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Texas Democrats are searching for 2026 candidates

DALLAS – The Dallas Morning News reports In front of a modest crowd last week at Dallas’ Temple Shalom, Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins and former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred urged Democratic voters to stay in the fight. Along with lamenting the policies of President Donald Trump, some in the audience wondered whether the duo would help lead the fight by being candidates in the 2026 midterm elections. It was the first question Allred received at the event, billed as a town hall meeting for congressional District 24, which is represented by Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne of Irving. The meeting was sponsored by the Park Cities Area Democrats and Indivisible Dallas. Allred acknowledged he was considering another run for Senate, but tried to get the crowd to stay in the political moment.

“For some of us, we have the time and space and the capability to be able to say more and do more,” Allred said during the town hall meeting last Wednesday. “I’m asking everyone to do everything you can, not for the election in a year and a half … we have to start speaking up right now.” The mood of the audience represented not only exasperation over the Trump presidency, but also over a leadership void in the Democratic party. With the 2026 elections looming, few big name Democrats have stepped up to run for statewide or federal office. The March primaries are less than a year away, and Democrats hope the political environment could offer opportunities for them. But they need quality candidates to take advantage. Allred, who last year lost a Senate race to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, told The Dallas Morning News last month he’s “seriously considering” running for the seat held by longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn. Although some Democrats wonder whether Allred’s loss to Cruz is a deal breaker for 2026, he doesn’t think so.

Tire slashing spree investigated in Bullard

BULLARD – Those living near Bullard Middle School are asked to check their security cameras following a tire slashing spree that occurred overnight Sunday, according to a report from KETK.

The Bullard Police Department received several reports of slashed tires and are now actively investigating the case. Residents are asked to check their security cameras from Sunday night into Monday morning, especially those living near West Ridge, Bullard Creek Ranch and The Mosley additions.

“Your help is vital in keeping our community safe,” the police department said. “Thank you for your vigilance and continued support.”

Union Hill ISD elementary school damaged by severe weather

GILMER – Our news partner, KETK, reports that the Union Hill ISD near Gilmer cancelled classes on Monday and Tuesday after the awning at the front of their elementary school collapsed during recent severe weather.

“I would like to say that it looks way worse than what it is,” Union Hill ISD Superintendent John Booth said on Monday. “… the front of the school was was damaged, but the structure of the elementary was not damaged.”

According to Booth, the district’s junior high and high school campuses were undamaged except for some damage to the roof of their gymnasium. Once class resumes on Wednesday, Union Hill ISD elementary school students will have their classrooms changed to rooms in the high school and junior high until the elementary school can be cleaned up. Continue reading Union Hill ISD elementary school damaged by severe weather

Man accused of attempted murder at Nacogdoches law firm

NACOGDOCHES – According to our news partner KETK, an East Texas man was arrested Sunday morning after officers were alerted of a possible in-progress murder plot at a Nacogdoches law firm. The Nacogdoches Police Department said officers received a call Sunday morning from a concerned citizen that a person intended to commit a murder.

Officers were able to locate and secure the intended victim while also finding the suspect. Jessie Dale Cashion, 44 of Lufkin, was located, along with a firearm, at a Nacogdoches law firm.

During the investigation, officers developed a probable cause to make the arrest of Cashion for attempted murder. He’s being held at Nacogdoches County Jail.

Watch the official trailer for Wes Anderson’s ‘The Phoenician Scheme’

The star-studded trailer for Wes Anderson's latest film has arrived.

Benicio del Toro stars in the official trailer for The Phoenician Scheme, the newest film to come from the auteur director.

Del Toro plays Zsa-zsa Korda in the film. He's one of the richest men in all of Europe. Mia Threapleton plays his daughter, Liesl, who is a nun, while Michael Cera is their tutor, Bjorn.

The trailer reveals Zsa-zsa Korda is an aviator who has gotten into six plane crashes over the course of his life. Though he has 10 children, he has appointed his only daughter, Liesl, whom he has not visited in six years, to be sole heir to his estate.

He, Liesel and Bjorn then go on a journey to make sure an important project is fulfilled as others set out to thwart it.

"Today, tonight and tomorrow, we rendezvous with every titan and pretend we agree what we already agree. But, in fact, we don't. We can't," del Toro says in the trailer.

The main cast are joined by a stacked group of supporting actors, including Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend and Hope Davis.

"Can you imagine falling in love with a man like me, by the way? Hypothetically?" Cera's Bjorn asks Threapleton's Liesel in the trailer.

"You're drunk. On three beers," is her simple response.

The Phoenician Scheme arrives in movie theaters on May 30.

Robert De Niro to recieve honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival

Robert De Niro is set to receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.

The film festival announced Monday De Niro will be honored with the lifetime achievement award. It will be presented to him at the opening ceremony of the festival on May 13. That just so happens to be exactly 14 years after he presided over the Cannes jury in 2011.

“I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes,” De Niro said in a statement. “Especially now when there’s so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together — storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It’s like coming home.”

The actor has a long history with the festival, going back to 1976. He starred in two films both in competition that year — 1900 and Taxi Driver. The latter won the Palme d'Or. He has starred in one other film that has won the Palme d'Or, Roland Joffé's The Mission.

On May 14, the day after he's awarded the prize, De Niro will meet festivalgoers for a masterclass on the Debussy Theatre stage.

The 2025 Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 13 to May 24 in Cannes, France.

Former clerk for judge who tossed Trump’s classified docs case now in senior DOJ position

(WASHINGTON) -- A former law clerk to the federal judge who dismissed the classified documents case against President Donald Trump is now serving in the Justice Department directly under Trump's former defense lawyer Todd Blanche, who is now serving as the nation's number-two law enforcement official.

Christopher-James DeLorenz has been serving as a Counsel in the Deputy Attorney General's office since President Trump took office in January, according to officials and DeLorenz's public LinkedIn page.

DeLorenz served for 10 months as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, during a period in which she presided over then-special counsel Jack Smith's prosecution of Trump for alleging retaining classified documents after leaving the White House and obstructing the government's efforts to retrieve them.

According to his LinkedIn page, DeLorenz departed Cannon's office in August 2024, just a month after Cannon tossed out the case against Trump, in which she bucked decades of legal precedent by finding that Smith had been unconstitutionally appointed.

It's unclear whether Blanche, who was Trump's lead attorney in the classified documents case and took office early last month following a narrow confirmation by the U.S. Senate, had any direct involvement in DeLorenz's hiring.

Trump has already staffed the senior-most ranks of the DOJ with attorneys who previously represented him in a range of criminal and civil matters, as part of a broader effort to reassert control over a department that brought two criminal prosecutions against him after he left office in 2021.

While clerking for a district judge is often a path to a senior job in an administration, DeLorenz's position is the first known appointment to the DOJ of a former clerk for Judge Cannon, whose dismissal of the documents case handed Trump a massive political victory.

Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump in 2020, was criticized by numerous legal experts over several rulings that helped support Trump's attorneys' strategy to delay bringing the case to trial.

In a statement to ABC News, a Justice Department spokesperson said, "The Department of Justice has hired highly qualified and skilled attorneys to effectively carry out our mission of ending the weaponization of justice, defending executive authority from judicial overreach, and Making America Safe Again."

Judge Cannon's chambers did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Cannon previously responded to accusations of granting Trump favorable treatment in an order denying a request for her to recuse herself from presiding over the criminal case of Ryan Routh, who was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump at his golf club in Florida in September of last year.

"I have never spoken to or met former President Trump, except in connection with his required presence at an official judicial proceeding, through counsel," Cannon wrote in an October 2024 ruling.

"I have no 'relationship to [Trump]' in any reasonable sense of the phrase. I follow my oath to administer justice faithfully and impartially, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of this country," she wrote.

At Boston Marathon, authorities will be watching ‘broad set’ of potential targets

(BOSTON) -- At this year's Boston Marathon, 12 years after the deadly marathon bombing, law enforcement will be watching "a broad set of potential soft targets for an attack," according to a bulletin obtained by ABC News.

About 30,000 runners are participating in the April 21 race and another half-million spectators are expected along the route.

According to the bulletin, congested areas where the largest amount of people gather -- particularly designated viewing areas -- are likely the most vulnerable spots for a mass casualty attack, along with nearby publicly accessible areas, tunnels, pre-event gatherings and post-event celebrations.

A policy change may provide a motivation for an attack, the bulletin said, pointing to marathon organizers allowing runners to select "non-binary" regarding gender.

"Following this announcement, individuals posting content consistent with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism posted online calling for an attack on the 2023 Boston Marathon, according to an organization that tracks violent extremist activity online," the bulletin said. "Some of these individuals called for an attack similar to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings."

Three people were killed and hundreds were injured by the powerful explosives detonated near the finish line during the 2013 marathon.

There are also symbolic anniversaries that coincide with the timing of the Boston Marathon, including the holidays of Easter, Ramadan and Passover, as well as anniversaries of prior attacks that occurred in the third week of April: the Columbine High School shooting massacre on April 20, 1999; the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995; the Branch Davidians’ compound fire in Waco, Texas, on April 19, 1993; and Adolf Hitler’s birthday on April 20.

"The significance of these holidays and key dates may be viewed as an opportune time for acts of violence for many threat actors," the bulletin said, "and it may serve as motivation to disrupt or attack the Boston Marathon or the surrounding areas along the route."

The bulletin said law enforcement officials are unaware of any specific or credible threats to high-profile attendees of the Boston Marathon but are highlighting the threat environment for these officials’ awareness.

"Absent a specific, actionable threat to the 129th Boston Marathon, the FBI and [the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis] are providing indicators to aid law enforcement and first responders in identifying and mitigating threats," the bulletin said.

Black Monday to the COVID crash: Worst days in the history of the US stock market

(NEW YORK) -- As the world reels from tariffs instituted by the Trump administration, stock markets are widely in decline.

On Friday, U.S. stock saw the worst decline since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. But the declines last week did not rank among the worst crashes in the history of the U.S. stock markets.

President Donald Trump said Sunday, "I don't want anything to go down, but sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something and we have such a horrible -- we have been treated so badly by other countries because we had stupid leadership that allowed this to happen."

Here are the worst declines in the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average by percentage:

5.) March 12, 2020 (-2,352.60, -9.99%)

Four days before the worst COVID-related drop in stocks, the Dow slid 9.99%. Blue chip stocks also dropped 7.79% -- the 14th-worst all-time -- on March 9, the first day of the COVID-induced drops.

4.) Oct. 29, 1929 (-30.57, -11.73%)

The stock market crash of October 1929 signaled the end of the "Roaring Twenties" and the beginning of the Great Depression. This was the second day of the big drop, known as "Black Tuesday," which began one day earlier and occupies the next spot on this list.

3.) Oct. 28, 1929 (-38.33, -12.82%)

The first Black Monday in the history of the Dow Jones, investors' fortunes were wiped out in a major wake-up call for people who thought the the good times would last forever.

2.) March 16, 2020 (-2,997.10, -12.93%)

Many Americans can recall the crash that happened as the world was shutting down over the COVID-19 pandemic. The worldwide shutdowns and disruptions to the global supply chain caused investors to bail.

1.) Oct. 19, 1987 (-508, -22.61%)

Black Monday, or the first contemporary global financial crisis according to the Federal Reserve, followed seven months of explosive growth on Wall Street. Stocks had climbed 44% over those months, according to the Fed, before the U.S. announced a larger-than-expected trade deficit. After moderate losses in the week before, the global markets tanked and Monday opened to panic from U.S. investors as well.

Note: The Dow Jones officially considers Dec. 12, 1914, the worst day in trading history, but economists agree 1987's Black Monday was the worst. The stock market closed in July 1914 due to the start of World War I, and wouldn't open again until Dec. 12, 1914. Even then, it was on a limited basis, with the official return to full trading on April 1, 1915. Technically, the Dow actually went up on Dec. 12, 1914, but a retroactive correction makes it look like it went down.

Tom Cruise is back in ‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’ official trailer

Tom Cruise shows off more of his signature stunts in the official trailer for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.

The new trailer for the upcoming Paramount Pictures film finds Cruise reprising his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt. This time around, Ethan again faces off against the form of artificial intelligence known as The Entity.

He first faced this enemy in the 2023 film Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning. Now, Ethan has the necessary key to destroy his AI foe, but he must assemble his team to find the code to destroy the technology once and for all.

Cruise hangs off the side of an airplane and swims deep underwater as part of the new footage shown in the trailer. His missions and death-defying stunts of the past are also referenced as Ethan is put in handcuffs and taken in for questioning.

"Smart people on every side are close to panicking," Ethan says in the trailer, before a montage of his past flashes quickly across the screen.

Christopher McQuarrie directed the eighth film in the Mission: Impossible franchise from a script he wrote along with Erik Jendresen.

"I need you to trust me. One last time," Cruise's Ethan Hunt says at the end of the trailer.

Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett and Rolf Saxon all return to star in the film, while Hannah Waddingham, Nick Offerman, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Katy O’Brian, Tramell Tillman and Stephen Oyoung join the franchise.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning arrives in theaters on May 23.

Flooding danger isn’t over in wake of deadly storm: ‘Do not drive through water,’ governor pleads

Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- The rain may have stopped, but Kentucky's governor warned the danger isn't over from the four days of deadly storms that devastated the central U.S. with catastrophic flooding and destructive tornadoes.

Many roads remain flooded and some rivers and creeks are at or above flood stage, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference Monday.

"Do not drive through water, do not move barricades," Beshear pleaded.

He stressed that even when water is receding, it's still dangerous to drive.

In Louisville, Kentucky, 80 people were evacuated on Monday from a hotel surrounded by flooded roads, according to Louisville Metro Emergency Services.

Twenty people have died since Wednesday from the storms, with the fatalities spanning Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi and Indiana.

Two of the 20 deaths were in Kentucky: a woman and a 9-year-old boy who both died in the floodwaters, the governor said.

The governor said the death toll may have been higher if not for the swift water rescue teams.

One person last seen boating in floodwaters has been reported missing in McCracken County, Kentucky, Beshear said.

The rainfall from these storms was historic. More than 15 inches of rain deluged Benton, Kentucky -- the most rain on record in a four-day period for the western part of the state -- and over 14 inches of rain inundated Arkansas and Tennessee.

Some rivers are expected to continue to rise this week. Up to 40 river gauges across the region are forecast to be in the flood stage.

"We’re not out of the woods yet," said Michael Muller, the judge/executive in hard-hit Franklin County, Kentucky, about 30 miles outside of Lexington.

"Stay at home, help your neighbors, don’t be out if you don’t have to be out," he said.

Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced a new website, Floodsmart.gov, to help people directly access flood insurance quotes.

"It’s quick and easy and takes just a few minutes. Insured survivors recover faster," Cameron Hamilton, senior official performing the duties of FEMA administrator, said in a statement. "With spring flooding and hurricane season both approaching fast, it's important to take this first step so you can better protect the life you’ve built."

ABC News' Max Golembo and Luke Barr contributed to this report.

Trump admin asks Supreme Court to block return of wrongly deported Maryland man

(WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court for emergency intervention in the case of a Maryland man the government -- by its own admission -- removed to El Salvador by mistake and now must return by 11:59 p.m. on Monday under a lower court's order.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued in the filing that a federal court cannot order a president to engage in foreign diplomacy, which he says is implicitly involved in any potential return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration alleges is a gang member.

"The Constitution charges the President, not federal district courts, with the conduct of foreign diplomacy and protecting the Nation against foreign terrorists, including by effectuating their removal," Sauer writes. "And this order sets the United States up for failure. The United States cannot guarantee success in sensitive international negotiations in advance, least of all when a court imposes an absurdly compressed, mandatory deadline that vastly complicates the give-and-take of foreign-relations negotiations."

The appeal to the Supreme Court came Monday morning, just before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a ruling by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis that Garcia must be returned by 11:59 p.m. on Monday

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration's emergency motion to block the order to return Garcia to the U.S. after he was sent to a prison in El Salvador despite having protected legal status.

In a unanimous decision, the panel of three judges agreed Xinis' order requiring the government "to facilitate and effectuate the return of [Garcia] by the United States by no later than 11:59 pm on Monday, April 7, 2025," should not be stayed.

"The United States Government has no legal authority to snatch a person who is lawfully present in the United States off the street and remove him from the country without due process," the judges said. "The Government's contention otherwise, and its argument that the federal courts are powerless to intervene, are unconscionable."

Xinis had ruled on Friday that Garcia must be returned to the U.S.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Gas prices up, but not for long

TEXAS – The nation’s average price of gasoline has risen for the third straight week, increasing 10.6 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $3.21 per gallon, according to GasBuddy® data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. The national average is up 13.2 cents from a month ago and is 35.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has increased 3.6 cents in the last week and stands at $3.594 per gallon.

“While the national average price of gasoline saw its largest weekly gain of the year, it likely won’t last long, as oil prices have plummeted amid growing concerns about the global economy following the U.S. announcement of some of the most significant tariffs in over a century, along with OPEC+ restoring oil production faster than anticipated,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “In addition to falling oil prices, the stock market has dropped sharply, and the risk of a recession has increased — raising the likelihood of reduced global energy and oil demand, which is sending prices lower. As a result, motorists can expect gas prices to begin falling nearly coast-to-coast, with oil now at its lowest level since the early days of the pandemic in 2021. If tariffs aren’t scaled back soon, the national average could fall below $3 per gallon in the weeks ahead, with no clear indication of how long it might stay there as market volatility persists.”

David Rancken’s App of the Day 04/07/25 – MySudo!

When your on the internet, do you want extra protection? Then download David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called MySudo. You can get MySudo in the Apple Store and Google Play below.

Traffic stop leads to large quantity of meth

HENDERSON COUNTY – Our news partner KETK reports that two men were arrested in Henderson County early Sunday morning after narcotics investigators discovered suspected meth underneath the frame of a car.

According to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, around 12:33 a.m. narcotics investigators conducted a traffic stop on a black Cadillac inside the Bonita Point Subdivision near Gun Barrel City where they located a large gallon size bag of suspected meth concealed underneath the frame of the vehicle.

Officers said that the passenger, Cody Ray Harper, 32 of Arlington, threw a baggie with suspected meth out of the passenger window onto the roadway while the driver, Dustin Sky Reneau, 38 of Fort Worth, had three theft related felony warrants out for his arrest. Continue reading Traffic stop leads to large quantity of meth