SMITH COUNTY – Tyler police officers arrested a man over the weekend for allegedly bringing two women into a house he did not own and sexually abusing them. A 911 text was sent by the women, leading to authorities finding and assisting the victims. An arrest affidavit states that an officer was sent to a Walton Road residence after receiving a 911 text that said “help.” Two women were “completely naked and appeared to be afraid,” according to what the officers saw through a window. When the officer asked the women if they were alright, they shook their heads and indicated a room where suspect Heath Butler was. Continue reading Text leads to sexual assault arrest
FAA releases crash report
FRANKSTON – According to a Federal Aviation Administration report, the plane crash in Henderson County that left its pilot dead on Tuesday morning occurred “under unknown circumstances.” Around 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, a small plane crashed in the Frankston neighborhood of Aero Estates, killing a man who was flying it. The Texas Department of Public Safety reports that the Fokker Dr.1 Dreidecker plane crashed close to a private airstrip within the community. The pilot was identified as Frankston-native Mark Whiddon by Henderson County Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Milton Adams. Continue reading FAA releases crash report
County announces death of K-9
SMITH COUNTY – K-9 Lobo, a devoted partner and protector, is being honored by the Smith County Pct. 1 Constable’s Office. Along with his partner, K-9 Lobo, Smith County Pct. 1 Deputy Constable Jose Terrazas, a proud K-9 handler, departed from the sheriff’s office in February. The news of K-9 Lobo’s death was released by the constable’s office on Wednesday. For almost eight years, K-9 Lobo bravely and devotedly fought beside his companion on the front lines. From September 2018 to February 2026, the Dutch Shepherd was employed by the Constable’s Office. According to a statement, during this trying time, they are praying for Terrazas, his family, and every member of the sheriff’s office.
Downtown Project milestone
TYLER – As the Downtown Improvement Project moves closer to completion, the City of Tyler will mark a major milestone with a celebration recognizing the reopening of North College Avenue, West Erwin Street, and the intersection connecting the two.
The milestone celebration will be held on Friday, May 29, at 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of North College Avenue and West Erwin Street. The event will highlight visible progress in the heart of Downtown and recognize this important step toward the final phases of the project. Guests are encouraged to stay in the area and support Downtown businesses following the celebration.
The reopening of this key intersection on June 1 restores a major connection for drivers and offers the public a chance to see how far the project has come. For more information about the Downtown Improvement Project, visit MyTylerTexas.com.
David Rancken’s App of the Day 05/27/26 – BeReal!
20 year sentence for illegal distribution
TYLER – On Wednesday, an East Texan was given a 20-year prison sentence for allegedly distributing illegal substances, namely crack cocaine. In the 475th District Court, Derrish Graydon, 44, entered a guilty plea to participating in organized crime. According to court documents, he was subsequently given a 20-year term for the offense. In relation to the alleged crack cocaine ring that operated in buildings close to nearby daycare centers and schools, Graydon is the third person to enter a guilty plea and get a term. On May 7, Samatraus Forge, who was found to be the leader of a criminal organization with others serving as his drug salespeople, was given a life sentence after entering a guilty plea to three charges of organized crime. Continue reading 20 year sentence for illegal distribution
Tyler ISD top teachers awarded $4.4M
Tyler – This week, 361 Tyler ISD teachers were surprised with the prestigious TOP (Tyler Optimal Performance) Teacher designation, resulting in $4,365,127 in additional compensation from the state. The designation is part of Tyler ISD’s Approved Local Designation System under the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), created by House Bill 3 to attract and retain highly effective educators.
To earn a TOP Teacher designation, educators must meet rigorous criteria, including student growth metrics, attendance, teacher observation data, and student surveys. Continue reading Tyler ISD top teachers awarded $4.4M
Green Bay Packers’ Josh Jacobs released without charges following arrest on domestic abuse allegations

(GREEN BAY, Wis.) -- Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was released from custody amid further investigation into domestic abuse allegations, the local district attorney's office said a day after the NFL player was arrested in Wisconsin.
Jacobs, 28, was arrested and booked into the Brown County jail on three domestic abuse charges -- battery, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct, according to the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department.
He was also booked on two other charges -- intimidation of a victim and strangulation and suffocation, police said.
The strangulation and suffocation charge is a felony and the others are misdemeanors, online jail records show.
The charges stem from a "disturbance complaint" that officers responded to Saturday morning, Hobart-Lawrence Police Department Chief Michael Renkas said in a press release.
Jacobs was arrested Tuesday following an investigation, Renkas said, who said the probe remains "active and ongoing."
He was being held without bond, though Brown County District Attorney David Lasee said Wednesday that Jacobs will be released from custody, and that a final charging decision will be made by his office "at a later date."
"After reviewing the available evidence in this case, the Brown County District Attorney's Office is not yet prepared to make a formal charging decision," Lasee said in a statement. "Our office has requested additional investigation, as there is reason to believe that additional evidence may exist that would impact whether criminal charges are appropriate, and what charges would be issued."
Online jail records show Jacobs was released at 12:20 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
His attorneys said they are "extremely pleased" that Jacobs was released and no criminal charges have been filed at this time.
"We remain confident that, once all of the evidence is gathered and evaluated, it will confirm that no charges should be brought against Josh in the future," his attorneys, David Chesnoff, Richard Schonfeld and Clarence Duchac, said in a statement.
In a statement following the arrest, the attorneys said Jacobs "vehemently denies the allegations, and this matter is in the early stages of investigation with important evidence that has not yet been made public."
"We ask for fairness and restraint while the judicial process takes its course," the statement from his attorneys continued.
A Packers spokesperson said they are "aware of the matter involving Josh Jacobs."
"As it is an ongoing legal situation, we will withhold further comment," the statement added.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur addressed Jacobs at the top of a press briefing Wednesday, telling reporters he is "going to stick with the statement that we put out as an organization and just let the process play out."
Jacobs is entering his third season with the Packers.
He began playing in the NFL in 2019, as a first-round pick of the Oakland Raiders, and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. He is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and led the league in rushing yards in 2022.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
New guidelines could help millions more Americans get colon cancer testing

(NEW YORK) -- New guidelines from the American Cancer Society are expanding colon cancer screening options beyond colonoscopies and established stool-based tests.
The recommendations still call for colorectal cancer screening in people at average risk starting at age 45 and continuing through age 75 for those with a life expectancy of 10 more years.
And colonoscopy is still considered the gold standard test.
But for the first time, the updated guidelines now include a blood-based screening test done in a doctor’s office. They also add new stool sample kits and a recently FDA-approved at-home test that looks for blood and different molecular markers in stool samples.
Experts note that offering more choices is critical to address gaps in screening for this highly preventable disease, which is most treatable when caught early.
“Individuals who decline or do not complete [testing] are probably a greater number than are actually appreciated,” Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, told ABC News. “And I think a lot of our data on colorectal screening probably overstates the number of people actually up to date on their screening guidelines.”
As the new guidelines point out, the most effective colorectal cancer screening test is the one people are willing to get. More than 20 million eligible Americans remain unscreened, according to the ACS.
While stool-based tests are reasonable options for most people, the new guidelines stress that the blood tests should be considered a last resort for people unable or unwilling to get any other form of testing because they are less likely to catch issues compared to other types of screening.
People who choose colonoscopy should be tested every 10 years. Other screening tests should be done every one, three, or five years, depending on the specific method selected.
These new guidelines come as colon cancer rates rise in younger adults across the US. ASC statistics show that 1 in 5 new colorectal cancer cases now occur in people younger than 55, up from about 1 in 10 in the mid-1990s.
“This is a disease that historically, we saw in older individuals, so people 50 and over or maybe even 60 and over. And now we are starting to see an inching up of incidents in people who are less than age 50,” Dr. Fola May, associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told ABC News.
She said she hoped that having a range of choices would push more people to get tested.
The ACS likely wants to “make sure that patients understand that these tests can be done at home. So you don't need to take a day off of work. You don't need an escort, you don't need to have an invasive procedure,” May said.
The ACS advised people to work with a trusted healthcare provider to decide which test is best for them.
Dahut stressed that the recommendations apply only to people of average risk without symptoms and with no family or personal history of colorectal cancer. Consumers should check with their insurance provider to see which options their plan covers.
It’s important to be aware of the symptoms and take them seriously, he added.
“So if one has symptoms, blood in their stool, symptoms of obstruction, abdominal pain that's persistent or change in stool patterns, then they need to have a workup for those symptoms and not have a blood-based test like this or a stool-based test,” he said.
Ari Goldstein, MD, MPH, is a board-certified family physician and preventive medicine resident at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Firefighter to be honored with funeral procession
TYLER — Friends and colleagues of fallen Tyler Fire Department Driver/Engineer Scott Starkey will pass through Tyler on Wednesday as part of a funeral procession in his honor.
According to our news partner KETK, Starkey died from cancer on May 16 after serving as a firefighter for the Tyler Fire Department for over 25 years. His funeral service will be held at Flint Baptist Church at around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday and will be followed by the procession.
The procession will make its way north from Flint Baptist Church, pass through the city of Tyler on Loop 323 and end at the Bascom Cemetery. The City of Tyler said drivers could see some traffic delays as the procession passes through.
Cornyn went to great lengths to avoid Trump’s wrath. The Texas senator lost his seat anyway
PLANO (AP) — As it turned out, it would never be enough.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn tried for more than a year to show Donald Trump and Texas Republicans that he and the president were on the same team.
Cornyn posted a photo of himself reading Trump’s “The Art of the Deal.” He proposed legislation to rename a stretch of interstate in Trump’s honor. Perhaps most glaringly, the Senate institutionalist who long supported the filibuster reversed his position in a failed effort to advance voting restrictions that are a priority for the president.
None of it worked. On Tuesday, Cornyn became the latest in a line of Republicans who lost their primaries after falling out of favor with a president with little tolerance for dissent and a seemingly insatiable appetite for retribution. The four-term senator lost by double digits to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who Trump endorsed last week as “a true MAGA Warrior.”
Cornyn, on the other hand, “was VERY disloyal to me,” Trump wrote on social media.
Trump’s intervention in the Texas runoff came after weeks of successfully backing primary challengers in Indiana, Louisiana and Kentucky as revenge against incumbents who broke with his agenda.
Cornyn’s attempt to avoid the same fate made even some of his supporters wince.
“You look at the positions he took to please the president and the groveling and whatever,” said former Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, a Republican and Trump critic who didn’t seek reelection during the president’s first midterm in 2018. “It was rather painful to watch.”
Cornyn started early with ad touting pro-Trump voting record
Cornyn’s loss wasn’t for a lack of political gymnastics and astronomical campaign spending.
His campaign began running an advertisement last summer — part of an astounding nearly-$100-million air war by the senator and allied groups — with Cornyn looking into the camera and saying, “I voted with President Trump 99% of the time.”
On Cornyn’s campaign homepage, Trump and Cornyn stand side-by-side with thumbs pointed upward in an image aimed at projecting solidarity. Deeper in the website, the category titled “The Trump-Cornyn Record” notes the senator’s role securing votes for Trump’s signature 2017 tax cut bill.
Cornyn has also been championing provisions in Trump’s signature tax-and-spending legislation to finance work on the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
The senator had dismissed the project as “naive” during Trump’s 2016 campaign. But in January, he stood along a section of completed wall in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley touting the measure’s $11 billion for Texas contractors’ work at “the direction of the president of the United States, to whom I am very grateful.”
Cornyn’s 2023 dismissal of Trump’s return glares in background
Cornyn’s praise for his party’s leader and president were not unusual, but they clash with a statement Cornyn made in May 2023, when Trump was mounting his presidential comeback campaign.
“Trump’s time has passed him by,” he told reporters. “I don’t think President Trump understands that when you run in a general election, you have to appeal to voters beyond your base.”
Trump would go on to easily win the nomination and carry every battleground state in the general election.
Cornyn would hew closely to the president for the first 16 months of his second administration, hoping at the outside chance of his endorsement or to keeping him from weighing in at all.
But Trump did not forget the past slights.
“John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough,” he wrote on social media while endorsing Paxton.
Smaller gestures, and one big one
Cornyn has playfully worked to promote Trump fandom, last year posting a picture on social media of himself thoughtfully peering into the pages of Trump’s 1987 memoir and business advice book, “The Art of the Deal.”
In a more obvious gesture, he proposed designating a section of a U.S. highway from the Texas Gulf Coast to Montana as “Interstate 47,” to honor a 47th president with a well-documented love of naming things after himself. In a news release about the proposal, filed just over two weeks before Tuesday’s runoff, Cornyn said it would be known as the “Trump Interstate.”
The more tectonic shift occurred in March, after Trump had teased a possible endorsement of either Cornyn or Paxton in the runoff.
Paxton swiftly said he would consider dropping his candidacy if the Republican-controlled Senate lifted the filibuster and passed the SAVE America Act, a series of voting restrictions that Trump has described as an essential part of his agenda.
The following week, Cornyn wrote an op-ed in the New York Post — Trump’s favorite hometown newspaper — backing away from his previous support of the filibuster. He vowed to “support whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary” to get the bill “through the Senate and on the president’s desk for his signature.”
Flake watched with unease.
“I know John and his long-held positions on the filibuster and the Senate’s institutions,” he said. “No office is worth that.”
NET RMA to host public meetings
SMITH COUNTY – The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) will host virtual and in-person public meetings to share information and gather input on the proposed extension of Toll 49 from State Highway 110 to US Route 271, part of the Tyler Outer Loop. The proposed project is currently undergoing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) study. The environmental study will follow the requirements of federal and state law.
The public meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about Toll 49 Segment 6 and the EIS process. The project team will be on hand to answer questions. Continue reading NET RMA to host public meetings
Funeral procession in Tyler Tuesday
TYLER – There will be a funeral procession through parts of south Tyler on May 27, in honor of the late Tyler Fire Department Driver/Engineer Scott Starkey. The route will begin at Flint Baptist Church in Flint. And end at Bascom Cemetery, in Tyler. Traffic could be briefly affected during this time. The funeral will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by the procession.
Trial date set for murder suspect
TYLER – A man accused of shooting and killing a 29-year-old Marine veteran during a road rage incident in February was given a trial date by a judge on Tuesday. Dayton Alexander Morgan, 23, of Ben Wheeler, is accused of murdering Trevor Julian, 29, of Whitehouse, who died on February 13 at the Tyler intersection of East Grande Boulevard and Paluxy Drive. His bond has been set at $1 million since his arrest. He entered a not guilty plea and asserted self-defense. Continue reading Trial date set for murder suspect
Pilot dead in plane crash
HENDERSON COUNTY – Following a small plane crash at a private airpark Tuesday morning, airpark officials announced that one person had died. The aircraft crashed on the landing strip at Frankston’s Aero Estates Subdivision at approximately eight in the morning, according to Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse. The pilot was testing one of his aircraft when he tried a “impossible turn,” which resulted in the crash and his death, according to Wagenaar, the airpark manager and president of the POA. Wagenaar stated that witnesses apparently observed the pilot make a few passes before making the difficult maneuver and “[…] did not have enough altitude to perform a proper landing,” despite the fact that he was not present when the incident occurred. Continue reading Pilot dead in plane crash
Oil giant BP ousts new chairman over ‘conduct’ and shares slide
LONDON, Uk. (AP) – BP has ousted its chairman over what it called serious concerns related to “important governance standards, oversight and conduct.”
The departure was abrupt and unexpected, with Albert Manifold having been appointed to the position late last year.
“Albert has helped bring a welcome focus and pace to BP’s transformation,” Amanda Blanc, senior independent director, said in a statement Tuesday. “However, the board has been surprised and disappointed to learn of governance oversight and conduct issues it deems unacceptable and has taken decisive action.”
BP’s board named Ian Tyler as interim chair, effective immediately.
BP, based in London, is a “supermajor,” one of the five largest oil production and exploration companies in the world when measured by revenue and profit.
Manifold, who had been the top executive at Dublin-based global building materials company CRH for 10 years, became the chair at BP in October. BP was looking for someone to revamp the oil giant and went with an industry outsider in Manifold, who had made major strategic changes at CRH.
After a new focus on renewable energy at BP in 2020, by 2025 the company was seeking a return to its roots. BP’s hard reset was criticized by environmentalists, as well as some shareholders.
CEO Murray Auchincloss said last year that optimism over opportunities in renewable energy was misplaced, with the company moving “too far and too fast.”
Changes in leadership at BP in recent years has been tumultuous.
CEO Bernard Looney resigned in late 2023 after BP determined that he had misled the company over his past relationships with colleagues.
Auchincloss stepped down in December, and the company named Meg O’Neill as his successor.
Manifold’s was challenged almost immediately when shareholders defeated company resolutions this spring that would have allowed BP to reduce climate reporting requirements and move its annual meetings fully online. Some 18% of shareholders voted against Manifold’s election as chairman, a high level of opposition for an appointment that is generally rubber stamped by investors.
Legal & General, one of Britain’s largest insurers and investment companies, said at the time that Manifold was responsible for resolutions that would have had “a negative impact on shareholders’ insight into how the company is addressing financially material long-term risks, and seizing long-term value creation opportunities, associated with the energy transition,” the Times of London reported on April 23.
Glass Lewis, an influential shareholder advisor, urged investors to vote against Manifold’s election. It held that BP took “unprecedented action” by refusing to consider a resolution from a group of climate activists and pension funds hoping to force the board to create an alternative strategy should demand for fossil fuels decline, the Times reported.
Like other big oil companies, BP has struggled with falling demand in recent years.
BP’s 2025 earnings fell 16% from a year earlier to $7.49 billion as the price of Brent crude, a benchmark for international oil prices, dropped 16.9%. The company’s preferred measure of earnings is underlying replacement cost profit, which adjusts for one-time items and fluctuations in the market value of inventories. Net income plunged 86% to $55 million.
Last year there were media reports that British oil giant Shell was in talks to buy rival BP. Shell denied the reports at the time.
The search for a new chair is underway, BP said Tuesday.
Shares of BP Plc slid nearly 5% in midday trading on the NYSE.
David Rancken’s App of the Day 05/26/26 – Mercari!
Chapel Hill graduate has died
CHAPEL HILL – Chapel Hill ISD is deeply saddened by the recent and sudden loss of 2026 graduate Vanessa Vazquez. Vanessa was a valued member of the Bulldog family, and her passing is heartbreaking for our students, staff, and community. The school extends their heartfelt condolences and prayers to her family, friends, classmates, and all who knew and loved her.
During this difficult time, we ask our community to keep the Vazquez family in your thoughts and to respect their privacy as they grieve. Counseling support will be available for students and staff members in need.
Vanessa will always be remembered as part of the Bulldog family.
Resident wins $1 million from ticket
TYLER – In the Texas Lottery® scratch ticket game Casino Millions, a Tyler resident won a $1 million top prize ticket. The ticket was bought at Tyler’s Travel Center, located on 407 E. Northeast Loop 323. The claimant chose to keep their identity anonymous. Under the Texas Lottery’s Retailer Bonus Program, the retailer may receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket that won the prize. This was the second of ten $1 million top prizes that could be won in this game. The total prizes offered by Casino Millions exceed $195.3 million. Including break-even prizes, the overall odds of winning any prize in the game are one in 3.45.
Updated election results
EAST TEXAS – With the polls closed across East Texas and beyond, and the votes tallied, the Texas Secretary of State’s office has updated election results for both Republican and Democratic Primary Elections. This election includes the major runoff for U.S. Senate between incumbent John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. You can find those updated results here.
Free summer food program
TYLER — The East Texas Food Bank (ETFB) kicks off the free Summer Food Program for children on Tuesday, June 2, at 43 East Texas locations with a special event at the Glass Recreation Center in Tyler from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. featuring food, activities and more. The PepsiCo Foundation’s Food for Good sponsors the event.
“It’s so important to make sure children do not go hungry in the summer just because school is out,” said David Emerson, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank. “Here in East Texas, 1 in 4 children are food insecure so it’s up to our community to make sure we fill that meal gap when the school year ends and kids lose access to free and reduced-price meals they depend on.”
Food for Good is helping transform food access in rural and underserved communities by using PepsiCo’s logistical expertise to deliver nutritious meals year-round. Continue reading Free summer food program
Cornyn tries to hold on to Texas Senate seat in runoff with Paxton, the latest test of Trump’s power
PLANO, Texas (AP) — Texans are choosing a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Tuesday’s runoff election, bringing to a close the extended, bitter and expensive primary where President Donald Trump weighed in late to tip the race in another effort to rid the GOP of leaders less devoted to him.
Trump’s endorsement of state Attorney General Ken Paxton over four-term Sen. John Cornyn gives the challenger a late boost and puts Cornyn at risk of becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history to seek the party’s nod and lose.
That’s despite Cornyn’s campaign and allied groups spending roughly $90 million in advertising since last year, the vast majority of it attacking Paxton.
It’s the latest GOP contest where Trump has sought to punish a Republican he sees as insufficiently loyal. This month, he has successfully backed challengers to incumbents in Louisiana, Kentucky and Indiana, a sign of his enduring influence among primary voters.
Paxton’s campaign and a pro-Paxton super PAC began airing ads promoting the endorsement within 24 hours of Trump’s announcement. Cornyn acknowledged Trump’s move would have an impact but said he wasn’t giving up.
“I know who gets to choose our senators, and it’s the people of Texas,” he said hours after the endorsement.
The winner will run in November against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
Tuesday’s runoffs also will decide Democratic U.S. House nominees for districts in Dallas and Houston that overwhelmingly support Democrats, and a San Antonio-area seat the party hopes to flip.
The primary has been long, bitter and costly
Cornyn led Paxton in the March primary but failed to win a majority in the three-way contest that also included U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished in a distant third.
That was after Cornyn’s campaign and allied groups waged a monthslong ad campaign, mostly attacking Paxton for ethical and personal questions. The two-term attorney general was acquitted in a 2023 impeachment trial when allegations of extramarital affairs surfaced. Last year, Paxton’s wife filed for divorce, citing “biblical grounds.”
The alliance of pro-Cornyn groups have continued its attack, outspending Paxton’s campaign and two allied super PACs $16.5 million to $5.9 million since March 3, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
Trump promised to endorse immediately after the primary, asking the unchosen candidate to withdraw. But he didn’t act until after early voting began on May 18.
“Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to win,” Trump wrote in a social media post endorsing him. “Our Country needs Fighters, and also Loyalty to the Cause of Greatness.”
Pro-Cornyn groups lately have been airing ads criticizing the attorney general office’s handling of a Waco sex abuse case. Pro-Paxton groups had seized on Cornyn’s awkward relationship with Trump.
Trump snubs Cornyn amid retribution campaign
The negative tenor could diminish turnout in an election already complicated by coming a day after Memorial Day, Texas Republican strategist Tyler Norris said. About 2 million of Texas’ 18.7 million voters participated in the GOP primary.
The dynamic could favor Paxton, whose support draws from more of the most loyal Trump base in Texas, said Norris, who isn’t affiliated with either campaign.
“The defining battle lines are based around hyper-negative messaging, which dampens turnout to begin with,” he said. “So who is going to show up is the hardest of the hard core.”
Trump in his endorsement also poked at Cornyn, as he has done with other Republicans who are not in lockstep with the president.
He blasted Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy as “a Disloyal Disaster” on May 16, before Cassidy lost a GOP primary for the office he has held since 2015. The two-term senator had voted to convict Trump after his 2021 impeachment trial over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump backed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who advanced to a runoff with John Fleming, the state treasurer. Cassidy finished well behind them.
Last week, Trump celebrated as Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a critic of the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, lost his primary to Ed Gallrein. Trump called Massie “the worst congressman in the history of our country.”
In endorsing Paxton, Trump said Cornyn “was not supportive of me when times were tough” and that “John was very late in backing me.”
Cornyn suggested in 2023 that Trump could not win the presidency again in 2024 and that his “time has passed him by.” He also was an early critic of Trump’s plan for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico — a project he now supports.
Senate GOP leaders backed Cornyn, saying he would be stronger in the general election. Some GOP strategists have argued a Paxton nomination would cost millions of dollars more to promote in the fall, when money could be spent defending Republican seats in more competitive states. Democrats need to gain a net of four seats to take the majority.
Democrats also will choose US House nominees
Newly elected Rep. Christian Menefee and veteran Rep. Al Green are vying for the party nod in Texas’ 18th District, which the Republican-led Texas Legislature redrew last year to help the GOP. The new map led to a contest between incumbents and marks the end of a dizzying series of elections in the Houston area. Menefee was elected in a special runoff in January to the seat that had been held by the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in March 2025.
Menefee finished narrowly ahead of Green in the March 3 primary but didn’t win a majority to avoid the runoff.
Former Rep. Colin Allred and U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson are competing in the Dallas-area 33rd District. Johnson was elected to the seat in 2024, the year Allred lost his U.S. Senate challenge to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred was running for Senate again this cycle but dropped his bid and instead is looking to return to the House.
Near San Antonio, Democratic leaders are trying to prevent Maureen Galindo, who has expressed antisemitic views, from winning the party’s runoff with Johnny Garcia. While Texas lawmakers redrew the 35th District to help Republicans, Democrats view it as within reach and don’t want Galindo’s past comments to impede them.
___
Bedayn reported from Austin, Texas.
Injured swimmer rescued
GUN BARREL CITY – Firefighters and and Gun Barrel City Police Department officers were sent out to Tom Finely Park on Cedar Creek Lake at around 1:34 p.m. on Monday after a swimmer was reportedly injured in the water. According to Gun Barrel City Fire Department and our news partner KETK, officers found the swimmer in shallow water at around 100 yards away from the park’s swimming area. The patient was stabilized in the water and then floated back to the shore by firefighters.
The swimmer was then transported to a local hospital for treatment. The extent of the swimmer’s injuries has not been reported by Gun Barrel City Fire Department.
Democrats feud over stock trading as they sharpen anti-corruption case against Trump
DALLAS (AP) — After three terms in the U.S. House and two unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate, Colin Allred said he’s heard plenty about voters’ suspicions that politicians are just trying to make a buck in Washington.
“‘What about the stock trading in Congress? What about people getting rich in Congress?’” Allred said they ask him regularly. “And I have to say to them, you’re absolutely right about that, too. We need to be better.”
He’s challenging Rep. Julie Johnson in the Democratic runoff for a Dallas-area House seat on Tuesday, and he’s one of several candidates trying to harness populist anger over congressional stock trading. Allred has denounced Johnson for trades involving companies like Palantir, a data analytics firm with ties to President Donald Trump’s administration.
Johnson said her trades were handled by a financial manager, and she accused Allred of being “only out for himself.” She pointed to financial disclosures that showed Allred’s wealth nearly doubling during his own time in Congress, although Allred said his assets were in a blind trust and the money came from his wife’s income as a partner at a law firm.
“To be clear, the sum total I made on that trade was only $90,” Johnson said of her Palantir stock. “My opponent is trying to make it seem like it was hundreds or thousands.”
The bitter campaign is emblematic of broader debates within the Democratic Party over the role of money in politics. Long a refrain of strident progressives and good-government reformers, accusations that political rivals are self-dealing or bought by special interests have become a mainstay of Democratic primaries. The heightened criticism of lawmakers’ personal wealth comes as the party looks to sharpen its anti-corruption message against Trump and to develop a platform for overhauling Washington if Democrats take power in the midterms.
Some are tracking congressional stock trading
Trump campaigned on a promise to “drain the swamp,” capitalizing on Americans’ disdain for the Washington establishment. Now that his family is profiting while he’s back in the White House, Democrats are eager to regain the upper hand on an issue that could prove potent with voters.
“The difficulty is that right now, no party has the mantle on anti-corruption,” said Daniel Lobo-Lewis, a political consultant in Washington. “Many voters outside of the beltway see both parties as corrupt, because they see all politicians as bought by the donors or by their own self-interest.”
Lobo-Lewis and Nico Agosta founded the Political Integrity Project last year to track stock trading and corporate donations involving members of Congress.
The organization asks candidates to sign an “integrity pledge” to refrain from trading stocks or accepting corporate donations while in Congress and vow not to work as a lobbyist after they leave office. So far, about 90 challengers and seven sitting lawmakers have taken the pledge.
“If we want to, in any way, start rebuilding trust in our political institutions, it starts with no-brainer changes like this that have an approval rating above and beyond any other issue you could imagine,” Lobo-Lewis said.
Congress has yet to enact a stock trading ban for its members, though insider trading is already illegal for members just like it is for anyone else. There are multiple proposals on Capitol Hill, but none have gained traction.
A bipartisan bill to ban congressional stock trading stalled this year despite receiving Trump’s blessing during his State of the Union. And Democrats remain divided over the number of alleged loopholes in their competing proposals.
Anti-corruption messages spread in Democratic primaries
A crowded race in a Democratic-leaning Utah congressional seat has featured attacks over candidates’ personal wealth. State Sen. Nate Blouin criticized his main rival, former Rep. Ben McAdams, for having equity in a Utah data center firm, and excoriated others in the race for past investments and jobs.
McAdams said the equity of several thousand dollars was payment for a past contract completed by his government consulting firm while he was a private citizen. His campaign defended the data center project by saying it would use no water and run on clean energy.
A spokesperson for McAdams also claimed Blouin “is currently hiding his corporate donations” by removing them from campaign disclosure reports, which McAdams’ campaign claims “is not only deceitful, it breaks campaign finance law.”
In an interview, Blouin rejected the claim that he broke the law, and said that he removed the donations because he returned the money to each donor.
“It was actually quite uncomfortable to return some of those,” said Blouin, because some of the firms included local firms and clean energy companies. “But there is a perception that campaign contributions from lobbyists and companies influence votes, and I think there is some truth to that.”
In a New York City congressional district that includes both Wall Street and the Democratic Socialists of America’s headquarters, the city’s former comptroller, Brad Lander, has accused Rep. Dan Goldman of trying to buy another term by using his own wealth to match campaign contributions. Goldman, an heir to the Levi Strauss family fortune, says he entered all of his assets into a blind trust after taking office in 2023.
A spokesperson for Goldman said Lander is “running a deceitful campaign based on absurd lies that Dan is beholden to special interests” and that Goldman has raised more campaign funds than Lander “without taking a dime of corporate PAC money.” Goldman has spent his own money on the race, the spokesperson said: “To ensure that the NY-10 voters can be sure that he is beholden only to them and his principles.”
Lander said Goldman’s spending is “not illegal, but it is certainly anti-democratic when a quarter-billionaire like Dan Goldman not only dumps millions of his own inherited wealth into his elections but also solicits money from the same forces who are rigging the economy and worsening the affordability crisis.”
More candidates are fighting over stocks in California
Even representatives who support a ban on congressional stock trading are feeling the heat.
Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of California is facing multiple primary challengers who have criticized the congressman for holding stocks while serving in Congress. Sherman does not trade individual stocks and supports a ban on stock trading.
“I only own three individual stocks, which I inherited from my mother when she passed away, which were originally acquired by my grandmother,” Sherman said. “I have never sold them because I made a promise to my constituents that I would not buy and sell individual stocks.”
One of Sherman’s primary challengers is Jake Levine, a former climate adviser to President Joe Biden, who signed the pledge from the Political Integrity Project. But Sherman said Levine “refuses to disclose key elements of his $18 million stock portfolio, and actively bought and sold stocks while serving on the National Security Council.” Levine has said he cannot disclose the portfolio because it is managed by his family and he has no oversight.
In the race to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California State Sen. Scott Wiener has critiqued his progressive opponent, Saikat Chakrabarti, over his personal wealth. Chakrabarti is a former software engineer who earned millions as an early employee at the tech firm Stripe. He later served as the first chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Wiener said that Chakrabarti “has enormous investments” and “is trying to buy this seat” while “spreading bogus conspiracy theories” with his own wealth. He criticized Chakrabarti for not disclosing the last decade of his stock trades.
“If you’re making a ban on stock trades a central part of your campaign — as Saikat is doing, running around saying that everyone under the sun is corrupt — how about you tell the voters about your own stock trading history,” Wiener said.
Chakrabarti retorted that his wealth as a private citizen is not relevant to his future time in office and that he would place all of his assets into a blind trust should he be elected. He critiqued Wiener for being supported by super PACs funded by the AI firm Anthropic and other major corporations.
“This is all part of a larger problem, which is just the whole idea of corruption in our politics,” Chakrabarti said. “If you’re in Congress, you sit on committees that oversee a lot of these industries, and it’s unethical to be using that insider information, that knowledge to make stock trades. But that doesn’t apply to a private citizen.”
Jeep crashes through home
SMITH COUNTY – A vehicle is currently stuck inside a house in Smith County after crashing into the home on Monday afternoon.
According to officials with Smith County Emergency Services District 2, the crash occurred at around 5 p.m. after the driver of a Jeep crashed into a home located off Highway 271 in the Eagle Creek subdivision.
Firefighters are currently on the scene working to remove the vehicle from the house. No injuries have been reported following the crash and all the residents have been removed from the home. It is unclear at this time how the crash occurred.
One injured in drive-by shooting
TYLER – On Monday, a drive-by gunshot on Tyler’s North Grand Avenue resulted in one injury. The Tyler Police Department reports that at approximately 1 p.m. on Monday, officers responded to a reported shooting in the 3100 block of N. Grand Avenue. Our news partners at KETK report that one individual was hurt after being struck by falling debris during the gunfire, according to the officers who arrived at the site. To receive treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, the injured person has been taken to a nearby hospital. It is believed that a white Mercedes that was discovered close to the area was utilized in the shooting. Tyler PD emphasized that no suspect has been taken into custody as of yet and that the shooting was not an isolated event.
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Texas US Senate Republican primary runoff
WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in the Lone Star State will make their second attempt to nominate a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in a primary runoff election on Tuesday, the electoral version of the Texas two-step.
Also on the ballot are primary runoffs in more than a dozen congressional districts, plus state contests for lieutenant governor, attorney general and others.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn was the top vote-getter in the March 3 primary, but strong showings by two GOP challengers forced the four-term incumbent to Tuesday’s head-to-head matchup with state Attorney General Ken Paxton, the second-place finisher who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement on May 19.
The contest is Trump’s next opportunity to purge the party of incumbents he views as insufficiently loyal to him and his agenda. It also sets the stage for a general election where Democrats are increasingly optimistic about their chances to score an upset in the heavily Republican state as they look to retake control of the U.S. Senate. Historically, voters have tended to punish the incumbent president’s party at the ballot box in midterm election years.
The winner will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the general election.
Trump seemed open to endorsing Cornyn following the primary, and he did not excoriate the incumbent in his endorsement of Paxton, as he’s done recently with Republican incumbents in Indiana, Louisiana and Kentucky. But he said Cornyn “was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
Cornyn was critical of Trump ahead of the president’s 2024 campaign.
Since much of the Texas primary campaign has focused on the candidates’ loyalty to Trump, the counties where the president has the most support could play a decisive role. Although many of the counties Trump won in 2024 with 80% or more of the vote are rural and sparsely populated, collectively they made up about a fifth of the GOP primary vote. Paxton beat Cornyn in these counties, 45% to 40%, while Cornyn performed better than Paxton in the rest of the state.
In counties Trump carried with between 50% and 80% of the vote, Cornyn received about 42% of the vote, edging Paxton by a percentage point. Republican primary voters in the 12 counties Democrat Kamala Harris carried in 2024 preferred Cornyn, 44% to 40%. These counties made up 25% of the overall primary vote, larger than the share of Trump’s 80%-plus counties.
Only two incumbent U.S. senators from Texas have lost a primary in the last 100 years.
In 2025, Republicans redrew the state’s congressional districts at Trump’s urging as part of an effort to maintain control of the U.S. House.
Among the notable primary runoffs that resulted from the new congressional map, Democratic U.S. Reps. Christian Menefee and Al Green will face each other in the redrawn 18th Congressional District. In the new 33rd Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson faces a challenge from her predecessor, former Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred.
Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:
When do polls close?
Polls close statewide at 7 p.m. local time, which is 8 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET. Most polls are in Central time and close at 8 p.m. ET, while polls in the westernmost part of the state are in Mountain time and close at 9 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in Republican primary runoffs for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, railroad commissioner, Court of Criminal Appeals, state Senate and state House and in Democratic primary runoffs for U.S. House, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state Board of Education and state House.
Who gets to vote?
Voters who did not participate in a party primary on March 3 may vote in the runoff for either party. Voters who did cast a ballot in a party primary may only vote in the runoff of the same party as they did in the primary. In other words, Democratic primary voters may not vote in a Republican primary runoff or vice versa. Voters in the non-partisan primary may vote in either party’s runoff.
How many voters are there?
As of the March 3 primary, there were nearly 19 million registered voters in Texas.
How many people actually vote?
About 2.2 million Republican primary votes and about 2.3 million Democratic primary votes were cast in the March 3 Texas primary.
In the 2022 Republican primary for Texas Attorney General, turnout was about 1.9 million voters in the primary and about 932,000 in the primary runoff.
How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?
About 63% of the vote in the March 3 Republican primary was cast before primary day.
As of Thursday, about 621,000 Republican primary ballots and about 262,000 Democratic primary ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.
When are early and absentee votes released?
Counties tend to release all or nearly all results from early and absentee voting in the first vote update of the night, before any in-person Election Day results are released.
How long does vote-counting usually take?
In the U.S. Senate primary in March, the AP first reported results at 8 p.m. ET just as polls closed in most of the state. By 11:39 p.m. ET, 75% of the vote had been counted. Vote results were released continuously until about 5:58 a.m. ET, with about 98% of the total vote counted.
When will the AP declare a winner?
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
How do recounts work?
Texas requires an automatic recount only in cases of a tie vote. Losing candidates may request and pay for a recount if the margin is less than 10% of the leading candidate’s vote. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 161 days until the 2026 midterm elections.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.
Slide 1 of 2
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks during a campaign event in Lubbock, Texas, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Annie Rice)
Photo Metadata (1 of 2)
Date
May 19, 2026 5:55 PM
Headline
Election 2026 Texas Senate
Source
FR171627 AP
Use information
Use of this content is for editorial purposes only. For inquiries regarding non-editorial uses,
Primary Runoff Election Guide
EAST TEXAS — East Texans head back to the polls for the primary runoff election and every county in the region has its own set of decisions to make. Our news partner KETK has put together a guide; whether you’re double?checking where to vote or previewing the races on your ballot, this guide keeps the essential details in one place so you can cast your vote with confidence. Always confirm final voting information with your county’s official election office. You may view the guide here.
Crash leaves one dead on Highway 59, traffic altered
LUFKIN – One person is dead and two have been injured following a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 59 in Lufkin, according to police. The Lufkin Police Department said traffic on U.S. 59 South is was blocked after a single-vehicle crash killed one person. A Grapeland woman, Alishia M. Scott, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene in the 5000 block of U.S. 59 south of Lufkin A man and woman are being treated for their injuries. Her family has been notified. The three were in a Chevrolet Tahoe traveling north toward Lufkin when the accident occurred. An investigation by Lufkin Police and DPS Troopers is under way.
Crash leaves one hospitalized
SMITH COUNTY – Following an SUV and an 18-wheeler collision on Sunday, FM 14 in Smith County, south of Hawkins, was closed. At approximately 5:12 p.m. on Sunday, an 18-wheeler and an SUV collided in the 16000 block of FM 14, trapping one passenger, according to Smith County Emergency Services District 2. One passenger needed to be removed from the SUV in order to be transported to a nearby hospital for treatment after it was flipped onto its roof during the collision. The severity of the passenger’s injuries is unknown to Smith County officials. The driver of the 18-wheeler was not hurt in the collision. In order to clear the road, Smith County officials announced that FM 14 would be closed until further notice at the time of the crash.

