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HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports that NASA officials plan to meet in the next two weeks to decide whether the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test’s two astronauts on the International Space Station will return on the Starliner. Ken Bowersox, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate associate administrator, and other NASA officials held a virtual news conference Wednesday about the Starliner, two months to the day after astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were projected to return to Earth after spending around a week in space following a June 5 launch. “We can juggle things and make things work if we need to extend but it’s getting a lot harder,” Bowersox said. “We’re reaching a point where that last week in August, we really should be making a call, if not sooner.”

NASA last week pushed back the launch of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft to the space station to September, from an originally planned departure date of Aug. 18, as it looks to solve the Starliner dilemma. Officials also said during an Aug. 7 press conference that if Wilmore and Williams don’t return on Starliner, they would most likely return on Crew Dragon in February 2025. That would mean Wilmore and Williams would spend about eight months in orbit. NASA chief astronaut Joe Acaba said he communicates frequently with the two astronauts, each currently on their third stay at the space station, and they remain committed to the mission. “Butch and Suni will be ready to support the direction our agency chooses,” Acaba said. The Crew Flight Test is Boeing’s first manned flight to the space station. It originally dealt with multiple delays before its early June launch. The astronauts arrived at the station June 6 after dealing with helium leaks and thruster issues in flight.

DALLAS – KERA reports that Dallas elected officials finalized a slate of proposed changes to the city’s charter. They include measures to decriminalize some amounts of marijuana, administrative policy tweaks, changing when elections are held and allowing noncitizens to serve on city commissions. While the final vote was made during Wednesday’s marathon city council meeting, Dallas voters will ultimately decide which changes to the city’s charter should be passed. Elected officials voted to give Dallas voters a second chance to allow noncitizens to serve on boards and commissions laid out in the charter. The topic elicited strong emotions and tense debate around the horseshoe. Voters will have the chance to decide on an independent inspector general’s office to investigate crime and corruption inside City Hall — and have the director report directly to the city council.

And the council approved a measure that could allow more Dallas residents to serve on boards and commissions. The issue was placed on a pervious ballot and failed. The topic gained intense and emotional discussion from council members during the meeting. Measures aimed at decriminalizing four ounces of marijuana and another set aimed at public safety funding and city hall accountability, will also be added to the ballot. Voter petitions that were certified by the city secretary last month dictated that the city let Dallas voters weigh in on the issues. Even though the city is legally required to move the propositions forward, four elected officials voted against calling the special election for the marijuana amendment. The rest of the council voted in favor of calling the election. When it came to vote to move the voter-led propositions that would dictate funding for public safety, hiring hundreds of new police officers and create new compensation metrics for city officials, the council voiced concern. Ultimately, the body voted 12-3 to call the special election. “I do think they can cause harm to our city,” District 9 Council Member Paula Blackmon said during the meeting. “But I will put it forth to the voters and let them decide.”

AUSTIN – NBC reports that Republican National Convention delegates erupted in applause last month when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down on his commitment to send buses full of migrants to blue cities. “We have continued busing migrants to sanctuary cities all across the country,” Abbott told the cheering crowd in Milwaukee. “Those buses will continue to roll until we finally secure our border.” But the buses have not been rolling on a consistent basis for months because of a steep drop in the number of migrants apprehended at the southern border, according to officials and migrant shelter operators in Texas and in a half-dozen big cities across the U.S. Roughly 117,000 migrants were stopped in May, down from a record 300,000 in December. In June, the number dropped even further — to about 84,000, the lowest monthly total since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.

“They now come much less frequently,” said Josh Goldfein, a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of New York, “because they don’t have enough people to cross the border to fill up a bus.” White House officials and immigration advocates attribute the slowdown to an enhanced crackdown on U.S.-bound migrants by Mexican authorities and Biden’s executive action in June restricting who can claim asylum at the southern border. A spokesman for Abbott acknowledged that there were now fewer migrants to bus out of state, but said that it was the governor’s actions in Texas that fueled the drop in migrants crossing the border. “Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by 85% thanks to our historic border mission,” the spokesman, Andrew Maheris, said. “Fewer illegal crossings into Texas means there are fewer buses departing for sanctuary cities.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The federal government wants to make it easier for employees to quit a job and work for a competitor. But some companies say a new rule created by the Federal Trade Commission will make it hard to protect trade secrets and investments they make in their employees.

At least three companies have sued the FTC after it voted to ban noncompete agreements, which prevent employees from working for competitors for a period of time after leaving a job. Their cases are now pending in Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas and the issue could end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

DALLAS (AP) — The State Fair of Texas is laying down a new rule before millions of visitors flock through the gates for corn dogs, deep-fried delights and a friendly wave from a five-story cowboy named Big Tex: No guns allowed.

But that decision by fair organizers — which comes after a shooting last year on the 277-acre (112-hectare) fairgrounds in the heart of Dallas — has drawn outrage from Republican lawmakers, who in recent years have proudly expanded gun rights in Texas. On Wednesday, the state’s attorney general threatened a lawsuit unless the fair reversed course.

“Dallas has fifteen days to fix the issue,” Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement, “otherwise I will see them in court.”

Tensions over where and how gun owners can carry firearms in public are frequent in Texas, but the standoff with one of the state’s most beloved institutions has moved the fight onto unusual turf. The fair has not backed down since cowboy hat-wearing organizers announced the new policy at a news conference last week.

The fair, which reopens in September and lasts for nearly a month, dates back to 1886. In addition to a maze of midway games, car shows and the Texas Star Ferris wheel — one of the tallest in the U.S. — the fairgrounds are also home to the annual college football rivalry between the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma. And after Big Tex, the towering cowboy that greets fairgoers, went up in flames in 2012 due to an electrical short, the fair mascot was met with great fanfare upon its return.

But a shooting near the rows of food booths last year dampened the revelry.

Investigators said one man opened fire on another, injuring three people and resulting in police clearing the fairgrounds. Videos posted on social media showed groups of people running along sidewalks and climbing barriers as they fled.

Defending the new policy Wednesday, fair spokesperson Karissa Condoianis acknowledged it has attracted “both criticism and praise.” She noted that the fair previously allowed gun owners to carry concealed weapons “even after virtually all other public events ceased to allow the same.”

“This is the right decision moving forward to ensure a safe environment and family-friendly atmosphere,” Condoianis said.

Republicans lawmakers urged the fair to reconsider in a letter signed by more than 70 legislators, arguing that the ban made the fairgrounds less safe and was “anything but a celebration of Texas.”

In a separate letter to the City of Dallas, Paxton argued that the ban infringes on the rights of Texas gun owners. The city owns Fair Park, where the annual fair takes place; Paxton argued that gun owners can carry on property owned or leased by the government unless otherwise prohibited by state law.

A city spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday that they were reviewing Paxton’s letter “and will respond accordingly.”

Condoianis said Wednesday that the fair, which is a private, not-for-profit organization, “is not a government entity nor is it controlled by a government entity.” She said they are aware of Paxton’s letter to the city, and that it appears he’s “seeking clarification” on the city’s relationship with the fair and its use of Fair Park under the long-term lease agreement between the two parties.

Condoianis also disagreed that the ban makes the fair less safe, saying the policy is similar to rules at large community gatherings such as sporting events and concerts. She also noted that 200 uniformed and armed Dallas police officers and fair safety team members will be patrolling the fairgrounds. The fair said on its website that attendees go through a screening process before entering.

The fair is a “microcosm of the kind of mystique that comes with Texas,” said Brian Franklin, associate director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The fair, he said, speaks to Texans’ desire to emphasize the state’s rural cowboy heritage and being on the cutting edge of technology.

“You can go to the hall where it’s all the most amazing new cars and maybe other exhibits about technology,” he said, “and then you can also go and see the show cows.”

DALLAS (AP) — The Justice Department is defending a plea deal it struck with Boeing over planes that crashed and killed 346 people, saying in a court filing Wednesday that it lacks evidence to prosecute the company for more serious crimes.

Prosecutors said if the plea deal is rejected and the case goes to trial, they will not offer testimony or evidence about the causes of two crashes in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia, nor will they charge any Boeing individuals.

Boeing agreed last month to plead guilty to a single felony charge of conspiracy to commit fraud for deceiving regulators who approved the 737 Max. Under the plea deal, Boeing would pay a fine of at least $243.6 million, invest $455 million in compliance and safety programs, and be placed on probation for three years.

The Justice Department made Wednesday’s court filing in response to relatives of some of the people killed in the crashes, who asked a federal judge in Texas to reject the settlement. The relatives argue that the sentence approved by prosecutors is light punishment considering the loss of lives.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, can accept the plea agreement and proposed sentence, or he could reject the deal, which likely would lead to new negotiations between Boeing and the Justice Department.

Prosecutors said if the case goes to trial, they would still try Boeing on the same conspiracy charge, and not for two more serious charges: manslaughter or death resulting from fraud involving aircraft parts.

“The agreement is a strong and significant resolution that holds Boeing accountable and serves the public interest. It holds Boeing to account for the most serious, readily provable offense,” department officials told the judge.

The department repeated its previous position that even with the deal, Boeing could still be charged in connection with the blowout of a panel from the side of an Alaska Airlines Max during a January flight.

Boeing, which is based in Arlington, Virginia, is alleged to have hidden details about new flight-control software from the Federal Aviation Administration. In both crashes, the software caused the nose to pitch down repeatedly and forcefully based on faulty readings from a single sensor, and pilots were unable to regain control.

Boeing blamed two relatively low-ranking employees for the deception under a 2021 settlement that would have let the company escape criminal prosecution. However, the Justice Department revived the possibility of prosecution in May, when it told the judge that Boeing violated terms of that settlement.

Judge O’Connor has previously ruled that he lacked power to overturn the 2021 deal, called a deferred-prosecution agreement, and it is unclear whether he would scuttle a plea agreement.

The judge has accused Boeing of “egregious criminal conduct.” He also ruled that the Justice Department violated a law granting rights to crime victims by not telling families of the passengers about secret negotiations with Boeing before the 2021 deal.

This time, prosecutors “have repeatedly and extensively consulted with the families,” including discussing the terms of a plea agreement,” said the deputy chief of the Justice Department’s fraud section, Sean Tonolli.

“Their voices have been heard, considered, and incorporated into the government’s decision-making,” he said.

UVALDE (AP) — Not all officer videos from the the Uvalde school shooting in 2022 was given to news organizations following a court order, police said Wednesday as they announced an internal investigation into why the material was not discovered until after a large trove of footage was released over the weekend.

A large collection of audio and video recordings from the hesitant police response at Robb Elementary School, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers inside a fourth-grade classroom, was released by city officials on Saturday following a prolonged legal fight with The Associated Press and other news organizations.

It was not immediately clear what the unreleased video shows. The department discovered “several additional videos” after a Uvalde officer said a portion of his body camera footage from the May 24, 2022, shooting was not included in the original release of material, the city said in a statement.

The statement said an internal investigation will determine “how this oversight occurred,” who was responsible and whether any disciplinary action is needed.

“The Uvalde community and the public deserve nothing less,” Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado said in the statement.

The unreleased video was turned over to the office of Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell for review.

Jesse Rizo lost his niece, Jacklyn Cazares, in the shooting and said the news of the omitted video was disappointing and tears at a frail system of trust. But, he said he was pleased to know the police chief was forthcoming and hopes the investigation produces consequences.

“Anybody that was at fault, you’ve got to send a strong message that these mistakes are not tolerable,” Rizo said.

The Associated Press and other news organizations brought a lawsuit after the officials initially refused to publicly release the information. The massacre was one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history.

The delayed law enforcement response to the shooting has been widely condemned as a massive failure: Nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers. Families of the victims have long sought accountability for the slow police response in the South Texas city of about 15,000 people 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of San Antonio.

Nearly 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents and 91 state police officials, as well as school and city police, responded to the shooting. While terrified students and teachers called 911 from inside classrooms, dozens of officers stood in the hallway trying to figure out what to do. Desperate parents who had gathered outside the building pleaded with them to go in.

Some of the 911 calls released over the weekend were from terrified instructors. One described “a lot, a whole lot of gunshots,” while another sobbed into the phone as a dispatcher urged her to stay quiet. “Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry!” the first teacher cried before hanging up.

WEST ORANGE (AP) — Newly available video shows police in southeast Texas making a dramatic water rescue of a woman whose vehicle was almost completely submerged in a pond.

Jonquetta Winbush’s two children, a 12-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl, managed to get out while Winbush was having a seizure in late July, West Orange, Texas, Assistant Police Chief Jessie Romero said Wednesday. Winbush then passed out and put her foot on the gas pedal, plunging her vehicle into the pond.

Body camera footage from veteran patrolman Charles Cobb, who was nearby monitoring traffic, shows Winbush’s son frantically approaching the officer.

“She’s having a seizure. She’s sunk,” the boy told Cobb. “She’s in the water. Help her.”

Cobb put the boy in the back of his patrol car and raced to Winbush’s vehicle, which was almost completely underwater. Two workers from a local plant had already gotten in the water to get Winbush out, Romero said.

After dragging Winbush from the pond, Romero said Cobb administered chest compressions.

“She was totally unconscious,” Romero said. “He was able to get a pulse back while he had her there on the ground and revive her until EMS got there.”

Winbush’s sister, Bevnisha Holman, said she personally thanked one of the workers, Epifanio Munguia, for helping save her sister’s life.

“I messaged him and (said) I want to personally thank you for being there for my niece and nephew and ultimately my sister, because he really helped save her life,” Holman told Beaumont television station KBMT.

After three weeks in intensive care, Romero said Winbush is now breathing on her own.

“She’s still in the hospital, but she’s going to make a full recovery,” he said.