homered for the A’s (35-36), who had won four straight. Lawrence Butler got three hits and Zack Gelof extended his hitting streak to 18 games.

Tomoyuki Sugano (7-4) got the win despite giving up eight runs and nine hits in five innings. Eiberson Castellano tossed three scoreless innings to earn a save in his major league debut.

Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs (3-7) allowed eight runs — six earned — and seven hits in four innings.

Colorado scored six times in the fifth to build a 14-6 lead. Goodman homered to begin an outburst capped by Tyler Freeman’s run-scoring triple.

A’s right fielder Carlos Cortes moved to the mound in the eighth and was their most effective pitcher, yielding one run and three hits in the final 1 2/3 innings.

The Athletics went 4-2 on their Las Vegas homestand, winning a pair of three-game series. They return Monday to their regular temporary home in West Sacramento, California, for a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

]]>Caroline BrehmanCaroline BrehmanCaroline BrehmanCaroline BrehmanCaroline Brehman<![CDATA[Protesters in Geneva clash with police ahead of the G7 summit in nearby France]]>https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/14/downtown-geneva-boards-up-as-drastic-security-tightens-ahead-of-anti-g7-protests/https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/14/downtown-geneva-boards-up-as-drastic-security-tightens-ahead-of-anti-g7-protests/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 06:00:08 +0000Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons in clashes with stone-throwing youths during a protest on Sunday in Geneva against the G7 group of wealthy nations, a day before its leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump hold a summit in nearby France.

A violent standoff extended into the evening after a series of incidents — including a car set ablaze and a bank's windows smashed — along the route of an afternoon march that drew an estimated 20,000 people, including some 600 so-called “Black Bloc” militants, according to figures from Geneva police spokesman Alexandre Brahier.

The demonstration, which had been previously organized by a hodgepodge of activist groups after weeks of negotiations with local authorities, was otherwise peaceful — with environmentalists, women's rights advocates, supporters of Palestinians and foes of imperialism, fascism and capitalism.

Early on during the march, firefighters extinguished a Tesla that was set ablaze next to the central bus stop and a phalanx of riot police cordoned off a secure area as a crowd congregated nearby.

A handful of demonstrators ripped down wooden barriers that were previously erected to protect a Banque du Leman and smashed its windows.

Several groups of dozens of youths wearing black hoodies, masks and goggles were mixed in among the other marchers — including behind an anti-Trump banner. Two with their faces totally covered refused to speak with The Associated Press and silently waved off questions before the protest began.

Some protesters fired flares toward officers or tore up chunks of asphalt and chucked them toward police in shields and riot gear.

The clashes continued even after police ordered the demonstrators to disperse.

The vast majority of marchers at the front were advocates of women's rights, many wearing purple T-shirts and holding up banners and posters that decried the “patriarchy,” a lack of women in executive positions and inequality in pay and executive jobs in the workplace.

Other marchers held signs that showed sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza, carried slogans like “Antisemitic never; anti-Zionist always” and criticized Trump — often with expletives — among other sharply worded messages.

Organizers of the protest printed a handbook for demonstrators that included a map of the security perimeter, tips on how to gear up for the march, and advice on how to behave if detained by police.

Travel restrictions and limited border crossings during the summit

Swiss and French authorities have deployed thousands of police to provide security for the three-day summit starting Monday in the resort town of Evian-les-Bains, France. The leaders are set to discuss wars in Ukraine,Iran and the Middle East, and economic issues like global inequality and access to critical minerals.

Ahead of the gathering, authorities in Geneva blocked off roads, banned unauthorized gatherings and pledged financial support for businesses who could be hit by unrest.

Scores of businesses and shops in downtown Geneva boarded up their storefronts with wooden panels as a precaution, leery of upheaval that left a trail of damage in the city during a similar summit in Evian in 2003. Only seven of the 35 roadway border crossings will remain open.

The show of activism began a day earlier: a flotilla of around 20 boats appeared on Lake Geneva off the coast of Evian on Saturday, displaying anti-G7 and pro-Palestinian banners. Swiss media reports said some 20 protesters had been detained on Friday evening.

Resident Robin Hedz lamented the “mess” and expressed bafflement about the “wood-wall everywhere,” while acknowledging the memories of the trail of damaged property over 20 years ago.

The G7 brings together Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, though leaders of several other countries including India, Kenya and Ukraine were expected to join for discussions.

France has announced the deployment of more than 13,000 police and gendarmerie officers to ensure security in the summit area. Over 800 French border control officers will be active, up from about 60 normally.

Trump is the focus of protests

Protests are nothing new around such elite gatherings. This time, activists expressed frustration with Trump’s leadership on issues as diverse as tariffs, the war in Iran, climate, and even his past ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The G7 summit takes place as the United States and Iran appear close to a deal to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz.

“We are very afraid of the policy and the politics of Mr. Trump and also of the other leaders of the G7, because they are fighting, making war all over the place," said Francoise Nyffeler, spokesperson for the NoG7 coalition behind the demonstration on Sunday.

"The planet is in danger and we are very scared about it and we want to protest and say that the people of the world are against their policies,” she added.

___

Associated Press journalists Oleg Cetinic, Kwiyeon Ha, Baz Ratner and Florent Bajrami in Geneva and Samuel Petrequin in London contributed to this report.

]]>Baz RatnerLaurent CiprianiBaz RatnerLaurent CiprianiThibault Camus<![CDATA[Iran's World Cup experience is less joyful amid war with host US, team captain says before debut]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/irans-world-cup-experience-is-less-joyful-amid-war-with-host-us-team-captain-says-before-debut/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/15/irans-world-cup-experience-is-less-joyful-amid-war-with-host-us-team-captain-says-before-debut/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:19:26 +0000Iran captain Mehdi Taremi says his team is having a challenging World Cup experience amid the multifold disruptions created by their nation's war with the U.S., the tournament's co-host.

The Iranians arrived in the Los Angeles area on Sunday from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, just over the U.S. border — about 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the stadium where they will open group-stage play against New Zealand on Monday night. Iran's training camp was relocated from the U.S. after the war began, and the Iranian team has endured numerous distractions since then, including visa problems.

“I have felt the tension from the first moment we arrived at this World Cup,” Taremi said through an interpreter. “At any tournament when there is tension, we won’t have the same beautiful experience we always talk about with peace and joy. ... I know it wasn’t just us. I know several countries had visa problems and changes with training camps. Before we arrived, the feeling, the sensation people always have, how they look forward to the World Cup, I think this time maybe they haven’t had the same feeling.”

The U.S. attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and the initial missile strikes killed its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The war has slowed and resumed several times since then, with President Donald Trump even announcing a peace deal earlier Sunday — one that wasn't addressed at the news conference.

“This kind of tension, it undermines that joy and it undermines the message of FIFA and our people, which is that football brings about peace,” said Taremi, the 33-year-old Olympiacos striker who is playing in his third World Cup. “I feel like this World Cup could have provided a better atmosphere than it has, but I hope in the future it will be better for all fans, whatever team they are supporting in the World Cup.”

Iran initially planned to train in Tucson, Arizona, before the war’s outbreak, but quickly moved to Baja California. FIFA then rejected Iran’s desire to play its group-stage World Cup matches outside the U.S., claiming logistics and contracts wouldn’t allow it.

Iran has been beset with logistical problems since then, including the denial of visas for certain members of its delegation. A team spokesperson said Sunday that two members of its media relations group were denied U.S. visas for the opening match. Iran and its traveling fans also have faced multiple issues with match tickets.

“Without any doubt, this will impact negatively the spirit of football,” Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said. “Football is supposed to bring nations and cultures together. Whether we win, whether we lose, that’s a personal feeling we have, but football as a game is about bringing about joy. These conditions, they have impacted our technical focus, but I have really tried to make sure that my players focus on strategy and techniques.”

The Iranian team is limited to brief trips into the U.S. for its matches, flying in the day before the game and reportedly flying out immediately afterward. Iran plays in Inglewood, California, again next Sunday against Belgium, before completing the group stage in Seattle against Egypt on June 26.

Without giving details, Taremi said Iran's travel from Tijuana to SoFi Stadium took roughly five hours, including the very short flight.

“Of course that impacts us,” Ghalenoei said. “I would like to thank the good people of Mexico, but we Iranians, we are accustomed to make opportunities out of hardship, and we don’t think about anything other than bringing joy to people.”

The Iranian team took the field at SoFi Stadium after the news conference, allowing the players to familiarize themselves with the unfamiliar venue. Players walked around the futuristic arena in small groups, pointing out features of the towering stands and examining the quality of the grass.

Iran was among the earliest qualifiers for this World Cup, and its strong team is currently 20th in FIFA’s rankings. But after the war began, Trump suggested the Iranian team might not be safe in the U.S. — and Iranian officials debated whether the team should compete in the tournament at all.

The Los Angeles area likely was picked to host two of Iran's matches in part because it has the world's largest Iranian population outside Iran. The so-called Tehrangeles area of the city is filled with the families of untold thousands who fled the country after the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s.

Taremi and Ghalenoei are aware that many U.S.-based Iranians will be cheering against their success — both inside the stadium and outside, where various protests against the Iranian government are reportedly planned. Yet another source of possible tumult doesn't bother the team leaders.

“We play for every Iranian, be it in the diaspora or in Iran,” Taremi said. “People have different opinions, but we are here to unite people and we will try to bring joy to all Iranians wherever they live. We do not get involved in politics. We are here to play football.”

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

]]>Andre PennerAndre PennerAndre PennerKhalil HamraKhalil Hamra<![CDATA[Why the Rothko Chapel may be Houston’s most transformative space]]>https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2026/06/15/why-the-rothko-chapel-may-be-houstons-most-transformative-space/https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2026/06/15/why-the-rothko-chapel-may-be-houstons-most-transformative-space/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 01:07:41 +0000Before you ever step inside the Rothko Chapel, the world seems to slow down.

Set within a carefully landscaped campus in Houston’s Museum District, the chapel rises from a tranquil setting of open lawns, towering trees, contemplative outdoor spaces, and a reflecting pool anchored by Barnett Newman’s iconic Broken Obelisk. The salmon-colored brick structure is striking in its simplicity. Windowless and geometric, it reveals little from the outside, yet seems to offer an unspoken invitation: pause, breathe, and leave the noise of the world behind.

For many visitors, the chapel serves as a portal to peace - a rare place where the pressures, divisions, and distractions of daily life momentarily fall away. Inside, people of every faith tradition, and those with no faith tradition at all, are welcome to sit in quiet reflection, prayer, meditation, or simply stillness. Sacred texts from multiple traditions are available to visitors, reinforcing the chapel’s belief that wisdom, understanding, and contemplation can be found through many paths.

For more than 55 years, visitors have crossed its threshold in search of inspiration, connection, and dialogue. More than 100,000 people from around the world now make the journey each year, drawn to a Houston landmark that has become one of the world’s most unique spaces for reflection and human connection.

Yet despite its international reputation, the Rothko Chapel remains something of a hidden gem for many Houstonians.

Since opening in 1971, the chapel has evolved into an internationally recognized center for human rights, interfaith dialogue, and community engagement. Over the decades, some of the world’s most influential figures have visited the space, including Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Jimmy Carter, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Its mission extends far beyond the fourteen monumental paintings created specifically for the chapel by artist Mark Rothko.

“People often tell me how diverse Houston is,” said Rothko Chapel President Abdullah Antepli. “And I agree. But history tells us that just because different people live together, it doesn’t automatically create pluralistic, harmonious societies. The Chapel is one of those places where we can turn diversity into pluralism, where we can turn diversity into brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity.”

That philosophy is reflected not only inside the chapel, but throughout the surrounding grounds.

Just beyond the chapel sits one of Houston’s most recognizable public artworks: Barnett Newman’s Broken Obelisk. Resting in a reflecting pool, the sculpture is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Its presence at the Rothko Chapel almost never happened.

In 1969, chapel founders John and Dominique de Menil offered the sculpture to the City of Houston on the condition that it be dedicated to Dr. King following his assassination. When the proposal was declined, the de Menils acquired the sculpture themselves and installed it at the Rothko Chapel, where it remains today as both a memorial and a symbol of social responsibility.

For Carolyn King, the chapel’s Director of Research and Education, the relationship between the chapel and Broken Obelisk is intentional.

Visitors enter the chapel seeking contemplation and rest. They emerge to find a reminder that reflection is only the beginning.

King describes Broken Obelisk as a call to action.

Inside the chapel, visitors are invited to sit quietly, reflect, and consider their place in the world. Outside, the sculpture serves as a reminder that there is still work to be done - that contemplation and action are not opposing ideas, but partners.

It is perhaps this balance between stillness and engagement that explains the chapel’s enduring relevance more than five decades after it opened.

And while the institution is deeply rooted in its history, its leaders are equally focused on the future.

Antepli says the chapel’s global reputation and decades-long legacy have created an opportunity to think boldly about what comes next.

Plans are underway for a new center located just across Sul Ross Street from the chapel’s Welcome House. The new space will expand opportunities for learning, dialogue, and engagement, creating a gathering place where visitors from Houston and around the world can come together for conferences, lectures, educational programs, and thoughtful conversations.

In many ways, the project represents a natural evolution of the Rothko Chapel’s mission.

“The chapel has earned its place in the world over the past 55 years,” Antepli said. “Because of that history, we’re able to build an exciting future.”

While the chapel itself will remain a portal to peace - a place for reflection, contemplation, and stillness - the new center will create additional space for ideas, dialogue, and community-building, ensuring the institution continues to serve future generations.

In one of the most diverse cities in America, the Rothko Chapel offers something increasingly rare: a place where people can slow down, listen deeply, and encounter one another with curiosity rather than judgment.

Known around the world as a place for art, reflection, and dialogue, the Rothko Chapel remains, at its heart, a gathering place for community - a space where visitors can find peace, and perhaps leave inspired to help create it in the world beyond its walls.

That spirit of connection will be on full display during the Rothko Chapel’s annual Summer Solstice celebration on June 18. Beginning at 8:30 a.m., the day-long event brings together music, reflection, and community, with performances by Atlas Maior and Kaminari Taiko. Like much of what happens at the Chapel, the celebration invites visitors to slow down, gather with others, and experience a moment of connection in an increasingly fast-paced world.

Planning a visit? The Rothko Chapel is located at 3900 Yupon Street in Houston’s Museum District and is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free, though donations are welcome. Visitors can learn more about upcoming events, educational programs, and seasonal celebrations by visiting the Rothko Chapel website. Click here to visit the website.

]]><![CDATA[What to know about the G7 summit Trump is attending in France]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/what-to-know-about-the-g7-summit-trump-is-attending-in-france/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/15/what-to-know-about-the-g7-summit-trump-is-attending-in-france/Mon, 15 Jun 2026 01:07:04 +0000Right after his 80th birthday party celebrations, U.S. President Donald Trump is heading to a summit in France of the G7 club of powerful democracies to dive into issues — Iran, Ukraine, trade and more — that have been sources of friction with allies he will be meeting.

Hours before leaving Washington, Trump announced an agreement to end the war — a development that could change the dynamic for the G7 leaders during the talks from late Monday to Wednesday.

Just days ago, when the Iran-U.S. ceasefire was hanging by a thread, with resumed strikes, the gathering on the shores of Europe’s largest Alpine lake appeared headed for stormy waters.

Analysts speculated that tempers could flare and that Trump might not stick around for long in Evian-les-Bains, the Alpine spa town that's been enveloped in a security bubble for the G7 leaders and guests also invited by French President Emmanuel Macron, the host.

Aside from France and the U.S., the other G7 nations are Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Here's what to know about their latest annual summit:

Summit outcomes could depend on Trump's mood

Shared values and interests, leaders' personal chemistry and the informality of G7 gatherings — the club first came together in 1975 to brainstorm fixes for the ailing global economy — have facilitated discussion at previous meetings.

“Many of the great G7 summit initiatives have come from leaders’ spontaneous combustion, created by them on the spot, based on free, unrestricted dialogue about the values, memories and even the sports, like baseball, that they share,” said John Kirton, a G7 specialist at the University of Toronto.

But Trump’s relationships with European allies have been fraught even before he launched the Iran war with Israel in February without consulting them. The Evian gathering is their first get-together since then.

Allies that Trump berated for refusing to join the war are likely to greet any Iran deal with relief if it reopens the Strait of Hormuz and enables Persian Gulf energy exports to flow freely again.

Ukraine wants to make its case to Trump

As host, Macron has packed the meatiest and potentially most contentious topics into the summit’s first 24 hours, including the Iran war and its impact on energy supplies and the Ukraine war that’s largely slipped down the White House's list of top priorities.

Tuesday's morning session on Ukraine will afford invited guest President Volodymyr Zelenskyy an opportunity to showcase progress that Ukrainian forces are making against the Russian invasion. If Zelenskyy is able to convince Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot achieve his aims in the war militarily, he might perhaps also be able to persuade him that Putin should be pushed to the negotiating table.

After his Oval Office thrashing by Trump and Vice President JD Vance last year, Zelenskyy now has "a significantly stronger hand,” said Maria Snegovaya, a Russia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

The Trump administration “does tend to look more favorably at those states that have certain positions of power tilting in their favor,” she said.

Outlook uncertain for talks on Iran

A lunch meeting Tuesday on the Middle East could go any number of ways. The U.S.-Iran deal is expected to be signed on Friday, followed by technical talks on details over the next 60 days. Trump will be pressed for more information about the terms of the agreement.

If it reopens the Strait of Hormuz, France and Britain are expected to make the case that they could help rid the narrow waterway of any mines and escort tankers through it. They have been working on such plans with other nations but have been waiting for a stable ceasefire to launch the mission.

G7 leaders are also expected to talk about developing other energy supply routes out of the Gulf, including via Egypt. The Egyptian president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, as well as Qatar’s ruling emir and the United Arab Emirates' president will join those talks. Trump is also meeting with each of those regional leaders privately during the summit.

A dense agenda of other issues

China, not a G7 member, is expected to be a focus of economic talks on Wednesday. G7 nations are concerned that China is flooding export markets with subsidized products, unfairly out-competing their own industries and destroying jobs. China's economy dwarfs those of all G7 nations except the United States.

Discussions are also scheduled on artificial intelligence, including how to protect young people online, and how to economically aid developing countries.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are attending some of the summit. So, too, are the leaders of South Korea and Kenya.

The G7 has been a force for more than 50 years

The G7 countries take turns hosting and organizing activities. France inherited the G7 presidency from Canada, last year’s summit host, and will pass it to the U.S. in 2027.

The club's first summit, in Rambouillet, France, in 1975, brought together the leaders of six nations — France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. — for brainstorming on how to speed their recovery from the sharpest economic slump since World War II. Canada joined the following year, making the G7.

No G7 leader has ever skipped an annual summit, a perfect attendance record for more than 50 years, said Kirton, the University of Toronto specialist.

Membership has always been limited to democracies, enabling Russia to join as a fledgling democracy in 1998 but ruling out Communist Party-ruled China.

The club has broken off with Russia since 2014, when Putin seized Crimea from Ukraine, foreshadowing the full-scale war now raging since 2022.

___

Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.

]]>Thibault CamusLewis JolyThibault CamusLewis Joly<![CDATA[In Georgia, Senate hopeful Mike Collins celebrates being Trump's latest 'MAGA' pick in GOP primaries]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/14/trump-endorses-collins-in-georgia-senate-runoff-its-his-latest-maga-pick-in-republican-primaries/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/14/trump-endorses-collins-in-georgia-senate-runoff-its-his-latest-maga-pick-in-republican-primaries/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:29:07 +0000In the closing stretch of Georgia's Republican U.S. Senate runoff, Rep. Mike Collins celebrated his 11th-hour endorsement from Donald Trump on Sunday and dismissed any ideas that the Republican president's stamp of approval is a risky bet in a potential showdown with Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.

Trump disclosed his choice of Collins over former football coach Derek Dooley in a middle-of-the-night social media post that praised the second-term congressman for his loyalty.

“I’ve always said that President Trump has this just impeccable ability to put his thumb on the scale at the right time,” Collins said at a campaign stop Sunday in the northern Atlanta exurbs.

The Republican candidates are competing Tuesday for the chance to unseat Ossoff in one of the most closely watched campaigns in the November midterm elections. Dooley, a political newcomer, is backed by outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp, who has clashed with Trump in the past.

Collins called it “encouraging” to have the president's approval. Looking past Dooley to the potential matchup with Ossoff, the congressman said he planned to invited Trump to Georgia, despite the president's sagging approval ratings.

“I’d love to have President Trump in Georgia every day, any day he wants to come down,” Collins said.

Collins has been a stalwart Trump ally

Collins has backed Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement since his first House campaign in 2022, and the president said in his announcement early Sunday on social media that the trucking company owner and second-term congressman “has been with me from the very beginning” and is a ”true friend, fighter, and WARRIOR."

“I don’t know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else, but he seems like a nice person,” Trump wrote, while noting that Dooley did not vote in 2016 or 2020, when Trump was on the ballot. Dooley has acknowledged going nearly two decades without voting but says he did vote for Trump in 2024.

Trump also complained that Dooley — accurately — said Trump lost Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, refusing to back the president's lie that the election was stolen from him.

Collins has consistently echoed Trump's false claims about his defeat and, on Sunday, called the 2020 election “legitimately rigged,” arguing that elections officials in Georgia and other states erred by expanding absentee voting and, in the congressman's views, relaxing other election controls.

Collins led Dooley in the May 19 primary but neither surpassed 40%, leaving many Republican votes up for grabs. Trump’s endorsement has proved powerful as he shapes a party identity that is increasingly indistinguishable from his own.

Still, the president’s choice puts him at odds with more traditional Republicans, including Kemp. The endorsement is reminiscent of Trump’s decision to back Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton before his victory over U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in that state’s recent primary runoff.

Dooley maintains confidence despite Trump's decision

Collins supporters cheered enthusiastically at the mention of Trump's endorsement.

“He waited a little bit,” said James Haddad, a 66-year-old retired engineer from Woodstock in Cherokee County. “But he's studied the candidates, and he did the right thing. It's going to help.”

Dooley responded to the president's pick by saying Georgia voters do not want “typical D.C. politicians like Mike Collins.” In an X post, Dooley expressed confidence that he'd still win.

With Kemp as his top surrogate, Dooley argues that a first-time candidate has a better shot to defeat Ossoff, the only Democratic senator facing voters in a state Trump carried in 2024.

Kemp was the top choice of Senate Republican leaders looking for an Ossoff challenger. Kemp recruited Dooley, a childhood friend, to run instead.

Haddad said he voted for Kemp twice and appreciates the job he's done but did not consider the outgoing governor's opinion when deciding who to back for the Senate.

Collins did not mention Kemp on Sunday, paid little attention to Dooley and spent more time criticizing Ossoff.

“He doesn't reflect the state of Georgia,” he told supporters from the bed of a pickup truck. “He doesn’t represent our values — matter of fact, he shouldn’t even be there.”

Trump's uneasy relationship with Kemp

Trump’s choice, and his insistence on bringing up the 2020 election again, puts the spotlight again on his uneasy relationship with Kemp. The governor resisted Trump's pressure not to certify Biden’s presidential electors before the Electoral College convened in December of the election year.

Trump criticized Kemp in the years after and backed a primary challenger, former Sen. David Perdue, against the governor in 2022. Kemp trounced Perdue and coasted in the general election. By 2024, he and Trump managed a detente as Trump worked to return Georgia to the GOP presidential column.

But behind the scenes, it's been clear the alliance was fragile and circumstantial. Kemp’s decision to recruit Dooley in the first place, with an emphasis on the need for a political outsider, has itself been a subtle rejection of Trump’s domination of the party.

In his many campaign stops alongside Dooley, Kemp has reminded voters that Republicans have not won a Senate election in Georgia since 2016 — when Trump was first elected. Each time, the GOP nominee has fully embraced Trump.

The governor points to a trio of first-term Republican senators — Montana’s Tim Sheehy, Pennsylvania’s Dave McCormick and Ohio’s Bernie Moreno — who defeated Democratic incumbents in 2024 running as outsiders who still aligned with the president.

Collins pushed back at Kemp's framing, saying his record in Washington shows he can be staunchly conservative, align with Trump and still court moderates voters who may not like the president.

The congressman sponsored the Laken Riley Act, a 2025 law that requires immigrants be detained when charged with certain crimes. Republicans believe the issue damages Ossoff because he initially voted against the measure before supporting it after Trump returned to the White House.

Collins noted that dozens of Democrats supported the measure.

“Bipartisan is not a bad word,” he said, arguing that metropolitan voters will reward him for results.

And even Kemp deviated from his Senate argument Sunday by endorsing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the GOP's primary runoff for government. That choice puts Kemp on the side as Trump — who endorsed Jones last year — and against billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who's run as an outsider like Dooley.

Trump's primary track record

Dooley’s and Kemp's argument is matched against Trump’s winning streak inside the party. In a matter of weeks, Trump has celebrated victories over Republicans who did not pass his test of loyalty.

Cornyn lost to Paxton, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost to Ed Gallrein, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana failed to make a runoff and several Indiana state senators were defeated by challengers. Dooley needs Georgia to look more like Iowa, where Trump was unable to lift U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra to victory in the state's gubernatorial primary.

Dooley has told voters he will “work with President Trump but fight for you.”

He will campaign again Monday, and Kemp will be at his side.

]]>Bill BarrowBill BarrowBill Barrow<![CDATA[Skydiving plane crash investigations often reveal poor maintenance and weak safety oversight]]>https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/14/skydiving-plane-crash-investigations-often-reveal-poor-maintenance-and-weak-safety-oversight/https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/14/skydiving-plane-crash-investigations-often-reveal-poor-maintenance-and-weak-safety-oversight/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 23:14:43 +0000Poor maintenance is often a factor when skydiving planes crash like one did in Missouri on Sunday, and the National Transportation Safety Board has said in past investigations that weak oversight of the skydiving industry can allow problems to go unnoticed.

It is far too soon to know what caused this weekend's crash that happened shortly after a plane took off from a small airport about an hour south of Kansas City. Twelve people died in the crash while some of their family members watched from the ground at Butler Memorial Airport. The NTSB will work to determine what happened over the next year or more before publishing its final report on the cause although the agency will release some preliminary details over the next month.

Just two years ago, another skydiving plane crashed near the same airport, but in that case everyone aboard was able to parachute to safety beforehand. The NTSB found that the handle for deploying a skydiver's emergency parachute got caught on something and sent him crashing into the plane’s horizontal stabilizer as he jumped, causing the crash.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said that too often, a skydiving crash investigation reveals lax maintenance and a weak safety culture. The Federal Aviation Administration rules that govern the industry can allow issues like these to fester because the safety standards for skydiving operations aren't as stringent as the rules for charter flight operators or airlines.

“These skydiving operations don’t have the best maintenance to make sure they’ve got airworthy airframes and engines because they don’t undergo the normal scrutiny that an air charter service does,” said Guzzetti, who used to be a crash investigator for both the NTSB and FAA.

The NTSB said after a 2019 crash that killed 11 people in Hawaii that the FAA’s regulatory system isn’t strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights. In that crash, investigators found that the wing of the plane had been twisted during a previous incident several years earlier and had never been repaired. The FAA inspections that were done on the plane before the crash failed to spot the damaged left wing of the plane.

In a previous review of 32 skydiving accidents between 1980 and 2008, the NTSB found recurring shortcomings in the maintenance and inspections of aircraft and lax pilot training programs. But the FAA never took the recommended actions to strengthen the safety standards for skydiving companies.

The skydiving industry is proud of its safety record overall. Last year, just 16 civilians died while skydiving as 3.47 million skydives were completed nationwide, and most of those were the result of a simple human error, according to the United States Parachute Association.

That translates into a rate of 0.46 deaths per every 100,000 jumps. The annual number of skydiving deaths peaked in the late 1970s, and it has been declining slowly since then.

Sunday’s crash involved a single-engine turboprop Pacific Aerospace 750XL that is popular for skydiving because the nine seats in the back can be easily removed to clear the space for jumpers. The New Zealand-based company that makes these planes, NZAero, says the 750XL can take off and land in less than 800 feet (244 meters), and carry a load of more than 4,000 pounds (1,814 kilograms) even in hot conditions which make it more difficult to get airborne.

The 750XL is also certified to be operated by a single pilot. The plane that crashed Sunday was manufactured in 2010, according to FAA records.

It was operated by Skydive Kansas City, which is part of a group called Bucketlist Experience that promises on its website that it is “Helping Make Safe Skydivers” by helping people interesting in the sport master the basics of safety and technique, so they’ll be ready to enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes with “the exhilarating freedom of flying through the sky.”

]]>Reed HoffmannUncreditedReed Hoffmann<![CDATA[12 dead in crash of plane on skydiving outing in Missouri, authorities say]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2026/06/14/all-12-occupants-dead-in-missouri-plane-crash-state-highway-patrol-says/https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2026/06/14/all-12-occupants-dead-in-missouri-plane-crash-state-highway-patrol-says/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 17:59:39 +0000A plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers on a skydiving outing in Missouri crashed in a field and was engulfed in flames Sunday, killing all aboard, authorities said.

The crash happened shortly after the plane took off from a local airport around 11:30 a.m., and some of the occupants' family members witnessed the crash, said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.

A heap of blue and silver mangled metal lay in the grass near Butler Memorial Airport with a massive lineup of emergency vehicles gathered on a nearby street. Clergy and volunteers went to the site to assist relatives, Anderson said, and officials were working Sunday afternoon to identify all victims and notify their next of kin.

Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration were also on scene Sunday afternoon, Anderson said, and a team from the National Transportation Safety Board was en route.

The private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, said Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director. It was identified as a single engine turboprop plane.

“It had just taken off and made a left turn” before the crash, Jacobs said. “In my opinion, I think it was losing power, and he was trying to make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose first and caught fire.”

Emergency responders put out the fire in the wreckage soon after the crash, Jacobs said, calling the scene “brutal.” First responders also checked the area under the flight path and did not find anyone who might have tried to jump out before the plane came down, he said.

The Pacific Aerospace 750XL that crashed is a model that’s popular for skydiving and also has proven useful for carrying cargo, aerial surveying and medical evacuation flights. The aircraft can carry more than 4,000 pounds (1,800 kilograms) and is capable of taking off and landing on short runways, according to the manufacturer. The plane was built in 2010, according to FAA records.

Sky diving companies operate in the region eight or nine months of the year, with the season usually starting in late March or early April and lasting into October or November. Someone answering the phone at Skydive Kansas City declined to speak to a reporter from The Associated Press.

The crashed occurred on a sunny day in the area. Data from the digital flight tracking company FlightAware shows the plane had already completed two short flights on Sunday before the crash. Two more successful flights were logged Saturday, and five on Friday, according to FlightAware.

It’s not yet known what factors may have contributed to the crash, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing said, and those details will be part of the investigation carried out by NTSB officials.

The sheriff emphasized that the public is safe and this “appears to be an accident.”

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said poor maintenance has been a factor in a number of previous skydiving plane crashes because these companies are not held to a high standard under FAA rules. Guzzetti said skydiving companies are governed by the same rules any private plane owner has to follow and not the more stringent rules that charter flight operators and airlines adhere to.

“There’s been a whole history of skydiving accidents for inadequate maintenance and deficient safety culture,” said Guzzetti who used to be a crash investigator for both the NTSB and FAA.

The exact cause of Sunday’s crash won’t be clear for a year or more until the NTSB publishes its final report.

The NTSB has previously raised concerns about the weak oversight for skydiving operators in past crash investigations. The agency said after a 2019 crash that killed 11 people in Hawaii that the FAA’s regulatory system isn’t strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights.

.The small airport serves around 30 aircraft, all privately owned, including crop dusting companies and sky dive operators, Jacobs said.

The small town of Butler has a population of around 4,300 people and is roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of Kansas City. The Butler Memorial Airport, as well as the highway that runs beside it, will remain closed while federal investigators are on the scene, Anderson said Sunday afternoon.

___

This story has been updated to correct that Jacobs called the scene “brutal.”

___

Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Associated Press Transportation Writer Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska, along with AP reporter Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa.

]]><![CDATA[TIMELINE: Tracking a flood watch with more rain on the way as thousands watch the FIFA World Cup]]>https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2026/06/12/feels-like-triple-digits-ahead-of-weekend-flood-threat/https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2026/06/12/feels-like-triple-digits-ahead-of-weekend-flood-threat/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 17:26:11 +0000HAPPENING NOW: A flood watch has now been issued from now until Wednesday 7 am.

We’re tracking rain, thunderstorms and a chance for heavier rounds of rain - thanks to the tropical moisture from the Gulf. We could get 2 to 4 inches of rain, but the NWS is not ruling out 6 to 8 inches in isolated spots over the next few days.

A flood watch has now been issued
A flood watch has now been issued
  • Timing of storms: This morning we tracked isolated rain and thunderstorms, this afternoon it’s a little more scattered around our viewing area and tonight the weather pattern shifts to the north.

You can track radar anytime here: Your weather team is tracking rain and thunderstorms not only today but over the next few days.

Here’s a look at radar just before noon: You can see the weather pattern is a little more scattered - so make sure to keep an eye on the sky and radar.

Tracking isolated rain and thunderstorms this afternoon
Tracking isolated rain and thunderstorms this afternoon

Today’s Forecast: We’re tracking rain, thunderstorms and triple-digit feel like heat today.

More than 68,000 fans are expected at Houston Stadium at noon for what’s been dubbed the David vs. Goliath matchup by FIFA.com . Plus, another 15,000 visitors are expected to cycle through the FIFA Fan Fest daily, according to VisitHouston.com .

Feels-like temps hit 105+ today
Feels-like temps hit 105+ today

According to our reporting, at the FIFA Fan Festival, if lightning is detected within an 8-mile radius, fans will have to exit the grounds and move to a safe location. Following a 30-minute period without any additional lightning, the gates will reopen.

Today's kick-off as we track rain and thunderstorms
Today's kick-off as we track rain and thunderstorms

The peak window for lightning and heavy rain is expected between 2 and 8 p.m. There’s a 60% chance for lightning around Houston Stadium and scattered storms throughout Southeast Texas, making weather monitoring especially important for visitors who aren’t used to how quickly our weather can become dangerous in Houston.

Tracking isolated storms today
Tracking isolated storms today
Tracking storms as we head into the evening through Monday
Tracking storms as we head into the evening through Monday
Watching storms shift to the north tonight
Watching storms shift to the north tonight

We’re watching an area of low-pressure producing disorganized thunderstorms near Mexico that is bringing tropical moisture toward Houston - giving us a higher chance for downpours.

A low chance for tropical development, but a high chance for tropical moisture to reach southeast Texas
A low chance for tropical development, but a high chance for tropical moisture to reach southeast Texas
Tracking a flash flood threat today
Tracking a flash flood threat today

Monday’s forecast:

There is the potential for a Monday washout! We could wake up to widespread heavy rain with more downpours possible in the afternoon. Our highest street flooding threat is this day in Houston.

This is our highest risk day in Houston
This is our highest risk day in Houston

Tuesday’s forecast:

Our last round of widespread heavy rain is Tuesday morning. By the early afternoon all of the organized thunderstorms will move out of southeast Texas. Rain totals Sunday to Tuesday range from 1″ to 3″ with a few places getting 5″ to 6″.

Isolated amounts of 5
Isolated amounts of 5"-6" could occur too

10-day forecast:

There could be some hit and miss storms Wednesday but once we get to Thursday Houston heads into our next hot and humid weather pattern.

Tracking your 10 day forecast
Tracking your 10 day forecast
]]><![CDATA[Alabama's GOP dismisses a residency challenge to Tuberville's bid for Alabama governor]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/14/alabamas-gop-dismisses-a-residency-challenge-to-tubervilles-bid-for-alabama-governor/https://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/2026/06/14/alabamas-gop-dismisses-a-residency-challenge-to-tubervilles-bid-for-alabama-governor/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 04:01:42 +0000The Alabama Republican Party said U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville will remain the party’s gubernatorial nominee, rejecting a claim on Sunday that he had not lived in the state long enough to run for governor.

The unanimous decision came after the party's 21-member steering committee heard a challenge filed by Tuberville’s former primary opponent, Ken McFeeters. The challenge argued that Tuberville did not meet the Alabama Constitution’s seven-year residency requirement.

“We looked at it with the facts. The contest was unsuccessful. And Coach Tuberville will be our nominee for governor," said Scott Stadthagen, the state Republican Party chair. Tuberville is often referred to as “Coach” because of his background coaching college football.

Stadthagen did not take questions from the news media. The hearing was not open to the public.

Tuberville has long faced accusations of living in Florida rather than the state he represents in Washington. He has faced the same claim as he runs for governor.

McFeeters did not immediately return a text message seeking comment.

“Does he live in Alabama? No,” McFeeters said before the hearing. “He doesn’t live here.”

Tuberville, who easily defeated McFeeters in last month’s primary and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, called the accusation a “witch-hunt” by the media.

“I’m thankful for the committee holding a hearing today to finally put this ridiculous residency hoax to bed,” Tuberville said. “For the past six years, I’ve proudly represented Alabama in the United States Senate. When I’m not in D.C., Suzanne and I are at home in Auburn and yes, sometimes, at our beach house on the coast.”

The party said Tuberville submitted state tax records, property and home ownership records, driver's licenses, voter registration and other corroborating material demonstrating his residency. The document said McFeeters was given the opportunity to question Tuberville on the witness stand about how much time he spends in Alabama and in Florida.

Property tax records show Tuberville and his wife own a beach home in Florida valued at $5.6 million. His campaign has said his residence is a home in Auburn. The 1,551-square-foot property has an appraised value of about $291,780. The Auburn home was purchased by his wife and son in 2017. The senator’s name was later added to the property in 2024, and the son’s name removed. Both the Auburn and Florida homes appear to have recently been put in a revocable trust.

Tuberville released heavily redacted Alabama income tax returns from 2018 to 2024 as evidence he meets the seven-year residency requirement. The returns list a redacted Auburn address and indicate the Tubervilles moved to the state in August 2018.

Voting records show Tuberville voted in Florida in November 2018. He registered to vote in Alabama on March 28, 2019, about two weeks before announcing his run for Senate.

McFeeters said Tuberville’s Senate travel records also show frequent travel to the Florida Panhandle, which he said buttresses the idea that he resides in the location.

In a seven-page document explaining their decision, party officials cited Tuberville’s evidence, including his voting history in Alabama. The officials said courts have determined voter registration to be an important consideration when determining domicile.

Tuberville was head football coach at Auburn University from 1999 to 2008. He then coached at Texas Tech and the University of Cincinnati. He went to work for ESPN after retiring from coaching. In a 2017 promotional video for ESPN, he talked about moving to Florida after retiring from coaching.

The residency requirement in the Alabama Constitution is awkwardly worded, which could muddy any legal dispute. It says the governor and lieutenant governor “shall have been citizens of the United States ten years and resident citizens of this state at least seven years next before the date of their election.”

Tuberville faced similar accusations when he ran for Senate in 2020. He was up against Jeff Sessions, who was running for the same seat that he held before he became Trump's first attorney general. Sessions aired a television advertisement describing Tuberville as a “Florida Man.” Tuberville won 61% of the vote, compared with 39% for Sessions, in a Republican primary runoff, and went on to defeat Doug Jones, the Democratic incumbent.

Tuberville and Jones are headed to a rematch in the governor's race in November.

Stadthagen said in a statement that, “it is time for the ALGOP to firmly close and lock this chapter and turn our full attention toward defeating liberal Democrat Doug Jones” and “keeping Alabama the brightest red Republican state in the nation.”

]]>Jose Luis Magana<![CDATA[Rockies set club record for runs with 23-9 victory over A's in Las Vegas heat]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/rockies-set-club-record-for-runs-with-23-9-victory-over-as-in-las-vegas-heat/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/rockies-set-club-record-for-runs-with-23-9-victory-over-as-in-las-vegas-heat/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 23:11:59 +0000Willi Castro had seven RBIs, Hunter Goodman got five hits and the Colorado Rockies set a franchise record for runs Sunday in a 23-9 victory over the Athletics on a 101-degree afternoon at Las Vegas Ballpark.

Goodman and Castro each hit two of Colorado's six homers. Troy Johnston and TJ Rumfield also went deep for the last-place Rockies (27-45), who ended a three-game losing streak.

Castro finished with four hits, including a grand slam off Scott Barlow in the eighth inning. Goodman drove in four runs and Kyle Karros also had four hits as the Rockies piled up 24 in all — one shy of the team mark established against Houston on Sept. 25, 2011.

The Athletics ended their Las Vegas homestand with a 4-2 record, winning three-game series against Milwaukee and Colorado at the home of their Triple-A affiliate. The big league club plans to move to the city full time in 2028.

Max Muncy and Tyler Soderstrom homered for the A's (35-36), who had won four straight. Lawrence Butler got three hits and Zack Gelof extended his hitting streak to 18 games.

Tomoyuki Sugano (7-4) got the win despite giving up eight runs and nine hits in five innings. Eiberson Castellano tossed three scoreless innings to earn a save in his major league debut.

Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs (3-7) allowed eight runs — six earned — and seven hits in four innings.

Colorado scored six times in the fifth to build a 14-6 lead. Goodman homered to begin an outburst capped by Tyler Freeman's run-scoring triple.

A's right fielder Carlos Cortes moved to the mound in the eighth and was their most effective pitcher, yielding one run and three hits in the final 1 2/3 innings.

Up next

Rockies: RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-8, 7.54 ERA) pitches Monday night at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs.

Athletics: Return home to West Sacramento, California, with J.T. Ginn (4-3, 3.15 ERA) scheduled to face Jared Jones (1-0, 4.73) and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

]]>Caroline BrehmanCaroline BrehmanCaroline BrehmanCaroline BrehmanCaroline Brehman<![CDATA[Helicopter with singer Oliver Tree on passenger list collides with another in Brazil, killing 6]]>https://www.click2houston.com/entertainment/2026/06/14/helicopter-with-singer-oliver-tree-on-passenger-list-collides-with-another-in-brazil-killing-6/https://www.click2houston.com/entertainment/2026/06/14/helicopter-with-singer-oliver-tree-on-passenger-list-collides-with-another-in-brazil-killing-6/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:22:37 +0000Two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning and crashed in the city’s western zone, killing all six people aboard, firefighters said.

Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said one of the helicopters crashed on the parking lot of a car dealership, where several electric vehicles were parked, igniting a fire that was extinguished.

Officials said an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collision.

Police said that American singer and comedian Oliver Tree was on the list of passengers given to aviation authorities, but they have not been able to identify the bodies of those killed in the crash.

Tree performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 4, and published a video on his Instagram Saturday where he is playing soccer in a Brazilian neighborhood.

Argentine streaming channel Blender said that content creator Gaspar Prim Díaz — also known as Gaspi — was in one of the helicopters.

Gaspi had more than 2.8 million followers on YouTube and was 23.

“Thanks for your art, your magic and your sensibility, every one of us will miss you,” Blender said on its X account.

Fernandes de Freitas, a tire repair worker, said he saw one of the helicopters in flames following the midair collision, and noticed that one of the passengers jumped out of the other aircraft, before it hit the ground.

“It was terrifying, absolutely horrifying,” De Freitas said.

___

Ramiro Barreiro contributed from Buenos Aires.

___

Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

]]>Bruna PradoBruna PradoBruna PradoBruna PradoBruna Prado<![CDATA[Havertz sparks Germany’s 7-1 rout of Curaçao after underdogs’ historic 1st goal in World Cup]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/havertz-sparks-germanys-7-1-rout-of-curacao-after-underdogs-historic-1st-goal-in-world-cup/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/havertz-sparks-germanys-7-1-rout-of-curacao-after-underdogs-historic-1st-goal-in-world-cup/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 18:04:35 +0000Germany's seven-goal rout of Curaçao in its World Cup opener on Sunday was the perfect outcome to overshadow a close first half and boost the team after consecutive group-stage exits for the four-time champions.

Kai Havertz scored two goals as Germany pulled away from World Cup first-timer Curaçao and piled it on in a 7-1 win in group play. The smallest country to ever appear in the tournament hung tight at 1-1 until the 38th minute.

“We really needed this convincing win,” coach Julian Nagelsmann said. “We needed this self-confidence. It was there but it definitely grew.”

He said Sunday's display was important for the country's fans.

“We have to show them that we can perform and we have to have the confidence,” he said. “I think we’re in a better spot than we were entering this match.”

Livano Comenencia tied it at 1-1 with his left-footed shot through traffic from the center of the box in the 21st minute to give Curaçao its first goal in the tournament and send fans of the tiny Caribbean nation into a frenzy.

“Even though it wasn’t me, it felt like it was me, it was all of us, the whole island, everybody,” Curaçao's Jearl Margaritha said. “We screamed our lungs out. So we were happy.”

It was all Germany after that with the team regaining the lead on Nico Schlotterbeck’s header off Nathaniel Brown’s corner kick in the 38th.

“One team has very high expectations and the other one doesn’t and that’s a bit tricky,” Nagelsmann said.

The six-goal margin was well short of the World Cup record of nine, which has happened three times, most recently when Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982. And the performance from the Germans was much more expected than the last time they won 7-1 in a World Cup, beating host Brazil in the 2014 semifinals.

Havertz connected on a penalty shot into the left goal in first-half stoppage time to make it 3-1. Germany was awarded the penalty shot after Felix Nmecha was tripped in the box by Riechedly Bazoer.

Germany wasted no time after halftime to extend the lead, with Jamal Musiala scoring on a right-footed shot across the goalkeeper’s area in the 47th minute.

Brown scored in the 68th minute to push the advantage to 5-1. The 22-year-old has an American father, but made it clear ahead of the World Cup he'd be representing the country in which he was born and raised by his mother.

Deniz Undav added a goal in the 78th minute. Havertz's second goal came in the 88th.

Germany is seeking redemption after failing to get out of the group stage in Russia and Qatar following its 2014 title.

“We are on the right path but of course there are things that we can do better and we will have stronger opponents,” Nagelsmann said.

Nmecha one-timed it with his right foot into the near post just inside the upper box with an assist from Florian Wirtz in the sixth minute to make it 1-0.

The crowd of 68,021 was overwhelmingly rooting for Germany but there was a spirited contingent of people cheering on Curaçao.

It was the first match of the tournament at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans.

Manuel Neuer, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the tournament, had one save in his first appearance for Germany in almost two years.

The match featured the largest age gap between coaches in World Cup history with Curaçao's 78-year-old coach, Dick Advocaat, becoming the oldest ever in the tournament against 38-year-old Nagelsmann, who is the youngest coach in this year’s tournament.

Germany faces Ivory Coast in its next match in Toronto on Saturday and Curaçao meets Ecuador Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri.

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

]]>Karen WarrenEric GayKaren WarrenKaren WarrenEric Smith<![CDATA[Gina Kim and Yana Wilson team to win the Dow Championship for their first LPGA Tour titles]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/gina-kim-and-yana-wilson-team-to-win-the-dow-championship-for-their-first-lpga-tour-titles/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/gina-kim-and-yana-wilson-team-to-win-the-dow-championship-for-their-first-lpga-tour-titles/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 19:47:33 +0000Gina Kim and Yana Wilson teamed to win the Dow Championship on Sunday for their first LPGA Tour titles, closing with an 8-under 62 in best-ball play for a two-stroke victory over Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi.

Gina Kim and Wilson finished at 17-under 263 at Midland Country Club.

“I haven’t been in a leading position for a long time,” the 19-year-old Wilson said. “Even as a team, I feel like both of us haven’t been in this leading position. We walked down 18 just now and we were like: ‘Does this feel weird to you? Like this is so weird.’ So it’s a little nervy out there. I feel like we handled it really well.”

Gina Kim holed out from the fairway for eagle on the par-4 fifth.

“I knew I hit a really good shot and I was thinking, ‘Oh, OK, maybe I’ll tap in in for birdie.’ And then it just disappeared,” she said. “I think that really set the tone for the day.”

The 26-year-old Gina Kim won in her 64th start on the LPGA Tour, while Wilson was making the ninth start of her rookie season.

“This has been the most fun week,” Gina Kim said. “It’s been tough, and it’s nice to have a really good friend to be able to do this by.”

Last year, Wilson — the 2022 USGA Girls' Junior winner — was second and Gina Kim third on the Epson Tour money list to earn LPGA cards.

“Part of the reason I asked Yana to be my partner is we actually played in the final group on Epson and we’ve played together numerous times,” Gina Kim said. “So, I knew she was really, really good under pressure and I trusted her.”

Hyo Joo Kim and Choi finished with a 65.

Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im had a 61 to tie for third at 14 under with former UCLA teammates Alison Lee and Lilia Vu (64).

Juli Inkster, who at 66 became the oldest player in LPGA history to make the cut in an official event, teamed with Angel Yin to tie for 12th at 9 under. They shot 64.

“We had an amazing time,” Inkster said. “Angel played amazing.”

Nelly Korda and Olivia Cowan tied for 17th at 8 under. They rebounded from a third-round 76 with a 66. Korda was coming off a victory in the U.S. Women's Open for her second straight major victory.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

]]>Al GoldisAl GoldisAl GoldisAl GoldisAl Goldis<![CDATA[Denny Hamlin wins the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono for his third straight victory]]>https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/denny-hamlin-wins-the-nascar-cup-race-at-pocono-for-his-third-straight-victory/https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2026/06/14/denny-hamlin-wins-the-nascar-cup-race-at-pocono-for-his-third-straight-victory/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 20:47:22 +0000With every Denny Hamlin victory, speculation about his future grows and talks of retirement are questioned.

He signed a two-year extension with Joe Gibbs Racing that runs through 2027 and he insists it will be his last season. At 45, he's the oldest full-time Cup Series driver in the field, but he can't stop winning.

Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday for his third consecutive victory and passed the late Kyle Busch for sole possession of ninth place on the all-time wins list.

Hamlin last week won his 63rd race in NASCAR's top series to tie his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate on the all-time wins list. His eighth career victory at Pocono pushed him ahead of Busch for sole possession of ninth.

His recent success — it is his fourth win of the season, not including the non-points All-Star race — has renewed talk that Hamlin should reconsider retirement when his deal with Gibbs expires.

“I think for Denny, he wants to leave on top, right? He doesn’t want to leave where it was one year too long,” said JGR co-owner Heather Gibbs. "At this rate, what he’s producing out there, it’s not something you would not consider. We want the best drivers in our cars. Our teams work to put the best cars on track.

"If it works out and he’s still producing and he wants to, it’s a huge commitment for him, he’s got his own team that he kind of wants to run. It’s hard when you dangle checkered flags in front of him, too. He so far has put a stop to such talk despite performing at the highest level of his long career."

Hamlin, who wasn't even sure he wanted to return to honor this two-year extension after losing the championship in last November's season finale and then the December death of his father in a house fire, understands he's performing at a high level.

But as far as continuing past 2027? It's not yet on his radar despite how strong he's been on the track.

“I would certainly say it’s the best we’ve been,” Hamlin said. “We come to the racetrack every week knowing we got a great shot to win. The team’s doing an amazing job giving me exactly what I need in the car every single week. That’s why we’re winning.”

Sunday's win comes nearly 20 years to the date after his first career victory, which was at Pocono on June 11, 2006. He swept the races at the Pennsylvania track that year.

Hamlin said Pocono has become “like a second home for me.”

“First win here, so special here. Pocono has mastered the fan experience from the crowd in the stands to the infield here,” Hamlin said. “Just so happy for this whole Joe Gibbs Racing team. The pit crew is flawless right now. We got it all going."

Despite 64 career victories, this marks the first time in his career that Hamlin has won three consecutive races.

The feat tied Richard Petty, who did it in 1966 and 1967, Bobby Allison in 1971 and Darrell Waltrip in 1981. Petty, Allison and Waltrip are all in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

He also took a jab at NASCAR, noting that it was technically his ninth victory at Pocono, but he was stripped of the victory in 2022 when NASCAR said he and Busch's car's failed post-race inspection.

“They aren't getting that checkered flag back,” Hamlin said.

Tyler Reddick, who drives for the 23XI Racing team owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan, finished second as Toyota took the top two spots. Hamlin is now 19 points behind Reddick in the Cup Series standings.

“Everyone is racing hard for track position. Some of it’s just bad luck, I guess, where you catch cars,” Reddick said. “It’s a bummer. I mean, if the 11 wasn’t the winner, you could consider this a good day. I know we finished second. Scoring the points we did just didn’t get the job done.”

When Hamlin tied Busch for all-time wins last week, Hamlin celebrated with a special tribute to Busch. On Sunday, he collected the checkered flag and skipped any tributes to Busch, who died unexpectedly of sepsis at age 41 last month.

Toyota drivers have won 10 of 16 races this season, and JGR has accounted for five of them.

William Byron finished third in a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

“I think this is probably the first time in four months that I’ve been able to drive the car this way, just be able to make moves and have the balance stay with me," Byron said.

Byron was followed by John Hunter Nemechek in fourth in a Toyota for Legacy Motor Club. Nemechek led 42 laps Sunday — double what he's led the last two years.

Kyle Larson was fifth for Hendrick and Erik Jones was sixth for Legacy as Toyota drivers took four of the top six spots.

Bell fights through pain

Christopher Bell, driving with a broken wrist after a horrific wreck last weekend at Michigan that registered as the hardest hit in the era of NASCAR's new car, led 18 late laps based on strategy but faded to a 26th-place finish.

“Certainly we were mired back in the 20s and so I think it was an amazing gamble,” Bell said. “The situation is so hard because you don't know if you're racing for the win, if you're racing to finish the race, and so I don't stop shifting until about 10 to go. Certainly adverse conditions, like whenever people make quick moves on restarts and get put three-wide or the car gets loose, things like that are very difficult.”

Bell expected his injured arm will be a hindrance the next two weeks as NASCAR races the street course in San Diego and the road course in Sonoma, California — two tracks where shifting is heavily used.

No rain

NASCAR moved the start of the race up two hours to avoid expected rain in the Pocono Mountain region that could alter the completion of the 400-mile race. By doing so, all inclement weather was avoided and the race was run without interruption.

Up next

NASCAR makes its inaugural visit to San Diego with a first-of-its-kind street race at Naval Base Coronado. The NASCAR San Diego weekend marks the first NASCAR event ever contested on an active military base, with races Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

San Diego will host just the second street course in NASCAR’s modern era. The Chicago street course hosted two national series each of the past three seasons. The race weekend will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

]]>Derik HamiltonDerik HamiltonDerik HamiltonDerik HamiltonDerik Hamilton<![CDATA[Putin, Zelenskyy speak with Trump by phone as drone strikes kill 2 in Russia and UK detains tanker]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/14/ukrainian-drone-strikes-kill-1-and-spark-fire-at-oil-facility-in-russia/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/14/ukrainian-drone-strikes-kill-1-and-spark-fire-at-oil-facility-in-russia/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 09:45:37 +0000Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy each spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, as Trump marked his 80th birthday and the war in Ukraine remained a flashpoint ahead of this week’s G7 summit.

Putin’s call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters afterward.

On Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasized the need to end hostilities and stated his readiness to influence European allies and Kyiv toward that goal, including at the upcoming G7 summit.

Trump also said that recent strikes on civilian targets in Russia complicate a settlement — though the White House has not confirmed that, nor commented on the call — and said that ending the war quickly could open the door to “a truly new quality of U.S.-Russian relations,” Ushakov quoted him as saying.

Putin, for his part, argued that attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure by Kyiv would not change Ukraine’s position on the battlefield, and said that if Zelenskyy wants a meeting with him, “let him come to Moscow,” according to Ushakov.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Russia soon, Ushakov said.

The leaders also discussed Iran, where Trump said a U.S. agreement with Tehran was close and that he hoped the results of the talks could be made public today, Ushakov said.

Zelenskyy said in a statement on Telegram Sunday that he had a “wonderful conversation” with Trump.

Beyond congratulating Trump on his birthday, the Ukrainian president said he thanked the U.S. president for supporting Ukraine.

He said they discussed “what could help bring peace closer now,” without providing details. Zelenskyy also informed Trump about how Ukraine’s position along the eastern front line has improved and strengthened.

“We agreed to discuss more during our meeting at the G7 summit,” he said.

The calls came as Trump prepared to mark his birthday with a UFC fight on the White House lawn Sunday evening, an event without precedent in American history. Once it concludes, Trump is set to fly overnight to France for the G7 summit, where Ukraine is expected to be a major topic of discussion Tuesday and Zelenskyy is due to join the gathering.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has long frustrated Trump, who as a candidate claimed he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office. He has since stopped making such claims and tends to pivot away from the topic when pressed. He has also grown increasingly vexed by the war between Israel and Iran, which has driven up gas prices, rattled financial markets and stoked concerns about inflation.

The diplomatic exchanges came against the backdrop of continued fighting. Ukrainian drone attacks killed one person and wounded nine others overnight in a residential building in the regional capital of Russia’s Oryol region, Gov. Andrei Klychkov said Sunday. Another drone attack killed one person Sunday in Russia's Bryansk region, local authorities said.

A separate drone strike hit fuel storage facilities in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, around 440 miles from the Ukrainian border, sparking fires. Zelenskyy said the strike had hit “an oil facility that was important for the reserve of the aggressor state.”

Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian oil and gas infrastructure in recent months, arguing the sector funds Moscow’s invasion.

Separately, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday that the U.K. is investigating a sanctioned tanker, the Smyrtos, suspected of belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet” of vessels used to evade sanctions tied to the war.

British forces boarded and detained the vessel in the English Channel, in what the Defense Ministry called the first U.K.-led operation of its kind, carried out in coordination with French authorities.

“This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide,” Starmer said.

___

AP writer Will Weissert contributed to this report from Washington.

]]>Efrem Lukatsky<![CDATA[Ebola cases in eastern Congo climb to 782 and deaths reach 181, authorities say]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/14/ebola-cases-in-eastern-congo-climb-to-782-and-deaths-reach-181-authorities-say/https://www.click2houston.com/news/world/2026/06/14/ebola-cases-in-eastern-congo-climb-to-782-and-deaths-reach-181-authorities-say/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 21:00:32 +0000The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Congo has increased to 782, with 181 deaths, the Congolese Ministry of Health said in a statement on social platform X on Sunday evening.

However, the number of cases in Congo is believed to be higher because the outbreak was confirmed on May 15, weeks after it is suspected to have begun, and the contact tracing coverage rate is at 56%, a sharp decrease from last week.

The latest Ebola outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment, unlike the “Zaire virus,” which was responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

Fifty-six people have recovered, and the current fatality rate of the outbreak is 23%, the Ministry said.

The outbreak is concentrated in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, which accounts for more than 90% of the cases. Cases have also been recorded in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and have spread across the border to Uganda.

Nearly a million people have been displaced by conflict in Ituri, according to the U.N. humanitarian office, making contact tracing difficult as people flee attacks or move frequently in the vast province with dense forests, poor roads and remote villages that can take days to reach.

Tracing is also difficult among the thousands of artisanal miners who regularly move between remote sites in the mineral-rich region.

Attacks on health workers from angry residents, skepticism among some locals, and armed conflict in hot spots continue to challenge efforts to stop the outbreak.

Last month, U.S. officials said Washington intends to send Americans exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya rather than flying them back home. They said the center would be located at Laikipia Air Base with a capacity of 50 quarantine beds. The move led to protests over the plans to build an Ebola quarantine center, which was later halted by the courts.

]]>Moses SawasawaMoses SawasawaMoses Sawasawa<![CDATA[Tyra Banks sues Netflix over 'America's Next Top Model' documentary, alleging defamation]]>https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/14/tyra-banks-sues-netflix-over-americas-next-top-model-documentary-alleging-defamation/https://www.click2houston.com/business/2026/06/14/tyra-banks-sues-netflix-over-americas-next-top-model-documentary-alleging-defamation/Sun, 14 Jun 2026 20:34:42 +0000Tyra Banks has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the directors of its docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model,” alleging that the producers stripped down hours of interview footage to construct a false narrative.

In the lawsuit filed Saturday in Los Angeles federal court, the model who created and hosted “America's Next Top Model” said she was interviewed for 3 ½ hours, during which she took responsibility for some of the show's controversial decisions. Those interviews were edited down to 16 minutes and manipulated “to support a false and defamatory narrative unrelated to what she actually expressed,” the lawsuit said.

“The accountability Ms. Banks took ended up on the cutting room floor. It was there, but viewers were never given the opportunity to see it,” her lawyers wrote.

Banks is seeking damages in her lawsuit against Netflix, the directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy and EverWonder Studio. She’s also seeking an injunction barring the use of her image in connection with the docuseries’ soundtrack, released as an album.

Emails seeking comments were sent Sunday to the defendants’ representatives.

“America's Next Top Model” launched in 2003 and ran for 24 seasons. In recent years, the reality competition series has undergone a critical reevaluation over accusations of body shaming, manipulation of contestants and problematic photoshoots. Banks has previously addressed those criticisms, acknowledging “the insensitivity of past ANTM moments” and “some really off choices.”

The lawsuit contends that the producers of the Netflix docuseries used “selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage” to formulate a narrative that Banks allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on the show, used the contestant's trauma to drum up ratings and then couldn't remember it when asked during the interviews.

“Defendants edited the Netflix Series to make it appear that Ms. Banks knew she was being asked about a sexual assault and was intentionally trying to evade the topic,” the lawsuit stated, contending that Banks hadn't been told — or asked — about the assault during the interview.

Banks' lawyers wrote that she wasn't permitted to review the docuseries until a day before its Feb. 16 release. According to the lawsuit, she had not been contacted for fact-checking after her interviews, and was not given an opportunity to respond to accusations from other participants. Other judges from the show, including one her lawyers contend holds a grudge against Banks, consulted on the docuseries.

“Had Ms. Banks known these individuals were so deeply involved in the formulation of the Netflix Series, also serving as consultants shaping the editorial direction, and that she had been excluded from such a role, it would have raised a red flag,” the lawsuit read. “She would have known she was being set up. She would not have participated.”

Banks' lawyers reached out to Netflix in March to request access to the full footage of her interviews. Netflix and EverWonder denied that request, according to the lawsuit. Since the docuseries' release, public reaction has been “swift, harsh, and directed squarely at Ms. Banks” — even SMiZE & DREAM, her ice cream shop in Sydney, Australia, has been subject to review bombing on Google, the lawsuit read.

The Associated Press sent an email seeking further detail from Banks’ lawyers and representatives on Sunday.

“Every other conversation about ANTM’s legacy — including the candid reflection Ms. Banks came prepared to have — is now drowned out by an accusation she was never given the chance to answer,” her lawyers wrote. “This lawsuit is that answer — particularly after her efforts to resolve the matter directly with Netflix and the producers were refused.”

]]>Richard Shotwell<![CDATA[Going to FIFA Fan Fest in Houston? What you need to know to beat the heat ]]>https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/12/fifa-fan-fest-houston-beating-the-heat/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/12/fifa-fan-fest-houston-beating-the-heat/Sat, 13 Jun 2026 12:16:04 +0000Is Houston heat no match for FIFA Fan Fest crowds?

Beating the heat is the name of the game for tens of thousands of fans attending the FIFA Fan Fest in Houston’s East Downtown. With temperatures soaring, organizers and attendees alike are finding creative ways to stay cool and safe.

More than 30,000 people were in the area serviced by the Emergency Medical Center on opening day, Thursday. Despite the large crowds and high temperatures, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee says comprehensive heat mitigation measures helped fans enjoy the event.

Medical teams respond to 110 incidents on Day 1

Of the 110 medical incidents reported Thursday, 85 people were treated at the on-site cooling center and returned to the festivities. 27 others were treated at the on-site Emergency Medical Center — 21 of whom were released. Four people were transported to a hospital for heat-related concerns requiring a higher level of care.

Ryan Walsh, CEO of the Harris County Sports Authority, said the medical response team was well-prepared for the demand.

“We were ready for what happened. We did have some medical emergencies we responded to — we were well within the capacity within the medical people on site. Most of them were treated on site,” Walsh said.

Mist stations, cooling centers keep fans comfortable

Mist stations across the festival grounds are among the most popular relief options for fans. Five stations are set up on-site, and crews made a key adjustment after Day 1 — lowering the mist nozzles by about two feet to improve coverage.

“These are not A/C systems — they are dependent on the air temperature and humidity levels — but the goal is for you to be comfortable when you are standing underneath without getting wet,” said Bashil Patel, with MistCooling.

In addition to the mist stations, the Houston Host Committee and public safety officials put several heat mitigation measures in place, including cooling stations, hydration stations, shade structures and air-conditioned spaces.

Fans come prepared

Festivalgoers are doing their part to beat the heat, too. Linda Pham said her strategy is simple.

“We take frequent breaks, drink water, Powerade,” Pham said.

Haley Arteaga came ready with her own gear.

“I feel great and I brought my reusable water bottle, and you always want to make sure you stay hydrated,” Arteaga said.

Mercedez Soliz took a particularly well-stocked approach to the festival.

“I also brought a mini umbrella — very travel friendly. I also brought a towel in case I wanted to sit, because I know turf feeling on the butt is not a good feeling when you are hot and sweaty,” Soliz said.

Know the warning signs

Health officials on-site are urging festivalgoers to know the warning signs of heat-related illness. If you step under a mist station and still aren’t feeling relief, stop sweating, feel dizzy or nauseated, contact Houston Fire EMS immediately.

For those waiting in long lines for food and drinks, officials recommend wearing light-colored clothing, applying sunscreen and staying consistently hydrated.

Volunteers at the Fan Fest are also handing out towels and encouraging fans to soak them at water stations — a cooling trick fans are using both inside and outside the venue.

For Soliz, the Houston heat is nothing new — and nothing that was going to keep her away.

“I used to play soccer in this heat, so it is a bit of a throwback,” she said. When asked if anything could have stopped her from attending, she didn’t hesitate. “Oh no, no — I wanted to experience everything,” Soliz said.

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