Lufkin – Patrol officers Wednesday night located and arrested a Lufkin man who was wanted on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges, according to a news release from Lufkin Police. Javier Dejesus Martinez, 41, was arrested as he walked to a gas station near Timberland and Atkinson Drives. He has been charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. This follows reports to police and the Angelina County Sheriff’s office of family violence.
Detective Reagan Matthews said the incident started with Martinez and the victim in a local motel Tuesday. Martinez strangled and struck the victim several times while at the motel.
The following day, the victim went to work at a convenience store on U.S. 69 north in Central and had belongings in the vehicle to leave Martinez. However, Martinez worked at an adjacent convenience store, and when he saw the victim in the parking lot, he reportedly began repeatedly striking the victim with a closed fist, knocking the victim to the ground and dragging the victim on the pavement, Matthews said.
Witnesses took photos of the incident, but told Sheriff’s deputies that Martinez threatened to kill anyone who called the police and he said he was not afraid of the police or confrontation, Matthews said. Martinez left the premises in the victim’s vehicle, and witnesses then called the Sheriff’s office. They were able to provide photos and video, she said.
When deputies talked with the victim at the convenience store, they were told of the abuse at the Lufkin motel, which is when detectives became involved in the case.
Matthews located the victim at a local hospital and scheduled an intimate partner violence exam with Harolds House, which documented both the new and older wounds.
Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, patrol officers recognized Martinez as he was walking on north Timberland Drive and arrested him without incident. Sheriff’s detectives are working on separate charges from the convenience store incident. Martinez had been on parole from federal prison on drug possession and trafficking charges.
TYLER – Old Bascom Road will remain closed while crews complete drainage repairs and prepare for a full road reconstruction project. The road has been closed since May 22 while crews replace collapsed tin culverts with new concrete box culverts. The ongoing culvert replacement is expected to take about three more weeks.
During the replacement work, it was determined that Old Bascom Road must be reconstructed before reopening. Once the culvert work is complete, the City has contracted Reynolds & Kay to begin the rehabilitation project. Continue reading Road construction extended
LUFKIN – A man was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly beat and strangled a person at a motel in Lufkin.According to our news partner KETK and the Lufkin Police Department, 41-year-old Javier Dejesus Martinez, was arrested after detectives learned he strangled and struck a victim in a local motel on Tuesday.
Then on Wednesday, the victim reportedly went to work at a convenience store on U.S. Highway 69. The victim was planning to leave Martinez and had already put their belongings in their vehicle.
Martinez worked at a convenient store nearby and had seen the victim in the parking lot. Lufkin PD reported that after seeing the victim on Wednesday, Martinez repeatedly struck them with a closed fist, knocked them to the ground and dragged them on the pavement.
“Witnesses took photos of the incident but told Sheriff’s deputies that Martinez threatened to kill anyone who called the police and he said he was not afraid of the police or confrontation,” a Lufkin Police Department detective said.
Martinez then left the convenience store property in the victim’s vehicle and witnesses contacted the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office. Lufkin PD detectives became involved after the victim told deputies about the violence at the motel.
A detective with Lufkin PD found the victim at local hospital on Wednesday and set up a violence exam at Harold’s House, where their new and older wounds were documented.
The detective was able to secure a warrant for Martinez’s arrest in connection to the motel beating on Wednesday and they also discussed the case with Lufkin PD patrol officers.
At around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, Lufkin PD officers were patrolling the city when they saw Martinez walking on north Timberland Drive. Martinez was arrested without incident and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Martinez is currently being held in Angelina County Jail on a $500,000 bond for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and has received an additional charge from the Sheriff’s Department for continuous violence against the family with no bond.
AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible passages, widening conservative efforts to push Christian teachings in U.S. classrooms.
The Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list of over critics who argued the titles lack diversity and blur the separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation’s founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.
The proposal, which mandates literary works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” alongside passages from the New Testament, has been closely followed by education observers who say it appears to be the first of its kind in the nation. It is a departure from letting schools or teachers decide what students read.
The rollout will be staggered, starting with elementary school students in 2030.
Texas, which educates roughly 1 in 10 of the nation’s public school students, has been at the forefront of a charge by conservatives to incorporate more religion into classrooms. The state also allows public schools to hire chaplains to counsel students, mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and has approved an optional Bible-infused curriculum.
A focus on Christianity
Critics say the reading list lacks diversity, blurs the separation of church and state that is enshrined in the Constitution and leaves teachers and students with little room to decide what to read.
“Kids of all faith backgrounds and no faith are served by Texas schools and they should all feel welcome in Texas schools,” said Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate for the progressive Texas Freedom Network. “But this is sending the message to children that one and only one religious text — a Christian one — is worthy of making this required reading list.”
Others have applauded the possibility of mandated Christian religious reading in public schools. Brooke Mazel, a retiree from Lubbock, encouraged the board to adopt biblical materials, saying her children and grandchildren grew up with “strong faith and family values.”
“America should celebrate our 250 years that started as a nation of unwavering Christian values,” Mazel said.
The board is also set to vote Friday on a social studies curriculum that links Bible stories with American history.
Texas may be a trailblazer
A state law passed in 2023 required a mandatory list of at least one literary work be taught in each grade level. The proposed new list contains around 200 texts, including Bible passages, essays and books, far in excess of that requirement.
Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University professor, said he doesn’t know of any other state with a mandatory reading list that includes religious texts. Educators at the district and school level usually choose the texts their students will read, Garcia said.
Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, agrees the move is “unique” to Texas.
Picture-book stories for elementary students including “David and Goliath” and “Daniel and the Lion’s Den” are on the required reading list. By fourth grade, students would encounter passages about Jesus in the New Testament.
By middle school, students would be expected to read several passages about Jesus, including passages from his most famous sermon, and another where he instructs people to cast aside earthly anxiety and seek the kingdom of God.
For high schoolers, the list requires the reading of specific Bible passages as supportive materials for literary works including works by Dickens and Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” Holding diversity in check
Such strict requirements amount to “almost de facto censorship,” Meehan said, comparing the list to book bans.
“It certainly leans ideologically more conservative,” she said. “It excludes a lot of diverse voices from the reading list.”
The list mandates that students reading Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” also read a eulogy for President Ronald Reagan written by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a staunch conservative.
Frank Strong, an English and journalism teacher and co-founder of the student advocacy group Texas Freedom to Read, said diversity is not only important for students needing to see themselves in what they read but also as a way to learn about different cultures.
Many of the books on the reading list are not controversial, but Mendoza asks why books like “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” need to be required for kindergartners.
“Can’t our kindergarten teachers be trusted to choose board books?” Mendoza asks.
AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible passages, widening conservative efforts to push Christian teachings in U.S. classrooms.
The Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list of over critics who argued the titles lack diversity and blur the separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation’s founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.
The proposal, which mandates literary works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” alongside passages from the New Testament, has been closely followed by education observers who say it appears to be the first of its kind in the nation. It is a departure from letting schools or teachers decide what students read.
The rollout will be staggered, starting with elementary school students in 2030.
Texas, which educates roughly 1 in 10 of the nation’s public school students, has been at the forefront of a charge by conservatives to incorporate more religion into classrooms. The state also allows public schools to hire chaplains to counsel students, mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and has approved an optional Bible-infused curriculum.
A focus on Christianity
Critics say the reading list lacks diversity, blurs the separation of church and state that is enshrined in the Constitution and leaves teachers and students with little room to decide what to read.
“Kids of all faith backgrounds and no faith are served by Texas schools and they should all feel welcome in Texas schools,” said Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate for the progressive Texas Freedom Network. “But this is sending the message to children that one and only one religious text — a Christian one — is worthy of making this required reading list.”
Others have applauded the possibility of mandated Christian religious reading in public schools. Brooke Mazel, a retiree from Lubbock, encouraged the board to adopt biblical materials, saying her children and grandchildren grew up with “strong faith and family values.”
“America should celebrate our 250 years that started as a nation of unwavering Christian values,” Mazel said.
The board is also set to vote Friday on a social studies curriculum that links Bible stories with American history.
Texas may be a trailblazer
A state law passed in 2023 required a mandatory list of at least one literary work be taught in each grade level. The proposed new list contains around 200 texts, including Bible passages, essays and books, far in excess of that requirement.
Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University professor, said he doesn’t know of any other state with a mandatory reading list that includes religious texts. Educators at the district and school level usually choose the texts their students will read, Garcia said.
Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, agrees the move is “unique” to Texas.
Picture-book stories for elementary students including “David and Goliath” and “Daniel and the Lion’s Den” are on the required reading list. By fourth grade, students would encounter passages about Jesus in the New Testament.
By middle school, students would be expected to read several passages about Jesus, including passages from his most famous sermon, and another where he instructs people to cast aside earthly anxiety and seek the kingdom of God.
For high schoolers, the list requires the reading of specific Bible passages as supportive materials for literary works including works by Dickens and Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
Holding diversity in check
Such strict requirements amount to “almost de facto censorship,” Meehan said, comparing the list to book bans.
“It certainly leans ideologically more conservative,” she said. “It excludes a lot of diverse voices from the reading list.”
The list mandates that students reading Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” also read a eulogy for President Ronald Reagan written by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a staunch conservative.
Frank Strong, an English and journalism teacher and co-founder of the student advocacy group Texas Freedom to Read, said diversity is not only important for students needing to see themselves in what they read but also as a way to learn about different cultures.
Many of the books on the reading list are not controversial, but Mendoza asks why books like “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” need to be required for kindergartners.
“Can’t our kindergarten teachers be trusted to choose board books?” Mendoza asks.
AUSTIN (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) – The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by Robb Elementary students and teachers who argued failures by the Department of Public Safety and Uvalde County contributed to a botched response to the 2022 shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers.
The court’s order, issued without comment, upheld a February ruling by the San Antonio-based 4th Court of Appeals that dismissed the lawsuit.
DPS and the county were sued for negligence by five teachers and 20 students who were at the school but not in the classrooms where the shootings occurred.
“Most were barricaded in nearby classrooms and could hear the gunfire, and some saw the shooter as he moved through the campus. The shooter also fired into the windows of at least one of the classrooms where the appellants were located,” the appeals court noted. “Several appellants lost friends and cousins in the shooting, and others were physically injured during the evacuation. All were traumatized.”
The lawsuit argued that DPS and Uvalde County failed to protect students and teachers — an allegation, the court acknowledged, “we quite frankly cannot disagree with.”
Even so, the appeals court said, their lawsuit argued that DPS and the county acted negligently under the Texas Tort Claims Act — a law that did not apply to their claims.
Students and teachers alleged that law enforcement officers failed to use their communication equipment and protective gear as they waited more than an hour to intervene and protect those inside the elementary school.
They also alleged that responders used “defective operational equipment in a manner that delayed rescue causing distinct injury,” because radios could be used only within a 10-foot radius of the building.
Students and teachers were injured “not only by the shooter’s conduct, but also by the delayed rescue itself,” the lawsuit said.
The appeals court ruled that under the Tort Claims Act, students and teachers had to show the “use of the property must have actually caused the plaintiff’s injury.”
The lawsuit did not present evidence that properly functioning radios would have minimized or eliminated the delay in the rescue, the court ruled.
In addition, many of the lawsuit’s claims revolved around law enforcement’s failure to use body armor, shields, firearms and protective gear. However, “it is well-established that non-use of property” does not waive the county’s and the Department of Public Safety’s immunity from lawsuits under the tort act, the appeals court ruled.
“As judges, we are bound by the maxim that ‘the waiver of governmental immunity is a matter addressed to the Legislature, not the courts,’” the opinion said.
NEW YORK (AP) — The 2000 Year Old Man is turning 100. Mel Brooks on Sunday will celebrate his centennial birthday.
The comedian and filmmaker has been awaiting the milestone. Earlier this year, Judd Apatow titled his retrospective documentary on him: “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!”
“I was born to make people laugh,” Brooks says in the film. “So, I do that.”
Brooks was born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York, on June 28, 1926. After serving in the Army during World War II and performing in the Borscht Belt, Sid Caesar hired him as a writer. On his “Show of Shows,” Brooks met Carl Reiner, who’d remain a lifelong friend and with whom he created the “2000 Year Old Man” sketches.
Reiner would pepper Brooks’ ancient man with questions about what Jesus was like. “Jesus … yes, yes,” Brooks would answer. “Thin lad. Wore sandals. Always walked around with 12 other guys.”
Brooks went to make classic comedies like “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein” and “High Anxiety.” It all started, Brooks told The Associated Press in 2021, with his childhood in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
“I wanted to keep the party going. I wanted to keep the happiness and joy and explosions of laughter going into a dour part of our lives, not our childhood anymore,” Brooks recalled. “I was once interviewed and the guy said, ‘What was the happiest part of your life? Was it winning the Academy Award? Was it marrying Anne Bancroft?’ I said no, not at all. It was my childhood. From about 4 or 5 to 9, it was the most exciting, happiest, joyous life that anyone could experience.
“The guy said, ‘What happened at 9?’ I said, ‘Homework.’”
Even now, Brooks hasn’t retired. In April, Brooks submitted a video message to Eddie Murphy to honor him for his AFI life achievement award. In May, he announced that he was donating thousands of his documents and photographs to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York.
“I’ve always been proud to say that I make people laugh for a living,” Brooks said then in a statement. “So, knowing that my work will have a home at comedy’s national archive and continue making people laugh leaves me with a deep sense of pride.”
To mark the occasion of Brooks’ centennial, the American Film Institute on Friday named 1974’s “Blazing Saddles” the funniest film of all time. It has previously ranked sixth on its list of 100 greatest movies. Brooks’ film displaced “Some Like It Hot” — which Brooks had long held wasn’t as funny as his movies — from the top spot.
“He’s right!,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and chief executive. “We’re happy to right this wrong as Mel celebrates his centennial. It’s good to be the king, and may he live to be a 2,000 year old man. Happy birthday, Mel!”
Brooks has sometimes made mortality a joke, too. In a 1980s sketch, he created a coin-operated gravestone for himself that played a videotaped message. It began: “I was Mel Brooks, one of the funniest little Jews to walk the Earth.”
When asked in that AP 2021 interview if he thought much about death, Brooks said no.
“I gave up after 60 thinking about it because if I did, I’d be thinking about it all the time. So I don’t think about it much. When and if it happens it’s going to be a sad day — for everybody but me,” Brooks said, laughing.
“I enjoy living,” he added. “I’d like to do it as long as I can.”
A light rain falls outside of the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of the release of new opinions on June 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) -- Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on President Donald Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship by executive order, a move which would upend more than a century of legal precedent and a national tradition that have said babies born on American soil are automatically American citizens.
The ruling, one of the most highly anticipated of the year, is a major test of Trump's unprecedented assertion of presidential power in his second term with major stakes for millions of children and their families.
What is birthright citizenship?
Birthright citizenship is the idea that a child automatically becomes a citizen of the country in which they are born, regardless of the immigration status of their parents.
It reflects the principle of jus soli, or right of the soil, extending citizenship purely on the basis of geographic location.
By contrast, many countries extend citizenship under the principle of jus sanguinis, or right of blood, which is determined by the nationality of a child's parents regardless of the location of birth.
How does birthright citizenship work in the U.S.?
With few exceptions, all babies born on U.S. soil become U.S. citizens.
For the approximately 3.6 million children born in American hospitals every year, the birth certificate alone has been the key to obtaining Social Security numbers, passports and early life benefits.
Into adulthood, the birth certificate has been universally recognized as proof of citizenship for such things as voter registration, employment, home loans and military service.
What does the Constitution say about birthright citizenship?
The 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868 to address the legal status of former slaves and their descendants, says plainly that all "persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and subject to the jurisdiction thereof" are citizens.
Congress later codified the same language in federal citizenship law enacted in 1940.
Courts and the government have repeatedly interpreted the 14th Amendment to unambiguously confer citizenship on all children born in the U.S., including babies of unauthorized noncitizens and temporary residents, such as asylum seekers, international students, tourists and seasonal workers.
Do other countries allow birthright citizenship?
Yes. Thirty-two other countries have citizenship laws nearly identical to the U.S., according to data compiled by the Pew Research Center. Roughly 50 more have limited versions of birthright citizenship.
The most inclusive citizenship policies are in countries in the Western Hemisphere. Brazil, Canada, Argentina and Mexico, for example, closely mirror American law.
Pakistan, Chad and Mozambique are other notable comparators to the U.S.
European countries have historically been more restrictive when it comes to citizenship. France, Greece and Spain extend citizenship at birth only to children whose parents were also born in those countries.
Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom grant automatic citizenship to any child born to a legal resident.
Why does President Trump want to end birthright citizenship?
On the first day of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order purporting to end birthright citizenship by redefining the meaning of the 14th Amendment.
He claims that children born to noncitizen parents who are either unlawfully in the country or who possess temporary legal status, such as tourists or foreign students, are not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the U.S. and therefore ineligible.
The order would restrict citizenship to babies of current American citizens or other lawful permanent residents that have established "domicile" in the U.S.
The president argues the current citizenship policy is a "scam" that has allowed wealthy adversaries to take advantage of American benefits and "ripped off" taxpayers by providing financial assistance to children of undocumented people.
What is the argument in favor of birthright citizenship?
Birthright citizenship has been part of American tradition repeatedly affirmed by courts and legislators for more than a century.
The Supreme Court previously rejected constitutional arguments similar to the ones Trump is making.
"The [14th] Amendment, in clear words and in manifest intent, includes the children born, within the territory of the United States, of all other persons, of whatever race or color, domiciled within the United States," wrote Justice Horace Gray in 1898 in the landmark Wong Kim Ark v. U.S. decision, addressing the status of children born to noncitizens.
Immigrant advocates and civil liberties groups have warned that ending birthright citizenship would harm hundreds of thousands of children born every year to noncitizen parents and create a bureaucratic nightmare for older Americans who would no longer be able to prove citizenship simply with a birth certificate.
An estimated 255,000 children born every year to noncitizen parents would have lost legal status under the order, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Some may have faced difficulty establishing citizenship in any country, effectively being born as "stateless."
What happens if the Supreme Court allows Trump to end birthright citizenship?
The Trump administration says federal agencies have prepared guidelines for implementing a new process of conferring citizenship to children born after the order takes effect.
Federal agencies -- by electronic databases or otherwise -- would evaluate the legal status of a child's parents first before making a determination of eligibility for citizenship and, in turn, for a Social Security number, passport and other benefits.
A U.S. birth certificate alone would no longer be sufficient proof of citizenship for any child going forward, including those born to American parents.
Immigrant advocates have warned of a "bureaucratic nightmare" for all parents of newborns, with vulnerable low-income children being particularly at risk of not getting necessary health care or nutrition assistance.
Some children who would not qualify for U.S. citizenship may be rendered "stateless" since several countries, particularly in southeast Asia, do not confer citizenship automatically to children born to their nationals abroad. That lack of legal status might make some newborns immediately eligible for deportation.
Can birthright citizenship be stripped if the court upholds Trump's order?
The Trump administration says the executive order is not retroactive and would only apply to babies born after it takes effect.
However, some legal experts fear that any legal reasoning upholding Trump's reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment could potentially be used by a future administration to pursue efforts to strip citizenship from some people if it wanted to.
"The government could move to unnaturalize people who were born here of illegal residents," Justice Sonia Sotomayor said during oral arguments in April.
When will the Supreme Court issue a ruling?
The justices are expected to rule in the case -- Trump v. Barbara -- before adjourning for their summer recess in early July.
Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour attend the 'Stranger Things' season 5 world premiere at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on Nov. 6, 2025, in Hollywood, California. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour have said goodbye to Hawkins, but they aren't saying goodbye to working together.
The Stranger Things co-stars are teaming up for a brand-new Netflix series.
Brown and Harbour are set to star in and executive produce an upcoming spy drama show from A24 that has received a straight-to-series order at Netflix. The pair will play father and daughter once again in the new series, which comes from Emmy-winning Adolescence writer Jack Thorne.
The currently untitled thriller follows "disgraced FBI agent turned security expert Matt Wolfe (Harbour)" who "is drawn back into the world he left behind when his estranged daughter, Rebecca (Brown) — now an FBI agent determined to follow in his footsteps — vanishes on a mission, forcing him to return to a field that has evolved beyond him," according to an official description from the streamer.
"We are delighted to bring this spy drama to life with an extraordinary group of talent we’ve been fortunate to collaborate with before,” Jinny Howe, the Netflix head of scripted series in US and Canada, said. “Jack Thorne’s ability to find the deeply human story inside a thriller is unmatched, and watching Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour reunite — this time as estranged father and daughter on opposite sides of a crisis — is something audiences are going to love. A24 is the perfect partner to bring this story to our members around the world.”
Brown's husband, Jake Bongiovi, and her father, Robert Brown, will executive produce the show for PCMA Productions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the Feedstocks, Uniformity, Safety, and Energetics (FUSE) Act. This legislation establishes a Pentagon pilot program to evaluate the extent 3D-printable energetic materials can safely expand domestic production capacity and strengthen the defense industrial base.
Sen. Cruz said, “Critical energetic materials like RDX and HMX are essential to modern weapons systems but are hazardous to produce and rely on a limited domestic supplier base, creating safety and supply chain vulnerabilities. This legislation will enable the Department of War to test the performance and scalability of 3D-printable energetic materials at secure facilities and provide a controlled means of conducting assessments. I’m proud to introduce it and urge my colleagues to move it toward passage.”
According to Sen. Kaine, “Additive manufacturing in defense technologies has enormous capacity to boost our military readiness by enabling us to quickly develop parts and munitions and strengthen our supply chains. Virginia is home to many innovative additive manufacturing companies. This legislation would help us better understand how additive manufacturing can be applied to produce energetics and explosives and reduce choke points in production.”
This provision creates a pilot program to assess whether 3D-printable explosive and propellant materials can be safely used in military manufacturing. The program will test whether these materials can make munitions production safer, more reliable, and less vulnerable to supply chain disruptions compared to traditional manufacturing methods.
RDX and HMX are utilized in the manufacture of melt-castable explosives, nuclear devices, plastic explosives, rocket fuels, and booster charges that are employed in military applications. RDX and HMX are also extensively used in quarrying, metal mining, coal mining, and non-metal mining industries.
UPDATE: Emiliano Lorenzo Alonzo Ebanez was taken into custody at around 5:41 p.m. on Wednesday, the Jacksonville Police Department said. He is currently in the Cherokee County Jail, according to our news partner KETK.
JACKSONVILLE — Three men were hospitalized after two separate shootings began in Jacksonville on Sunday night.
The Jacksonville Police Department received several 911 calls on Sunday at around 9:35 p.m. of a shooting in the area of Lincoln Park near MB Davis Boulevard and Holloway Street. When officers arrived, they found three men suffering from gunshot wounds.
All three victims were transported to local hospitals, where they remain in stable condition, according to police.
As officers worked the scene and attempted move away a large crowd, additional 911 calls came in at around 10:10 p.m. reporting a second shooting. This incident occurred outside the 7-Eleven at 202 North Jackson Street, where another crowd had gathered.
Detectives are actively investigating both shootings and are working to identify everyone involved. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Jacksonville Police Department at 903-586-2546.
Jonathan Rinderknecht is seen in a photo released by the Department of Justice. (Department of Justice)
(LOS ANGELES) -- The judge declared a mistrial Friday in the federal trial of the man accused of starting the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles last year, with the jury unable to reach a verdict.
Jonathan Rinderknecht was accused of "maliciously" starting a fire that six days later developed into what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.
He was indicted on three federal counts -- destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire -- which carry up to 45 years in prison. He pleaded not guilty.
The jury began deliberating Wednesday morning. They reported being deadlocked Thursday afternoon, noting that there were two jurors with unwavering stances. The jury remained deadlocked on Friday, with 10 for not guilty and two for guilty, and Judge Anne Hwang declared a mistrial.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said his office plans to retry the case.
"The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire," Essayli said in a statement on social media. "We fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts."
Rinderknecht's attorney, Steve Haney, said the jury was deadlocked on all three charges, including one accusing him of starting the initial fire. He maintained that Rinderknecht never set that fire and said his client was "encouraged" that the jury "resoundingly found that the government's case was not strong."
"Obviously, an acquittal would have been preferred," Haney added, though he called the 10-2 deadlock a "resounding defeat for the government."
Haney said the government needed a "scapegoat" and "picked on the convenient loner."
"All they did is attack his character and present no evidence, no direct evidence at all, that he maliciously started a fire," Haney said.
One of the jurors who was on the not guilty side told reporters that she felt there were a "lot of holes" in the government's case.
"I don't think there was enough evidence to say he started the first fire," Syrena, 49, who declined to give her last name, told reporters upon leaving the Los Angeles courthouse on Friday.
Even if she did find him guilty of starting the first fire, she said she didn't feel comfortable blaming someone for the Palisades Fire if the initial fire wasn't properly extinguished.
"I'm not going to put somebody down for that entire thing," she said.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Rinderknecht, who was working as an Uber driver at the time, ignited a brush fire that became known as the Lachman Fire just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2025.
Despite being suppressed by fire crews, prosecutors allege that the fire continued to smolder until it surfaced again nearly a week later amid high winds and eventually became the Palisades Fire, which leveled neighborhoods in Los Angeles County and left 12 people dead.
Rinderknecht, a former Los Angeles resident, was arrested in Florida nine months after the Palisades Fire.
Prosecutors alleged he was upset about a past relationship, was fixated on wealth disparity and climate change in messages with ChatGPT and wanted "revenge" against society for his problems.
The government also alleged he was fixated on Luigi Mangione, who has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Following the December 2024 shooting, they say he searched for news on Mangione as well as used the search terms "free Luigi Mangione," "lets take down all the billionaires" and "reddit lets kill all the billionaires."
Prosecutors said Rinderknecht ended up working on Dec. 31, 2024, because he had no plans to celebrate New Year's Eve. They said he went to Skull Rock Trailhead in Topanga State Park after dropping off a passenger in the Pacific Palisades.
They alleged he used a BIC lighter to ignite the Lachman Fire, which they said was not found to be caused by lightning, fireworks or power lines.
Rinderknecht called 911 multiple times to report the fire while close to the ignition site of the Lachman Fire, and took videos of it, according to prosecutors. He also made a screen-recording on his iPhone of himself attempting to call 911, which prosecutors argued during closing statements was suspicious and pointed to his guilt.
When interviewed in the wake of the Palisades Fire, he told investigators that he saw no fireworks in the area when the Lachman Fire started, prosecutors said. When asked why someone would start a fire in the Pacific Palisades, he mentioned wealth disparity could be one of the reasons why, according to prosecutors.
The defense said Rinderknecht went to the area to watch fireworks, and argued that the Lachman Fire was started by fireworks. Haney said Rinderknecht called 911 to try to stop the fire, and that the government found no evidence that he was planning a fire.
During closing statements, Haney argued there was no direct evidence supporting that Rinderknecht started the Lachman Fire and questioned the government's theory that it was a "holdover" blaze that developed into the Palisades Fire.
Over two weeks, jurors heard testimony from arson and fire experts, saw digital and cellular evidence and heard audio of Rinderknecht's interviews with investigators and his 911 call reporting the Lachman Fire. They also heard testimony from those impacted by the Palisades Fire.
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, decimating the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to California fire officials.
It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,000 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.
The fires started burning during strong Santa Ana winds, which, combined with dry conditions, allowed them to spread quickly.
The cast of 'Descendants: Wicked Wonderland.' (Disney+)
The first trailer for Disney's Descendants: Wicked Wonderland is here.
The next installment in the popular Descendants franchise, which follows the children of Disney heroes and villains, sees the return of Red and Chloe, played by Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker. The new trailer was released Friday.
This time around, Red and Chloe are forced to deal with the fallout of a changing past and face a new villain named Maddox Hatter, portrayed by Leonardo Nam, as they try to save the Queen of Hearts and Wonderland.
Rita Ora reprises her role as the Queen of Hearts, with Paolo Montalban as King Charming, Melanie Paxson returning as the Fairy Godmother and Brandy as Cinderella.
Wicked Wonderland will also welcome new cast members Liamani Segura as Pink, Red's younger sister; Brendon Tremblay as Max Hatter, Maddox's son; and Alexandro Byrd as Luis Madrigal, Luisa Madrigal's son.
Descendants: Wicked Wonderland premieres on Disney Channel on July 16 and will be available to stream on Disney+ starting July 17.
ARP – On Friday, the son of a former assistant principal at Arp Elementary entered a guilty plea to luring a 14-year-old girl away from her parents in order to commit a felony. The girl was later impregnated. Blake Florence, 23, and his mother, Karla Florence, who was the assistant principal at Arp Elementary at the time, were detained in late August 2025 on suspicion of sexual assault of a minor and tampering with tangible evidence. Charges of failing to report and giving a false report to a peace officer led to her arrest. Continue reading Son of assistant principal pleads guilty
HENDERSON COUNTY – Two men have been arrested on suspicion of drug dealing in the Athens area, according to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. An Athens police officer, a group of Henderson County deputies and investigators executed a drug search warrant on Wednesday at approximately 7:14 p.m. According to Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, narcotics investigators disrupted a drug-running scheme that resulted in the arrest of two men from Athens and halted the flow of cocaine, codeine, and marijuana from this area. Henderson County 392nd Judicial District Judge Scott McKee issued a search warrant, which was carried out in the 400 block of Stoneleigh Street. Two men, David LaJames Hurd, 39, and Hasani Sameel Pariall, 37, were arrested during the search warrant’s execution. Continue reading Drug investigation leads to two arrests
ATHENS – After driving while intoxicated in a collision that killed a Tyler woman in 2024, 22-year-old Athens resident Jercorion Jaterence Johnson was given an 18-year prison sentence. In his own defense, Johnson expressed regret for the collision that killed 49-year-old Monica Bingham in July 2024. He acknowledged that he was “high” during a collision on U.S. 175 and that he had few memories of the day. Additionally, testimony revealed that in March 2025, while he was out on bond, he was arrested for driving under the influence.
NEW YORK (AP) — Most of the U.S. stock market is rising Friday after oil prices fell back to where they were before the war with Iran, but drops for AI stocks are keeping the market in check.
The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged after recovering from an early loss of 0.9%. The index at the heart of many 401(k) accounts is still on track for its second losing week in the last 13, largely because of drops for stocks swept up in the mania around artificial-intelligence technology.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 39 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was down 0.2%.
Stocks got a boost as the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, dropped 3.9% to $72.53. That’s basically where it was the day before the United States and Israel attacked Iran, which eventually led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the curtailment of oil shipments worldwide.
The easier oil prices helped stocks of companies with big fuel bills, and United Airlines climbed 1.7%.
Health care stocks, meanwhile, were some of the strongest forces pushing upward on the market after a committee of the European Medicines Agency recommended several medicines for approval and the extension for another dozen of their therapeutic indications. That included one for Eli Lilly, whose stock jumped 6.3%.
Besides Lilly, roughly two out of every three stocks within the S&P 500 were rising. But more drops for AI stocks were overshadowing them.
After soaring to tremendous heights and leading the market for years, AI stocks been under pressure recently because of worries their profits can’t possibly keep pace with the tremendous rallies for their stock prices. And those drops have an outsized effect because AI stocks have grown into Wall Street’s largest and most influential, giving movements for their stock prices more weight on indexes than others.
Micron Technology’s drop of 4.1% was one of the heaviest weights on the market, for example. The maker of memory for computers has been a big winner this year, with its stock roughly quadrupling, because the AI boom has created a surge of demand for its products.
But investors saw the downside of that surge Thursday, when Apple said it had to raise prices on many of its products by significant percentages to make up for the increases in memory prices. The worry is that such higher prices could ultimately lead to lower demand.
Highlighting the roller-coaster ride that AI stocks have been on, SpaceX dipped 0.8% below $152 and toward the lowest level since its ballyhooed debut on Wall Street earlier this month.
After initially selling its stock at $135 apiece, SpaceX’s stock price briefly soared above $225 within its first few days of trading. Besides rockets, Elon Musk’s company also owns the xAI artificial-intelligence business.
The day’s largest loss in the S&P 500 was a 21.1% drop for Onsemi, which said it agreed to buy Synaptics in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $7 billion.
In the bond market, Treasury yields eased with oil prices. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.37% from 4.40% late Thursday.
High yields in bond markets worldwide caused by worries about inflation have been threatening to slow economies, and they have already sent rates higher for mortgages and other kinds of loans. High yields also hurt prices for investments, particularly those seen as the most expensive. That raises the pressure on AI winners.
Asian stock markets began Friday with sharp drops because of losses for AI winners.
In Japan, a 12.5% plunge for Softbank Group Corp helped pull the Nikkei 225 down by 4.2%. The company is a major investor in OpenAI, the maker of AI chatbot ChatGPT, and a report in The New York Times suggested OpenAI is considering delaying an initial public offering of its stock to next year from the second half of this year.
Such an IPO would give OpenAI the chance to raise more cash to spend on data centers, as well as the opportunity for early investors like Softbank to cash out some of their holdings. But the recent stumbles for SpaceX’s stock and for AI stocks broadly may be a signal of less appetite for big AI stocks among investors.
In South Korea, SK Hynix fell 8.4%, and Samsung Electronics sank 5.3%. That helped pull the Kospi 5.8% lower and trim its gain for the year so far to 99.6%.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court voted 6-3 on Thursday to allow the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria, exposing hundreds of thousands more people to potential deportation.
The Supreme Court also voted 6-3 to clear the way for the Trump administration to potentially revive an immigration policy once used to turn back migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The court overturned a lower court order blocking the practice that limited the number of people who could apply for asylum each day.
Meanwhile, a liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a top official at the National Park Service said.
Heres’ the latest:
What Trump fed farmers at the White House
Farmers and ranchers invited to a Rose Garden dinner on Thursday were served New York strip steak joined by sides and desserts packed with seasonal ingredients.
The menu included a caprese salad with garden tomatoes, plus a side dish featuring White House-harvested peppercress. The meat was billed as a grilled prime New York strip steak. Dessert included roasted peaches and White House honey.
Dinner guests received organic garden seeds and tomato jam prepared by White House chefs.
In keeping with the theme, there was a white farm stand at the back of the garden, surrounded by baskets overflowing with carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, corn and other fruits and vegetables.
Vance says Watergate would fly over in today’s news, draws parallels between Nixon and Trump
Speaking at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance said the legacy of the 37th president is “enjoying a bit of a renaissance.”
“If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story, the idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy,” Vance said in a conversation promoting his new book.
He went on: “If you look at the story of how the deep state took down Richard Nixon, it’s not all that different from what the same groups of people, the same institutions tried to do to Donald Trump in the first Trump administration.”
Vance noted his own parallels with Nixon. “Young senator, vice president, writes some bestselling books, is hated by the media,” he said. “It kind of sounds like JD Vance.”
Nixon was in his second term when he resigned over the Watergate scandal in 1974.
Housing bill being sent to White House, starting clock on Trump’s signature
Speaker Mike Johnson returned from what he called a “very productive” hourslong meeting with the president in the Oval Office following a highly dysfunctional week in Congress.
“We’re on exactly the same page,” Johnson said back at the Capitol.
Trump earlier this week abruptly abandoned plans to sign the bipartisan Housing package, which had overwhelmingly passed the House and Senate but got tangled when the president insisted Congress must first pass an unrelated voting bill called the SAVE America Act. That bill has failed to draw broad support in the Senate.
A group of House GOP lawmakers joined Trump’s rally call and refused to vote on other measures, essentially shutting down business in the House.
Trump, after meeting with Johnson, told Republicans in a social media post: “no more grandstanding.”
Johnson said they had to get back to work, and he said they were transmitting the Housing bill, which starts a 10-day clock for Trump to either sign it or veto the bill.
Merchant vessel hit by Iranian drone today
The merchant vessel that was attacked earlier today was hit by an Iranian drone, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation, said that the merchant vessel Ever Lovely was attacked by a drone being flown by the Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the attack earlier on Thursday but only said that the ship was struck by a “projectile off Oman near UN-approved route for Strait of Hormuz.”
The center noted that there were no causalities nor any environmental impact.
U.S. says no Iranian funds have been released
A U.S. official told The Associated Press that no frozen funds have been released to Iran and will not be done until Iran meets the requirements of Trump’s interim Iran agreement.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC’s Squawk Box this week that Treasury would oversee how unfrozen funds would be spent.
“A very large percentage of it will go to buy U.S. foodstuffs and medicines,” he said.
U.N. agency pauses evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz
A U.N. maritime agency has paused the evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz after the British military said a vessel was hit Thursday by a projectile off the coast of Oman.
The head of the International Maritime Organization said the plan to move stranded ships through the strait will be on hold until the agency can confirm safety guarantees for the ships on the evacuation list and in the region.
It was unclear who launched the projectile or the type of vessel that was targeted. The report of a strike came hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using a U.N.-approved route through the strait without Tehran’s permission.
Reflecting Pool liner was cut with a sharp knife or razor, National Park Service says
A liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a top official at the National Park Service says.
The agency reported the June 9 incident to U.S. Park Police, said Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the park service. Lands made the statement in a court document filed late Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization to halt the Trump administration’s work on the project.
The police report indicates damage to the pool, “including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,? Lands said. About 70 fence post tops also were thrown into the pool, he said.
‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention center in Florida is officially closed, governor says
The immigration center built in the Florida swamps known as “Alligator Alcatraz” is closing after nearly a year of holding thousands of immigrant detainees, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday.
DeSantis said the center was always supposed to be temporary and now federal officials have enough ability to handle detention and deportation in more permanent facilities.
Officials announced a temporary closure of the facility earlier in June, saying hurricane season made it unsafe to keep the detainees in the Florida Everglades. All the of people kept at the isolated airstrip had been sent to other facilities.
Immigration advocates said the tents were never safe or humane to hold people. Detainees at the facility have talked about their difficulty accessing lawyers, and have described poor physical conditions, including worms in the food, toilets that don’t flush, flooding floors with fecal waste, and mosquitoes and other insects everywhere.
The top legal official at Homeland Security praised the Supreme Court’s decision on temporary protected status.
“The Court vindicates DHS yet again,” said James Percival, the department’s general counsel in a statement on X.
“The T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty. This is a win for the rule of law and common sense,” Percival said.
DHS secretary says the department is reevaluating warehouses purchased for ICE detention
Markwayne Mullin says his department is reevaluating the eleven warehouses his predecessor purchased to use as immigration detention facilities.
Mullin says some just “probably won’t work” and suggested a lack of “due diligence” when it came to purchasing the warehouses. They were purchased under Mullin’s predecessor, Kristi Noem.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement received huge pushback around the country after the purchases became known.
When Mullin came into office, he paused any new purchases and federal officials have been looking at ways to offload some of them.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former National Security Advisor John Bolton arrive for a plea deal hearing at U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on June 26, 2026 in Greenbelt, Maryland. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)
(GREENBELT, Md.) -- President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to one count of illegal retention of national security information.
Bolton entered his plea to the single felony count in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, before U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang.
The guilty plea makes Bolton thus far the only successfully prosecuted case in Trump's campaign of retribution against those he perceives to be his political enemies.
Bolton had faced 18 counts of unlawful transmission and retention of national defense information for allegedly sharing notes with his wife and daughter -- some of which contained information classified as high as Top Secret -- during his time serving in the first Trump administration.
Bolton changed his plea to guilty with respect to count 12 of his indictment.
Sitting in court Friday alongside his attorney Abbe Lowell, Bolton answered a series of questions from Judge Chuang acknowledging his rights and his voluntary decision to plead guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
When asked if he was pleading guilty because he is, in fact, guilty, Bolton responded to Chuang: "I am, your honor, I'm sorry for it."
Judge Chuang set Bolton’s sentencing hearing for Oct. 28.
According to terms of the plea agreement outlined by prosecutors in court, the government will not seek a sentence of more than 60 months and Bolton has agreed to forfeit approximately $2.2 million to resolve the case.
Judge Chuang will ultimately have final discretion over how much time Bolton could serve, if any.
Bolton also agreed to serve 100 hours of community service and is forfeiting any retirement pay tied to his time in federal service.
The count he pleaded guilty to involves keeping classified national security information in diaries, according to sources. Bolton was expected to maintain that he did not take documents with classification markings out of government offices.
"Mr. Bolton knew how to handle classified information, where it should be stored, how it should be stored, and with whom he could share that information," U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes told reporters outside court following Bolton's guilty plea. "He also knew the damage to national security that could be caused by mishandling that sensitive information. Nevertheless, as Mr. Bolton just admitted, he put our national security at grave risk in violation of the law."
Hayes said the specific count Bolton pleaded guilty to involved Bolton's unlawful retention of intelligence about an adversary's plans for an attack conducted against U.S. forces in another country.
"It contained human intelligence using sensitive sources and methods, and it discussed a covert action program," Hayes said.
Bolton, who was national security adviser for part of the first Trump administration, was indicted by a grand jury in October 2025 on charges that he allegedly unlawfully transmitted and retained classified documents.
The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in Maryland, charged Bolton with eight counts of unlawful transmission of national defense information as well as 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information.
Prosecutors had accused Bolton of using a non-government personal email account and messaging application to transmit to two unauthorized family members at least eight documents that contained information classified at levels ranging from "secret" to "top secret."
Leon Black, chairman and chief executive officer of Apollo Global Management LLC, attends the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., April 27, 2015. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) -- House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said he had issued two subpoenas to Leon Black after Comer said the private equity billionaire refused to answer some of the committee's questions about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during Black's closed-door appearance before the panel Friday.
Black, who was appearing before the panel as part of its ongoing probe into the government's investigation of Epstein, walked out of his transcribed interview during questioning.
Comer told reporters that the two subpoenas compel Black to appear for a deposition on July 16 as well as produce purported nondisclosure agreements that he was questioned about.
"During today's voluntary transcribed interview, Mr. Black stated he wouldn't answer questions about NDAs. Answers about the terms and substance of these NDAs are critical to our investigation," Comer said. "We owe it to the American people to provide transparency and ensure accountability for survivors."
"NDAs are between him and other women. We want to know, was Jeffrey Epstein involved in the NDAs? Was he involved in writing? Was he involved in awarding funds to the women for the NDAs? What was the reason for the NDA? We don't know everything about the NDAs, so that's very important to our investigation, so the subpoenas were issued. We expect to see back here in a few weeks," Comer said.
"This is very important for our investigation, Comer said. "We knew for a long time there were NDAs out there by various people. Obviously, they're very hard to obtain, and with this subpoena, we expect to get those NDAs in hand."
Asked about Black's responses during the interview, Comer said, "his response was that he wasn't allowed to discuss the terms of the NDAs."
Ranking committee member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said he agreed with Comer's decision to issue the subpoenas.
"The NDAs are central to us understanding what actually happened. There are real accusations, and there are survivors who have accused Mr. Black of horrific things," Garcia told reporters.
Black's attorney, Susan Estrich, claimed to reporters that the decision to serve Black with the subpoenas during the interview was "a premeditated political decision" and claimed that Epstein "had no involvement" with the purported nondisclosure agreements.
"They made a premeditated political decision to serve him with subpoenas after less than an hour of questioning, and before they even asked a single question about his legitimate payments to Epstein," she said. "This was nothing more than a planned political stunt. Mr. Epstein had no involvement with any NDAs, whether they exist or not."
The latest in a series of rich and powerful people questioned about their relationship with Epstein as part of the Oversight panel's probe, Black maintained a social relationship with Epstein since the mid-1990s and eventually paid him more than $170 million for "tax and estate planning advice," according to the Senate Finance Committee.
Black has denied wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's crimes, though his financial payments to Epstein served as a lifeline to the convicted sex offender in the years after Epstein's 2008 prison sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., told reporters after Black's appearance, "this is the first time" a witness during this probe has walked out in the middle of an interview.
"It's because we had very important questions about Leon Black's past with Jeffrey Epstein," he said. "This is also the first time I heard someone gush poetically about how smart and how great Jeffrey Epstein was."
"He was smug," Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Az., said of Black's appearance. "He refused to answer the questions but at the same time was emphasizing how he was being transparent because this was voluntary. But when pressed on critical questions about his own sexual abuse and the allegations against him and non-disclosure agreements, he absolutely refused to answer these questions," she said.
Ansari said Black was "speaking fondly of Epstein while also claiming they were not close."
'Bona fide advice'
In his appearance before the committee Friday, Black said he was unaware of Epstein's "demonic life" and that the money he paid Epstein was for legitimate services and "bona fide advice," according to a copy of his opening remarks reviewed by ABC News.
Black's prepared remarks during his closed-door interview cast him as the victim of "ugly and vicious" narratives around Epstein, saying he has been the subject of baseless allegations and conspiracy theories about Epstein and that "extraordinary damage has been done to me and my family."
"I wish I had never met Epstein. I regret ever doing business with him. My association with him, the frivolous but destructive litigation, the endless rumor mill, have created a toxic environment for my wife and family, which I deeply regret," the prepared remarks said.
Addressing the massive amount of money he paid Epstein, Black, in his remarks, said those were legitimate payments and that he was never blackmailed by Epstein.
"Let me state unequivocally that I have never abused a woman. I have never been with an underage woman. I have never engaged in sex trafficking. I have never paid Epstein for access to women. I was never blackmailed by Epstein. I was not involved with, and had no knowledge of, any of Epstein's heinous conduct," his prepared remarks said.
According to Black, Epstein lived a "Jekyll and Hyde" existence and that he, at first, only saw the positive side, including his "unrivaled network of relationships with individuals in finance, academia, science, politics." Black, in his remarks, said his relationship with Epstein began as personal but grew overtime to helping manage his family investment office.
"With hindsight, I now see that Epstein exaggerated, embellished, manipulated, and outright lied -- prolifically and without concern for me or my family. And I now see that his deceit was not limited to me but also extended to numerous highly sophisticated individuals," Black's prepared remarks said.
While Black said that Epstein "took credit for other people's ideas" and made false claims about investments, Black also argued Epstein was able to resolve "a massive estate problem" for him that "would have destroyed enormous value." According to Black's remarks, he originally thought he was paying Epstein $95 million in net fees, though that was actually $158 million because Epstein lied about the tax deductibility of the payment.
Black also said in his prepared remarks that he was aware of Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution, but that Epstein lied about the nature of the crime.
"Epstein told me that it was an isolated incident resulting from a fake ID. Five years after his conviction, I gave Epstein a second chance, as did many others. I wish I had not," he said, according to his prepared remarks.
According to Black, he cut ties with Epstein in 2018 after Epstein failed to repay most of a $30 million loan. Black said he grew "tired of his relentless pursuit of more and more money from me for professional services."
While Black, according to his remarks, said that he was "glad" to answer the committee's questions, he noted that he will "not speak about the personal lives of adult women" that he believes should not be connected to Epstein.
"I am here to voluntarily answer questions about the work that Epstein did for me and for the services for which I paid him. I am not here to answer questions about my personal life which would be hurtful to my wife, children and family. And I will not speak about the personal lives of adult women who have not chosen, and do not deserve, to be connected, by me or anyone else, to Epstein," Black said, per his remarks.
'The most groundbreaking deposition'
Comer told reporters before Friday's proceedings that this "could be a pretty significant" interview.
"So, of all the witnesses that have come thus far, this one has the potential to be the most groundbreaking deposition, in my opinion," Comer said.
"There's a lot of concerning things in the documents. There are a lot of statements from the survivors that are very concerning as well, with respect to Mr. Black," Comer said.
The chairman said the committee would ask Black "hundreds and hundreds of questions about financial transactions, about bank violations, about emails, documents, pictures, and communication with survivors."
Comer said the committee's investigation is "on a timeline."
"This Congress will expire the end of this year, so we want to certainly get done as quickly as possible, said Comer, who added that "we hope" acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will sit for an interview.
"I'll remind everyone the purpose of our investigation to get the truth to the American people and determine how the government failed the survivors by not prosecuting Epstein," Comer said.
Garcia told reporters prior to Black's appearance that Epstein "would not have been able to commit the horrific crimes without the support of Mr. Black."
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., said, "We want him to answer the tough questions about what he knew about Jeffrey Epstein and whether he was involved with some of the crimes himself."
"Leon Black was one of Jeffrey Epstein's primary sources of income, flooding him with cash at a time when he was already a registered sex offender. Black has not yet offered a compelling explanation regarding the origination and execution of Epstein's extraordinary compensation scheme for alleged tax advice," Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote in a letter to the House Oversight Committee earlier this month. The Senate Finance Committee is leading its own investigation of Epstein's finances.
Black has long been scrutinized over his relationship with the disgraced financier -- describing it as a "horrible mistake" -- and was forced out of his firm Apollo Global Management following an external investigation that revealed payments to Epstein totaling at least $158 million.
"Knowing all that I have learned in the past two years about Epstein's reprehensible and despicable conduct, I deeply regret having had any involvement with him," Black said during a 2020 Apollo earnings call. "With the benefit of hindsight, working with him was a horrible mistake on my part. I am not seeking to excuse that decision, but I do believe it may be helpful to convey some relevant facts."
While the investigation concluded that Black and others were aware of Epstein's 2008 conviction, a report summarizing its findings said that Black was not "involved in any way with Epstein's criminal activities at any time" or aware of the "scope and details" of Epstein's sex trafficking. Black has never been charged with a crime.
"When Black first retained Epstein, he believed that Epstein had served his time for the originally charged offenses and believed that it was not inappropriate to give Epstein a second chance, as many other prominent figures in business, science, politics and academia had done," the report said.
'Saving you from yourself'
The release of the Department of Justice's Epstein files earlier this year cast more scrutiny on Black, whose name appears in the files more than 8,000 times. Epstein at one point appeared to serve as a middleman to pay $100,000 to a woman with whom Black allegedly had an affair, according to emails included in the files, and routinely served as a fixer for issues involving his finances.
"Leon, as you are well aware, there is little I won't do for you or at least try to do as a friend, and a great deal that I have already done (both known and some things that will need to remain unknown)," Epstein wrote to Black in a 2014 email. In another email in 2017, Epstein described his relationship with Black as "saving you from yourself."
In a statement to ABC News, Black's attorney Susan Estrich pointed to the external investigation conducted for Apollo that found Black "had no awareness of the criminal activities that led to Epstein's arrest in 2019" and noted that Black has called for an independent investigation of his relationship with Epstein.
Wyden of the Senate Finance Committee has called on the House Oversight members to scrutinize the $170 million that Black paid Epstein between 2012 and 2017 for purported tax and estate planning. According to Wyden, those payments are sixty times more than what Epstein paid his other tax and estate professionals during the same timeframe.
"Black is a well-advised businessman with access to sophisticated attorneys, yet it appears Epstein was able to shake him down for money that he wasn't legally owed. This suggests that Epstein may have extorted Black or performed other unseemly tasks on his behalf," Wyden wrote earlier this month.
Attorneys for Black have pushed back against Wyden's accusations, accusing him of harassment and saying that the billionaire has cooperated "voluntarily and without compulsion."
"We are aware of no other private citizen subjected to more written requests from you over the same period," Black's attorneys wrote in an April 2026 letter to Wyden. "Your continued attempts to invade into matters pertaining to Mr. Black's personal life -- without the support of any legitimate legislative purpose -- appear targeted to unfairly harass Mr. Black in a manner that completely disregards the proper scope of Congress's investigative powers."
According to the 2021 external report, Epstein was paid proportionally to the amount of money he saved Black and that Epstein "provided advice that conferred more than $1 billion and as much as $2 billion or more in value to Black"; however, the report also acknowledged that Epstein's advice was often not useful and that he was "generally a disruptive and caustic force."
The external report said investigators found "no evidence suggesting that Black ever compensated Epstein for any service other than Epstein's legitimate advice on trust and estate planning" and other issues.
Disney+ has given a pilot order to a series based on the 2006 film Aquamarine. Deadline reports the project will be for both Disney+ and Disney Channel and will star one of the original film's actors, Emma Roberts. She will also produce it. The original film's director, Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, is set to return at the helm, with The Bold Type creator Sarah Watson on board to write the pilot. The pilot follows a teenager named Coral who moves to a seaside town and discovers her mother was a mermaid just as magical powers awaken in herself. Disney is the parent company of ABC News ...
Heated Rivalry star François Arnaud is set to make his Broadway debut. The actor will appear in a revival of Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain. Joining Arnaud is Superman actor David Corenswet, who also makes his Broadway debut in the production. Yvonne Strahovski will also appear in the revival, which starts performances in February 2027 ...
Michael Gandolfini is the latest actor to join Daniels' upcoming, untitled event film. Deadline reports Gandolfini joins Matt Damon, Sandra Oh, Sean Kaufman and Charles Melton in the Universal Pictures film. Daniels are the filmmaking duo of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who helmed the best picture-winning movie Everything Everywhere All at Once ...
All eight episodes of the Emmy-winning drama's fifth and final season are now streaming on Hulu. The season takes place over the course of one day in the titular Chicago restaurant, where everything that could possibly go wrong does — and then some. Adding to the pressure is the threat of imminent closure by The Bear's chief investor, Olivier Platt's Uncle Jimmy.
"I think it makes so much sense for everybody to throw themselves into this last service, to be existing with these characters in real time. ... It amps everything up, you know?" Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmy Berzatto, told ABC Audio.
"There's more struggle, there's more urgency, time is important, stakes rise, and so yeah, I thought structuring the last season this way was just a great, great idea, and ended up being really effective."
The season also picks up right after Carmy's season 4 finale decision to leave The Bear in the hands of Sydney, Natalie and Richie. That means Ayo Edebiri [EYE-oh eh-deh-BEE-ree]'s Sydney finds herself in charge in the most stressful of circumstances, before finally breaking down.
"It's a lot to get to do inside and have it build," she told ABC Audio. "And so when it does come out in those physical moments, that's always really fun for me. I feel like my body is, like, Laffy Taffy."
As for Ebon [EH-ben] Moss-Bachrach's front-of-house manager Richie, he refuses to give up and goes overboard in trying to motivate the staff to keep going.
"It is a very aggressive optimism, maybe, I would say," he laughs. "It feels nice to play someone who has that generosity, who wants to take care of everyone."
Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Hulu.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas education board will vote Friday on a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible passages, widening conservative efforts to push Christian teachings in U.S. classrooms.
The proposal in Texas — which would mandate literary works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” alongside parables from the New Testament — has been closely followed by education observers who say it appears to be the first of its kind in the nation.
If approved by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, the reading list would take effect in 2030.
Texas, which educates roughly 1 in 10 of the nation’s public school students, has been at the forefront of a charge by conservatives to incorporate more religion into classrooms. The state already allows public schools to hire chaplains to counsel students, mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and has approved an optional Bible-infused curriculum.
For months, critics have blasted both the push to require Bible readings and the state mandating what books are read by students, which are decisions typically left up to teachers. Teachers could still assign students other books to read on top of the required titles.
A focus on Christianity
Critics say the reading list lacks diversity, blurs the separation of church and state that is enshrined in the Constitution and leaves teachers and students with little room to decide what to read.
“Kids of all faith backgrounds and no faith are served by Texas schools and they should all feel welcome in Texas schools,” said Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate for the progressive Texas Freedom Network. “But this is sending the message to children that one and only one religious text — a Christian one — is worthy of making this required reading list.”
Others have applauded the possibility of mandated Christian religious reading in public schools. Brooke Mazel, a retiree from Lubbock, encouraged the board to adopt biblical materials, saying her children and grandchildren grew up with “strong faith and family values.”
“America should celebrate our 250 years that started as a nation of unwavering Christian values,” Mazel said.
The board is also set to vote Friday on a social studies curriculum that links Bible stories with American history.
Texas may be a trailblazer
A state law passed in 2023 required a mandatory list of at least one literary work be taught in each grade level. The proposed new list contains around 200 texts, including Bible passages, essays and books, far in excess of that requirement.
Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University professor, said he doesn’t know of any other state with a mandatory reading list that includes religious texts. Educators at the district and school level usually choose the texts their students will read, Garcia said.
Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, agrees the move is “unique” to Texas.
Picture-book stories for elementary students including “David and Goliath” and “Daniel and the Lion’s Den” are on the required reading list. By fourth grade, students would encounter passages about Jesus in the New Testament.
By middle school, students would be expected to read several passages about Jesus, including passages from his most famous sermon, and another where he instructs people to cast aside earthly anxiety and seek the kingdom of God.
For high schoolers, the list requires the reading of specific Bible passages as supportive materials for literary works including works by Dickens and Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
Holding diversity in check
Such strict requirements amount to “almost de facto censorship,” Meehan said, comparing the list to book bans.
“It certainly leans ideologically more conservative,” she said. “It excludes a lot of diverse voices from the reading list.”
The list mandates that students reading Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” also read a eulogy for President Ronald Reagan written by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a staunch conservative.
Frank Strong, an English and journalism teacher and co-founder of the student advocacy group Texas Freedom to Read, said diversity is not only important for students needing to see themselves in what they read but also as a way to learn about different cultures.
Many of the books on the reading list are not controversial, but Mendoza asks why books like “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” need to be required for kindergartners.
“Can’t our kindergarten teachers be trusted to choose board books?” Mendoza asks.
TYLER — U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran introduced new legislation Thursday that would require AI developers to report dangerous capabilities, security breaches and safety incidents to the United States Secretary of Commerce. The new legislation would give the Department of Commerce jurisdiction to determine AI models that pose risks to national security and public safety. In addition, developers would be required to file reports no more than 7 days after discovering dangerous activity and in more serious cases, the department would be required to notify congress within 48 hours.
A press release from Moran says reportable incidents could include the following:
AI models that attempt to evade human oversight or resist shutdown, unauthorized access to or theft of model weights
Capabilities that could enable offensive cyberattacks against critical infrastructure
Evidence that a model can autonomously accelerate the development of more powerful AI systems
Other risks could include chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats. Continue reading Rep. Moran introduces AI bill
LUFKIN, Texas (KETK) — East Texas government leaders and state lawmakers say the community wishes to pause data center development to learn more about the facilities’ potential impacts on quality of life.
As data centers continue to set up shop across Texas, people are trying to understand what impact they could have on the rural communities East Texans call home. Many people have brought their concerns to Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) Executive Director Lonnie Hunt, who says some residents feel data centers are moving in too fast.
“Most of our folks are just right now saying let’s call time out, let’s put the brakes on,” Hunt said. “Let’s pause, let’s make sure that we know all the facts.”
A rapid expansion that State Representative Joanne Shofner (R)- Nacogdoches says could be necessary if the U.S. wants to stay ahead of China in the global race for artificial intelligence.
“We don’t want them to be in charge of all of this; it would be just dangerous for a communist country to be in charge of most of the data that is going on around the world,” Shofner said.
That race is also leaving many East Texans with questions about the long-term impacts data centers could have on water, agriculture and their quality of life. Leaving them to turn to county leaders who have little authority to regulate the facilities.
“The only way a county could really have any influence over a data center would be to enter into some sort of agreement with them,” Hunt said.
Shofner says the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) does have some regulatory authority over data centers, but only after problems arise.
“Right now we don’t know what an issue is,” Shofner said.
Hunt says East Texans want to embrace new technology without sacrificing the rural way of life that defines the region.
“But we also want to protect our rural countryside and this lifestyle that we love out here in the Pineywoods of East Texas,” Hunt said.
He recommends anyone with concerns contact their state representative and make their voices heard before the legislature meets in Austin next year.
ANGELINA COUNTY, Texas (KETK)– A procession was held in Angelina County on Thursday afternoon in honor of Deputy Chad Murray, who died earlier this week.
After spending several years working with the Brookshire’s coroperation Murary decided to begin a career in law enforcement at the age of 50 and graduated from the Angelina College Law Enforcement Academy in June 2022.
Following his graduation, he began with the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office and spent the past four years serving as a patrol officer.
“He had a strong desire to help people and make a difference in our community and always conducted his business in a professional manner,” the sheriff’s office said. “He was kind, patient and had a great personality.”
Murray died at a local hospital at the age of 54 on Wednesday, and a funeral has been scheduled for 2 p.m. on June 29 at Harmony Hill Baptist Church in Lufkin.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to Chad’s wife, Emily, and son, Caleb, and the rest of his wonderful family and friends,” the sheriff’s office said. “Pray that God’s comfort will be upon them during this time of sudden and unexpected loss.”
LUFKIN, Texas (KETK) — The Lufkin Police Department is searching for individuals they believe were involved in a Saturday afternoon shooting that injured a man.
The police department said the victim was driving towards Brandon Park with another man to meet with other individuals they had argued with earlier that day at a Nacogdoches County game room. As they were driving towards the park, gunshots were fired.
A bullet grazed the victim’s head, and he was taken to a local hospital, while the other man was not injured.
Officers reportedly located 27 shell casings in the middle of the 1000 block of Hosea Dolphus Street. Officials also found the victim’s vehicle, which had several reported gunshot strikes.
The investigation remains ongoing, and detectives are working to locate those involved.
LONGVIEW – The East Texas Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse received a $750,000 grant from the Opioid Abatement Fund Council (OAFC) on Thursday as a part of the ongoing fight against the opioid crisis. The OAFC funds were collected by the State of Texas from settlements that the state won against the companies that profited from the opioid epidemic, including various pharmaceutical companies, marketing firms, distributors and even grocery store companies.
According to our news partner KETK, Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced Thursday that $48.9 million in Long-term Community-based Opioid Recovery Effort (CORE) grants have been awarded to nonprofits and communities across the state.
“These grants put opioid settlement funds to work where they can make the greatest difference, with the local providers and community partners on the front lines,” Hancock said. “It is encouraging to see these dollars put to good use, helping Texans find hope and a path forward.” Continue reading Drug abuse council gets $750k grant
CARTHAGE — Panola County is currently suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to block the release of information on defendants in a recently dismissed lawsuit that accused several local officials of racketeering and misconduct, according to our news partner, KETK, and legal records. The dispute between Panola County and the Texas Attorney General’s Office started after county resident Lisa Broomfield submitted a Public Information Act request seeking a broad set of county records related to her lawsuit.
Broomfield had sued several current and former Panola County officials whom she accused of racketeering, misconduct and running a “duck fund” that allegedly took payments for favorable outcomes in cases. On March 24, 123rd District Court Presiding Judge Edwin A. Klein dismissed and disposed of Broomfield’s claims against the officials. Before that dismissal, Broomfield had requested many official documents pertaining to the officials involved in her lawsuit on Nov. 22, 2025.
Broomfield filed a Nov. 22, 2025, request seeking a wide range of official records related to her lawsuit. She asked for documents showing whether the Panola County Commissioners Court approved or paid for legal representation for several county officials, including any contracts, retainer agreements, invoices or meeting records where such matters were discussed.
She also requested emails, text messages and other communications from Jan. 1, 2021, to the present that referenced herself, individuals involved in her family court proceedings, various county officials and members of the commissioners court. The county then informed Bloomfield that they did not have the records requested in the Panola County District Clerk’s office and that the Panola County Judge’s office did not have recordings of the Panola County Commissioners Court.
Then on Dec. 10, 2025, the county filed a request with the Texas Attorney General’s Office that asked them to rule that certain documents Broomfield requested were exempt from release. On March 16, Panola County received a response from the Texas Attorney General’s Office, which determined the records Broomfield requested were not confidential and must be released. In response to that letter, Panola County filed a lawsuit against the Texas Attorney General’s Office on April 15, asking the 200th District Court in Travis County to find that the documents Broomfield requested are exempt from release.
“The information that the Attorney General ruled is not confidential and must be released to the Requestor consists of the communications between the undersigned, as counsel for Panola County, and Panola County officials, which are protected from disclosure by the attorney-client privilege and attorney billing invoices related to services rendered in litigation, which are not subject to disclosure,” Panola County’s lawsuit petition said.
Paxton’s office filed a response to Panola County’s petition on June 2, asking the presiding judge to enter a final judgment finding that the records can be released. 200th District Court records have no upcoming hearings listed for this case.
TYLER – Old Bascom Road will remain closed while crews complete drainage repairs and prepare for a full road reconstruction project. The road has been closed since May 22 while crews replace collapsed tin culverts with new concrete box culverts. The ongoing culvert replacement is expected to take about three more weeks. 
AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible passages, widening conservative efforts to push Christian teachings in U.S. classrooms.
NEW YORK (AP) — The 2000 Year Old Man is turning 100. Mel Brooks on Sunday will celebrate his centennial birthday.
UPDATE: Emiliano Lorenzo Alonzo Ebanez was taken into custody at around 5:41 p.m. on Wednesday, the Jacksonville Police Department said. He is currently in the Cherokee County Jail, according to our news partner KETK.
ARP – On Friday, the son of a former assistant principal at Arp Elementary entered a guilty plea to luring a 14-year-old girl away from her parents in order to commit a felony. The girl was later impregnated. Blake Florence, 23, and his mother, Karla Florence, who was the assistant principal at Arp Elementary at the time, were detained in late August 2025 on suspicion of sexual assault of a minor and tampering with tangible evidence. Charges of failing to report and giving a false report to a peace officer led to her arrest. 
HENDERSON COUNTY – Two men have been arrested on suspicion of drug dealing in the Athens area, according to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. An Athens police officer, a group of Henderson County deputies and investigators executed a drug search warrant on Wednesday at approximately 7:14 p.m. According to Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, narcotics investigators disrupted a drug-running scheme that resulted in the arrest of two men from Athens and halted the flow of cocaine, codeine, and marijuana from this area. Henderson County 392nd Judicial District Judge Scott McKee issued a search warrant, which was carried out in the 400 block of Stoneleigh Street. Two men, David LaJames Hurd, 39, and Hasani Sameel Pariall, 37, were arrested during the search warrant’s execution. 
ATHENS – After driving while intoxicated in a collision that killed a Tyler woman in 2024, 22-year-old Athens resident Jercorion Jaterence Johnson was given an 18-year prison sentence. In his own defense, Johnson expressed regret for the collision that killed 49-year-old Monica Bingham in July 2024. He acknowledged that he was “high” during a collision on U.S. 175 and that he had few memories of the day. Additionally, testimony revealed that in March 2025, while he was out on bond, he was arrested for driving under the influence.
NEW YORK (AP) — Most of the U.S. stock market is rising Friday after oil prices fell back to where they were before the war with Iran, but drops for AI stocks are keeping the market in check.
TYLER — U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran introduced new legislation Thursday that would require AI developers to report dangerous capabilities, security breaches and safety incidents to the United States Secretary of Commerce. The new legislation would give the Department of Commerce jurisdiction to determine AI models that pose risks to national security and public safety. In addition, developers would be required to file reports no more than 7 days after discovering dangerous activity and in more serious cases, the department would be required to notify congress within 48 hours.
LONGVIEW – The East Texas Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse received a $750,000 grant from the Opioid Abatement Fund Council (OAFC) on Thursday as a part of the ongoing fight against the opioid crisis. The OAFC funds were collected by the State of Texas from settlements that the state won against the companies that profited from the opioid epidemic, including various pharmaceutical companies, marketing firms, distributors and even grocery store companies.