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WICHITA FALLS (AP) — Elon Musk’s social media platform X has sued a group of advertisers, alleging that a “massive advertiser boycott” deprived the company of billions of dollars in revenue and violated antitrust laws.

The company formerly known as Twitter filed the lawsuit Tuesday in a federal court in Texas against the World Federation of Advertisers and member companies Unilever, Mars, CVS Health and Orsted.

It accused the advertising group’s brand safety initiative, called the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, of helping to coordinate a pause in advertising after Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in late 2022 and overhauled its staff and policies.

Musk posted about the lawsuit on X on Tuesday, saying “now it is war” after two years of being nice and “getting nothing but empty words.”

X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a video announcement that the lawsuit stemmed in part from evidence uncovered by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee which she said showed a “group of companies organized a systematic illegal boycott” against X.

The Republican-led committee had a hearing last month looking at whether current laws are “sufficient to deter anticompetitive collusion in online advertising.”

The lawsuit’s allegations center on the early days of Musk’s Twitter takeover and not a more recent dispute with advertisers that came a year later.

In November 2023, about a year after Musk bought the company, a number of advertisers began fleeing X over concerns about their ads showing up next to pro-Nazi content and hate speech on the site in general, with Musk inflaming tensions with his own posts endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

Musk later said those fleeing advertisers were engaging in “blackmail” and, using a profanity, essentially told them to go away.

The Belgium-based World Federation of Advertisers and representatives for CVS, Orsted, Mars and Unilever didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

A top Unilever executive testified at last month’s congressional hearing, defending the British consumer goods company’s practice of choosing to put ads on platforms that won’t harm its brand.

“Unilever, and Unilever alone, controls our advertising spending,” said prepared written remarks by Herrish Patel, president of Unilever USA. “No platform has a right to our advertising dollar.”

HOUSTON – the Houston chronicle reports that the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s family endorsed former Mayor Sylvester Turner in the race to replace the congresswoman on the November ballot. A week ahead of the nomination meeting where Jackson Lee’s replacement will be selected, Jackson Lee’s children, Jason Lee and Erica Lee Carter, announced they are supporting Turner, a longtime friend and ally of their mother, in his bid to succeed her. “We have no doubt Mayor Turner will carry on our mother’s legacy of service because we’ve witnessed it almost our entire lives,” Lee and Lee Carter wrote in a Monday statement. “Our mother had no greater partner than Mayor Turner and he honors her with his willingness to dutifully and humbly serve as a sturdy bridge to the next generation of leadership for the historic 18th Congressional District of Texas.”

Turner, a native of Acres Homes, served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1989 until he was elected Houston mayor in 2015. He left City Hall at the end of last year after two terms as Houston’s top official. Jackson Lee died from pancreatic cancer last month after representing the 18th Congressional District for three decades. Since her passing, a number of candidates have confirmed their intentions to run. Besides Turner, former council member Amanda Edwards, council member Letitia Plummer and state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, among others, have also entered the race. Turner recently said the passing of his friend and the unique circumstances of this race were the only factors that could pull him out of retirement, adding district constituents needed “stability and continuity in leadership” at this critical juncture. Jackson Lee secured a decisive primary victory in March against challenger Edwards. With no time to hold a new primary ahead of the November general election, the Harris County Democratic Party has tasked its 88 precinct chairs who live in the district to meet on August 13 to select a new nominee. Candidates are set to make their pitches to party leaders during a flurry of events in the coming days. Gov. Greg Abbott also called a separate special election for Nov. 5 to fill the rest of Jackson Lee’s current term, which ends in January.

DALLAS – The Dallas Morning News reports that more than 2.1 million Texas voters are on the state’s suspended list, three months before the presidential election between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Voters should still be able to vote with a suspended status, but it will take an extra couple of steps. Here is what Texans should know about voter suspense ahead of the Nov. 5 general election. What is the voter suspense list? Suspense means your county does not know your address or thinks you moved, often because a voter registration card or jury summons sent through mail is returned as undeliverable. New voter registration cards are mailed every two years to the most recent address on record. If you do not receive a new yellow and white certification card this year, it could mean you moved without updating your address.

What percent of voters are suspended? Nearly 12% of Texas’ roughly 18 million voters are on the suspense list, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. How do I check my voter status? Check your registration on the state’s portal or your county’s voter website. What should you do if you’re suspended? Update your address online by Oct. 7 — which is the deadline to register to vote — and be removed from the suspense list. To do so, you will need your current driver’s license or ID, Social Security number and Voter Unique Identifier Number, or VUID, on your registration card. You can also find your VUID number with your county registrar.

MCALLEN (AP) — Drought conditions in South Texas have brought increased pressure on Mexico to make good on its commitment to deliver water to the U.S. under a 1944 treaty. But an analysis by the agency that enforces that treaty shows that water from U.S. sources has significantly diminished over the years.

Research that will be shared publicly this week from the International Boundary and Water Commission, the federal agency tasked with overseeing the treaty with Mexico, shows that even without accounting for water deliveries owed by Mexico, the two international reservoirs that supply water to the Rio Grande, were receiving less water than they did during the 1980s.

During the decade from 2011 to 2020, total U.S. inflow into the Amistad International Reservoir was 33% less than the decade between 1981 and 1990, an overall decrease of 4.6 million acre feet, the IBWC research shows. Meanwhile, Falcon International Reservoir received 21.5% less than it did in the 1980s.

IBWC Commissioner Maria Elena Giner said the decline highlighted the need for the region to diversify its water supply, noting that 90% of the region’s water supply comes from the Rio Grande.

“This is something they really need to look at, as far as how they’re going to build drought resiliency in the region,” Giner said.

More local water supply corporations are looking to alternate sources of water as levels at the reservoirs continue to remain low. Currently, Amistad is at 19% of capacity while Falcon is at 12% of capacity.

In a statement, State Rep. Janie Lopez, R-San Benito, said the Texas Legislature needs to focus on “common sense and innovative solutions” to diversify the water resources available throughout the state and in the Rio Grande Valley.

Lopez also pointed out that during the last legislative session, lawmakers created the Texas Water Fund, a $1 billion resource to help cities upgrade their water systems and pay for conservation projects. The Texas Water Development Board detailed how those funds would be allocated last week.

While the analysis focused on how much water was lost from the U.S.’s own tributaries, Giner, the IBWC commissioner, said getting Mexico to comply with the 1944 treaty was still “front and center” for the agency.

Under the treaty, every five years, Mexico must deliver 1,750,000 acre-feet of water to the U.S. from six tributaries in Mexico, which averages to 350,000 acre-feet per year. In exchange, the U.S. delivers water from the Colorado River to Mexico.

But Mexico is behind on its deliveries by about 900,000 acre-feet in the current five-year cycle, which ends in October 2025.

Mexican officials have cited the country’s own drought conditions to explain the shortage. Nevertheless, U.S. officials have sought to pressure Mexico into complying by proposing restrictions on federal aid.

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, said the IBWC’s research supported what local farmers, ranchers and residents have known for years: The region faces an acute water crisis that has been exacerbated by Mexico’s water debt.

“We must use these findings to build up our water infrastructure and ensure timely water deliveries from Mexico,” Gonzalez said in a statement.

The IBWC is continuing talks with Mexican officials about a proposed amendment to the 1944 treaty, referred to as a “minute,” that would codify work groups to help build new sources of water and push Mexico to release water from its reservoirs instead of relying on water to spill over floodgates when rain is plentiful, and give Mexico incentives to deliver water on an annual basis.

TEXAS – The Dallas Morning News reports that a La Niña-influenced weather pattern that was forecast to develop this summer could be milder than expected — and that would be good news for people who live in Texas, especially those who depend on the weather for their livelihoods. Fifth-generation farmer Todd Kimbrell vividly remembers the last time a strong La Niña altered weather patterns in Texas, when an extended five-year dry spell between 2006 and 2011 wiped out crops. “That was really tough,” Kimbrell said. “It’s really hard to make a crop. It’s really hard to sustain a business when you don’t get rain … when everything you have depends on it.” That’s why farmers and ranchers were concerned this year when meteorologists forecast a strong La Niña. They expected it would fuel a strong hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean and lead to drought conditions in parts of Texas.

Instead, this year’s La Niña has yet to develop. There’s still a 70% chance of a La Niña developing between August and October; and a 79% chance it will persist late into the winter, according to NOAA. But even if it does, it might not fuel the devastating storm season forecasters expected. Additionally, with a wetter spring and summer, the potential for drought could be less devastating. What does this mean for Texas? Even though this cycle happens in the Pacific Ocean, nearly 3,000 miles away, it can have a significant long-term impact on weather patterns for the state. Even though La Niña can increase the threat of hurricanes, the latest July forecasts suggest a less severe impact this year. In terms of droughts, farmers are still recovering. They’ve faced La Niña-fueled droughts before, and more hot, dry, weather could be a significant problem for them. Crop insurance is a potential safety net for farmers. While La Niña can exacerbate drought conditions, crop insurance can help protect farmers from losses. “Our farmers are having to deal with the recourse of past adverse weather losses and the amount of insurance that they can buy,” said Bree Nelson, a crop insurance agent for West Texas.

AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Department of Public Safety has reinstated a state trooper who was suspended after the botched law enforcement response to the shooting at a Uvalde elementary school in 2022.

In a letter sent to Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell on Aug. 2 and released by the agency on Monday, DPS Director Col. Steve McCraw removed the officer’s suspension status and restored him to his job in Uvalde County.

McCraw’s letter said the local district attorney had requested Kindell be returned to his job, and noted he had not been charged by a local grand jury that reviewed the police response.

Nineteen students and two teachers were killed in the May 24, 2022, attack on Robb Elementary School, making it one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

Nearly 400 officers waited more than an hour before confronting the shooter in the classroom, while injured students inside texted and call 911 begging for help and parents outside pleaded for them to go in.

Kindell was initially suspended in January 2023 when McCraw’s termination letter said the ranger’s action “did not conform to department standards” and that he should have recognized it was an active shooter situation, not one involving a barricaded subject.

Scathing state and federal investigative reports on the police response have catalogued “cascading failures” in training, communication, leadership and technology problems.

Kindell was one of the few DPS officers disciplined. Later, another who was informed he would be fired decided to retire, and another officer resigned.

Only two of the responding officers from that day, both formerly with the Uvalde schools police department, face criminal charges. Former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo and officer Adrian Gonzales were indicted in June on charges of child endangerment and abandonment. Both pleaded not guilty in July.

In his reinstatement letter, McCraw wrote that Kindell was initially suspended after the agency’s internal investigation.

But now, McCraw said he had been told by Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell that a grand jury had reviewed the actions of all officers who responded to the attack, and “no action was taken on officers employed by the Texas Department of Public Safety.”

“Further, she has requested that you be reinstated to your former position,” McCraw wrote.

Mitchell did not respond to email requests for comment. It was not immediately clear if Kindell has an attorney.

Families of the victims in the south Texas town of about 15,000 people about 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of San Antonio, have long sought accountability for the slow police response that day. Some of the families have called for more officers to be charged.

Several families of Uvalde victims have filed federal and state lawsuits against law enforcement, social media and online gaming companies, and the gun manufacturer that made the rifle the gunman used.

HOUSTON (AP) — Actor Akili McDowell, who starred in the television series “David Makes Man” and had roles in “Billions” and “The Astronaut Wives Club,” has been charged with fatally shooting a man in the parking lot of a Houston apartment complex, authorities said.

McDowell, 21, was charged last week with murder in the July 20 shooting death of Cesar Peralta, 20, the Harris County sheriff’s office said. McDowell remained in jail Monday on $400,000 bond on the murder charge. The attorney listed for him in court records did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

“This is an unfortunate situation and I am in prayer for Akili and those impacted by this tragedy,” said his manager, Jonell Whitt, adding that she had no further comment.

The sheriff’s office said deputies found an unresponsive man with gunshot wounds after responding to a call about a shooting at an apartment complex on July 20. The sheriff’s office said several witnesses told deputies the man had been in a physical altercation with another man, who fled on foot after the shooting.

“David Makes Man,” which aired on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN, followed a teen named David, played by McDowell, who tried to juggle relationships between his magnet school friends and drug dealers in his impoverished South Florida neighborhood.

According to the entertainment database IMDb, McDowell appeared in some episodes of “Billions” and “The Astronaut Wives Club,” and has a role in the recently released movie “The Waterboyz.”

HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports the nation’s second-largest oil company said Friday it planned to move its headquarters to Houston from San Ramon, Calif., later this year, consolidating even more big oil industry power in the nation’s energy capital. Chevron follows Exxon Mobil, the nation’s largest oil company, which last year moved its headquarters to its Houston campus from Irving. “Texas offers a business-friendly environment, a more affordable cost of living, and better proximity to key counterparts in the service sector, our industry and academia,” the company said in a statement. “We are currently in the process of evaluating which positions will relocate, and which positions will remain in San Ramon to support our California operations. We expect to complete this evaluation before the end of the year.”

Chevron’s decision follows a surge of punitive policy changes for the oil industry in California following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2022 climate commitments that promised to quicken the state’s shift to renewable energy. At the time, Newsom said the state was in the business of “holding Big Oil accountable.” The following year, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Chevron, four other oil and gas majors and the American Petroleum Institute alleging a years-long climate change deception campaign in the state. “We have previously stated that we believe state policy makers have pursued policies that raise costs and consumer prices, creating a hardship for all Californians, especially those who can least afford it,” the Chevron statement said. “These policies have also made California investment unappealing compared with opportunities elsewhere in the U.S. and globally.” Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston, said Chevron, which has a major refining presence in California, “continues to be at odds with the California regulators and the new state legislation that is impacting all companies operating in California. The state of Texas is much friendlier to the energy business and their moving to the state reflects that.”