EAST TEXAS — EAST TEXAS — East Texans will be watching closely on Saturday, June 13, as results come in for key local races across the region — in Longview’s District 3 City Council race in Gregg County, Brandon Smith defeats Marlena Cooper with 52.22% to Cooper’s 47.78% with all votes counted.
City of Tyler Mayoral Race
Tyler voters will choose a new mayor on June 13, as current Mayor Don Warren reaches the end of his third and final term. The race has drawn significant local attention, with candidates focusing heavily on infrastructure, public safety, growth management and government transparency.
Stuart Hene is leading in unofficial early and absentee voting totals with 3,876 votes cast for him so far, ahead of John Nix’s 2,931 early and absentee votes. This is with about 11 percent of the vote counted.
TYLER — A robot scanning Tyler’s sidewalks to learn about their accessibility was hit by a truck during its first day on duty Thursday. The Daxbots were first deployed to help with Tyler’s Americans with Disabilities Act Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan on Wednesday. Then, less than a week into the robots’ first deployment in Tyler, one of the robots was struck by a truck at the intersection of West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Palace Avenue.
According to the City of Tyler and our news partner KETK, the crash occurred at around 6:30 a.m., when the Daxbot was struck by a truck turning right on red. while the robot was being remotely directed across the street by a company operator.
“When a Daxbot needs to cross a roadway, a human operator monitors traffic and signal conditions and directs the unit to cross only when it is deemed safe to do so,” the City of Tyler explained. Continue reading On duty robot hit by truck
VAN ZANDT COUNTY — The Myrtle Springs Volunteer Fire Department demolished their aging fire station building on Saturday, citing serious safety problems and a lack of funding for renovations. According to our news partner KETK, the department currently covers 3000 residents living within the 30 mile-wide Myrtle Springs area of Van Zandt County. Their fire station building has endured many problems like mold, rot, rodent infestations, unsafe structural conditions and unsafe electrical conditions.
The building is located beneath the grade of the nearby County Road 3447, meaning it also frequently flooded. It also lacked insulation which exposed their water pumps to freeze damage during the winter. Recently, the department said they had a wiring failure that almost started a catastrophic fire, which would have seriously damaged their trucks and equipment. Continue reading Fire station demolished
LONGVIEW — A former Longview coach was sentenced to 16 years in prison Friday after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting and grooming one of his former students. According to our news partner KETK, former owner and coach of a local gymnastics center in Longview, Matthew Orban, 52, was charged with sexual assault of a minor in 2025.
The charges came after Orban had reportedly groomed his student for several years before sexually assaulting her during a massage when she was 14 years old. Another one of Orban’s students also stated that he had groomed her and inappropriately massaged her.
During the trial, a video interview was shown of Orban admitting to a detective that he had massaged the victims after removing their shirts.
TATUM — One man has been arrested after an alleged aggravated assault happened at an apartment complex in Tatum on Saturday morning. According to the Tatum Police Department and our news partner KETK, a patrol officer and deputies from the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported aggravated assault at an apartment complex around 12:55 a.m. Saturday.
Brontravis Markeel Williams, 22, was booked into the Rusk County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. No one was injured during the assault.
MIDLAND (AP) – A man who opened fire in the West Texas city of Midland in an attack Friday morning that left one person dead and 10 injured had shot at a police officer just days earlier during a chase, authorities said.
The suspect, 45-year-old Victor Mata Villarreal, already was being sought by authorities when he began firing at police and bystanders in Midland on Friday before barricading himself in an abandoned veterinary clinic, where he was eventually found dead, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Police have provided limited details about how the shooting unfolded. Police arrived in the area after receiving reports of an active shooter, and Mata Villarreal started firing at officers, said Midland Police Chief Greg Snow. Several officers were pinned down behind their patrol cars and had to be rescued by an armored vehicle, Snow said, but no officers were shot.
Police then got everyone out of the area. “We moved to deny more targets for this active shooter,” Snow said.
A few hours after the shooting began, authorities used robot and drone footage from inside the building to confirm the shooter was dead, Midland Mayor Lori Blong. Police did not say how he died.
A spokesperson for the city identified a man killed in the shooting as Ed Scott, a father and husband who worked in solid waste for Midland. He also did a lot of work with local and regional softball organizations, according to the city.
Friends mourning his death described him in social media posts as a softball umpire and volleyball official who was known for his kindness and jokes.
Mata Villarreal, of nearby Odessa, was wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer after firing multiple times at a Midland police officer on Wednesday, the state’s public safety agency said.
The officer, who wasn’t injured, fired back after initially trying to pull over Mata Villarreal, who drove away, investigators said. His vehicle was found empty a short distance away, they said. Police have not said why the officer tried to stop Mata Villarreal.
Friday’s standoff happened about a half-mile (1 kilometer) from where the shots were fired at the police officer Wednesday.
Police have not said why Mata Villarreal began shooting on Friday or provided any details about the victims, including who they were, how they were shot or the conditions of those still hospitalized.
Midland Memorial Hospital said four people who were brought there underwent surgery and that five had been treated and released.
Calls to numbers listed for some relatives of Mata Villarreal in Texas went unanswered Friday or appeared to be lines that had been disconnected.
Mata Villarreal had several previous encounters with law enforcement, including some arrests, records show.
He was convicted on a 2009 charge of unlawfully carrying a firearm in San Angelo, according to Texas criminal history records.
He was charged in 2003 and 2004 for unlawfully carrying a weapon and unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon, but both cases appear to have been dismissed as part of a plea. He also pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge in 2008 that was later dismissed.
As police responded to Friday’s shooting, dozens of squad cars and law enforcement vehicles descended along what’s normally a busy roadway lined with hotels and auto businesses a few miles west of Midland’s downtown.
Andrea Mendias said she heard what sounded like a small explosion at the closed veterinary clinic next to the auto body shop where she works and saw a number of heavily armed police officers rush into the parking lot. Some appeared to go inside the building.
Mendias said she earlier heard what sounded like at least 40 gunshots.
Video from Mendias showed officers pouring out of the back of an armored police vehicle and police deploying robots into the area.
The city with about 140,000 residents sits in the heart of the state’s oil and gas region and was near the site of a deadly shooting rampage in 2019.
In that shooting, a gunman who had been fired from his oil services job killed seven people and wounded two dozen others while firing at random as he drove around the Odessa and Midland areas. The two cities are more than 300 miles (482 kilometers) west of Dallas.
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott announced on Saturday the launch of a free online course to expand the number of certified New World Screwworm (NWS) inspectors across Texas. This course will allow more Texans to inspect their animals and certify the documentation required to safely move them, which is critical to ensuring cattle and livestock commerce continues uninterrupted, the governor said.
The first-of-its-kind program is developed by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in partnership with USDA-APHIS, the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Abbott said.
“The State of Texas will use every tool to protect our cattle industry and wildlife while we eradicate this pest,” said Abbott. “The AgriLife and TAHC moved quickly to launch this training. Now more people, including private industry, will be able to inspect and certify animals for movement. Through this program, Texas will protect our ranchers, ensure the security of our food supply, and keep business strong.”
“Stopping the spread of NWS will not be possible without our inspectors knowing what to look for, that’s why today’s announcement is critical to keep our cattle industry on track,” said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “We encourage everyone who is able to help us identify and report suspected cases to help eradicate this pest as fast as possible. Grateful for Governor Abbott, TAHC, TPWD, and AgriLife for being amazing partners in this fight!”
The course is an online, modular program delivered through the AgriLife Learn platform. It includes narrated modules, demonstration videos, and knowledge checks covering NWS biology and life cycle, surveillance and reporting, species-specific inspection and treatment protocols, roles of state and federal agencies, and movement permitting requirements.
Those meeting TAHC eligibility standards who pass the final exam may apply to become a TAHC Certified NWS Inspector, authorized to issue official NWS Treatment/Movement Certificates for lawful movement of livestock out of infested zones.
Phase one immediately opens eligibility to the following groups, in addition to existing authorized personnel, including thousands of Texas veterinarians:
Licensed veterinarians (not already in the Authorized Personnel Program)
Veterinary technicians
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agents and Disaster Assessment and Recovery agents
Texas Department of Agriculture inspectors
Texas Department of State Health Services Meat Safety inspectors
Texas Racing Commission inspectors
Animal control officers
Livestock deputies
Designated personnel from temporary livestock aggregation points
Additional groups may be added in future phases as the program evolves. The course is also available to any Texan for educational purposes.
Livestock owners, managers, veterinarians, government personnel, and allied industry professionals are encouraged to enroll. To access this free online course, register an account, add course to your cart, and check out.
Important facts about New World Screwworm:
NWS is caused by the larvae of a parasitic fly that lay eggs in open wounds. The larvae feed on living tissue of warm-blooded animals.
NWS is not a contagious disease. It does not spread directly from animal to animal.
NWS is not a food safety issue. Screwworms do not infest meat or other food products. The food supply remains safe.
Report suspected cases immediately:
Livestock or pets: Texas Animal Health Commission at 1-800-550-8242
Wildlife: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at 512-389-4505
For more information, go to screwworm.gov
The course directly supports the state’s aggressive NWS response. Under Governor Abbott’s leadership, Texas has deployed sterile insect technique releases, established quarantines in infested zones, and committed all available state resources to protect the livestock industry while maintaining business continuity.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers fireballer Jacob Misiorowski turned in his finest outing one year to the day of his major league debut.
Misiorowski dominated the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night, striking out 15 and tossing a complete-game one-hitter in a 6-0 victory.
As Misiorowski strode to the mound for the ninth inning, the capacity crowd of 40,205 rose in unison to cheer for the 24-year-old right-hander in what turned out to be one of the most impressive performances in franchise history.
“When I walked out for the ninth, my whole body shivered and the adrenaline really kicked in,” said Misiorowski, who had never pitched past the seventh inning in 27 MLB starts.
With the crowd still standing and cheering, Misiorowski struck out Justin Crawford to end the game. He raised his hands in the air and turned to embrace catcher William Contreras.
“There was no chance I was going to throw anything other than a heater right there. I was amped up,” Misiorowski said.
Misiorowski (8-2) didn’t issue a walk in facing the minimum number of batters, throwing 95 pitches, 74 for strikes.
It marked the first complete game by a Brewers pitcher since Brandon Woodruff on Sept. 11, 2023, against Miami.
“That was as good as it gets,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “To pitch a game like that against an offense like that with all those All-Stars over there, it was an incredible performance.”
Misiorowski has a 0.17 ERA in his last eight starts and the 15 strikeout are the most by any pitcher this season.
He struck out the side in the first and a whiff of Brandon Marsh to start the second made it four consecutive strikeouts. Misiorowski struck out eight of the first nine Phillies batters, hitting a maximum of 104.5 mph on the radar gun against Kyle Schwarber, the fastest pitch by a starting pitcher in the pitch tracking era (starting in 2008).
In addition to the 104.5 pitch to Schwarber, he got Trea Truner with a 103.5 mph pitch and Bryce Harper with a fastball at 104.1 mph — all swinging. They were the three fastest strikeout pitches for a starter in the pitch-tracking era — including the postseason, according to MLB.
The Phillies got their first hit when NL home run leader Schwarber sharply singled leading off the fourth. But, a strikeout of Turner and an inning-ending double play meant he faced the minimum.
“It was a backdoor slider that I located well, but maybe slightly off,” Misiorowski said of the pitch to Schwarber. “I was trying to jump out ahead of him. He made good contact and poked it through. End of the story.”
A strikeout of Marsh to start the fifth gave Misiorowski 10 or more strikeouts in a game for the sixth time this season and for the eighth time in his two-year major league career.
Phillies manager Don Mattingly summed up the task at hand for his offense before the game.
“You pretty much better be ready to hit the fastball. You don’t see guys like this often,” Mattingly said. “We see more guys throw 100 mph or up in that range, but you don’t see guys that are consistent like him. If you can’t hit a fastball, you’re in big trouble.”
Murphy said Misiorowski has continued to mature in the year since his debut.
“He’s consistent. His work between starts is consistent,” Murphy said. “He’s worked hard in the weight room. He’s worked hard building a routine. This guy loves the ball in his hand.”
LONDON (AP) — Helen Mirren, one of the world’s most acclaimed actors, was added Friday to a very select group of people recognized by King Charles III for their “major contribution” over the years to British life.
The 80-year-old was named a “Companion of Honour,” one of the highest awards the king can bestow to citizens in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth, limited to only 65 people at any time.
Mirren’s elevation to the group, which also includes British environmentalist David Attenborough, Canadian author Margaret Atwood and former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, was one of the highlights of Charles’ latest award of honors.
The honors, which aim to reward individuals for their contributions to British life, are awarded twice a year to celebrities and public figures as well as ordinary people, once at New Year’s, and then in June, to mark the king’s birthday.
Nearly 1,200 people received honors in the king’s 2026 birthday list,
The award recognizes Mirren’s services to drama
Mirren is no stranger to awards and has for decades been a star on stage and screen, as well as a powerful advocate for female actors.
She has tackled numerous classical parts in theater — both in the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company from the 1960s — before winning roles in movies such as “The Long Good Friday,” “Excalibur,” and “The Madness of King George.”
She also wowed British television audiences with her portrayal of Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison over seven seasons of “Prime Suspect.”
At the Oscars in 2007, she won best actress for her performance in “The Queen,” a film that follows the late Queen Elizabeth II in the aftermath of the 1997 death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The awards recognize an array of achievements
Introduced in 1917 by King George V, the “Companion of Honour” recognizes people who have made “a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government” over an extended time period.
They remain members until they die, when a replacement is then added. A new member will likely be named at the next honors list in the new year following the death Thursday of David Hockney, one of the most popular and critically lauded British artists of the last century.
Others recognized on Friday include British author Julia Donaldson, who last year surpassed Harry Potter writer JK Rowling as U.K.’s all-time top author, with more than 50 million books sold worldwide. She was named a dame, the female equivalent of a knighthood, for services to literature, a title that Mirren herself was awarded in 2003.
“Receiving this honor has been a very happy surprise,” said the 77-year-old author of such books as “The Gruffalo, ” and “The Highway Rat.”
“It’s really gratifying to have children’s books recognized in this way,” she added.
Success in sports was also recognized on Friday, with Kevin Sinfield knighted for his glittering rugby league career and subsequent fundraising exploits to aid research and support families affected by motor neuron disease, a neurological disorder.
The 45-year-old has raised over 11 million pounds ($15 million) since being inspired by his friend and his teammate Rob Burrow, who died from the disease in 2024.
Golf’s two-time Ryder Cup winning captain Luke Donald was handed the Order of the British Empire. He will attempt to become the first person in Ryder Cup history to lead a team to three consecutive wins against the United States next year in Ireland.
Chloe Kelly, who scored the winning penalty for England’s women’s soccer team in Euro 2025, became member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, along with six other teammates.
Other notable recipients were Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi for services to music and charity nearly a year after the death of the band’s legendary lead singer Ozzy Osbourne. Broadcaster and the former lead singer of Catatonia Cerys Matthews was recognized for her services to music. The awards are not just for the famous
The array of awards are chosen by civil servants’ committees based on nominations from the government and the public. They are usually given out by the king or a senior royal acting in his place, increasingly at Windsor Castle where Charles largely resides.
The honors don’t just reward people in the public eye.
Debbie Lewis, who set up the bereavement support group COVID-19 Families U.K. after her father died in 2020 of the coronavirus, just four months after her mother’s death.
Lewis first wrote on Facebook that her father had just died and she was on her own, hoping to connect with others going through something similar. Within a week, 40 people had contacted her.
Six years on, there are more than 4,500 people in Lewis’s support network.
“I’m still a little bit in shock,” the 56-year-old said of her honor on Friday. “I know it’s a huge achievement and I’m just a little bit overwhelmed at the moment.”
HOPKINS COUNTY (KETK) – The SPCA of Texas rescued eight adult dogs and three puppies from a residence near Sulphur Springs on Wednesday.
Local law enforcement responded to a 911 call on Monday from a person who said he couldn’t separate dogs that were fighting inside his home, according to the SPCA of Texas. Responding officials found many dogs inside the man’s home home, which had “extensive accumulations” of urine, feces and debris.
The 911-caller had a medical emergency and had to be transported to a local hospital to be treated. The SPCA said the responding law enforcement at the home then found a dead dog, prompting them to contact the SPCA of Texas’ Animal Cruelty Investigations unit for help. Two investigators from the unit responded to the home on Tuesday and found several dogs fighting inside.
“Cases involving large numbers of dogs often present unique welfare and safety concerns, particularly when animals are living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions,” SPCA of Texas’ ACI Unit Chief Investigator Courtney Burns CAWA said. “As stress levels increase and dogs are forced into close proximity with one another, competition for essential resources and limited opportunities to avoid conflict can increase the likelihood of fights and injuries. We appreciate the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office for their swift response and assistance in this case. These dogs are now receiving comprehensive veterinary and forensic evaluations while our investigation continues.”
The 11 dogs and puppies were then taken into custody by the investigators, who then transported them to the SPCA of Texas’ Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center. Several other dogs were also seen on the property and investigators are currently working on recovering them.
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department is investigating a fatal two-vehicle crash that occurred Friday morning at the intersection of Loop 390 and Scottsville Road. This marks the second fatal traffic crash in Marshall this week.
Officers responded to the crash involving a passenger vehicle and a truck at around 9:52 a.m. Marshall Fire Department paramedics transported the driver of the passenger vehicle to a hospital where he later died.
That driver has been identified as 98-year-old Felton Augusta Hopkins, Jr.,of Marshall. The driver of the truck was not injured in the crash.
Police have not filed charged. The crash remains under investigation.
The booking photos for Samantha Raebel, left, and Vanessa Wahanganisa Tjongarero-Henderson. (Montgomery County Police Department)
(MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md.) -- Two women wanted in Maryland for allegedly killing the mother of one of the suspects were captured in Ohio after an individual who offered to help them realized from media coverage that they were wanted for murder, authorities said.
The arrests came nearly three weeks after the victim, 67-year-old Hilde Henderson, is believed to have been killed at her apartment at a senior living community in Silver Spring, Maryland, authorities said.
Officers conducting a welfare check on May 26 found Henderson dead from blunt force trauma, according to the Montgomery County Police Department. She is believed to have been dead for four days, police said.
The victim's daughter, 29-year-old Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson of Clarksburg, and the daughter's girlfriend, 36-year-old Samantha Raebel of Phoenix, were subsequently identified as suspects in the homicide, police said. Police obtained an arrest warrant charging them both with first-degree murder and released their photos amid the search for the suspects.
Following a nationwide search, the two were ultimately arrested Wednesday in Genoa, Ohio, thanks to a local tip, police said.
A woman in Genoa unwittingly offered to help the couple, until she and her friend grew suspicious and learned of the ongoing manhunt by searching one of their names online, according to ABC Toledo affiliate WTVG.
Adrienne Behrman told WTVG that the suspects came into her workplace and told her they were homeless, so she offered to help and invited them to stay at her apartment.
"I've been down and out myself -- homeless, without money, you know, just not wanting to be a charity case or anything like that, and I just felt like I was led to help them," Behrman told the station.
Behrman recounted, though, that the more questions she asked them about where they were from and where they wanted to go, "things were not adding up."
She told her concerns to a friend, Nikki Peters, who said she noticed that the last name of one of the suspects from a Cash App payment request for cigarettes didn't match the name she had been told, WTVG reported.
"That didn't make sense to me, because it was still Vanessa, but a different last name," Peters told WTVG.
While searching Tjongarero-Henderson's name online, Peters said she found wanted posts for the two women, WTVG reported.
"I almost passed out," Peters told the station. "[Behrman] was cool, calm and collected, but I almost passed out."
"That didn't make sense to me, because it was still Vanessa, but a different last name," Peters told WTVG.
While searching Tjongarero-Henderson's name online, Peters said she found wanted posts for the two women, WTVG reported.
"I almost passed out," Peters told the station. "[Behrman] was cool, calm and collected, but I almost passed out."
Behrman said she called 911, WTVG reported.
"That orchestrated the whole thing the way that it needed to be done in order for them to be apprehended and no one else to be hurt," Behrman told the station.
Tjongarero-Henderson and Raebel are being held at the Ottawa County Detention Center awaiting extradition to Maryland, authorities said.
Police have not released details on what evidence led them to identify the couple as suspects in the case.
Kathryn Woessner, 68, was last seen on June 3 before her rescuers found her on June 6, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. (Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
(MINNESOTA) -- A missing woman was found in a Minnesota puddle of mud where she told her rescuers she had been stuck for days.
Kathryn Woessner, 68, was last seen on June 3 before her rescuers found her on June 6, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Woessner did not have any personal belongings with her, according to the sheriff’s office.
Woessner told the men who rescued her that her car was stuck and she was trying to get out when she went around to the other side, slipping and falling into a puddle that was probably 2 feet deep, according to Mike Gravalin and Adam Sandbeck, the two men who saved her.
Woessner told the men the mud was like quicksand, they told KSTP.
Woessner told the men she had been stuck on her back for days and she was seriously sunburned on her face, Gravalin and Sandbeck told KSTP.
Due to her medical conditions, she was taken to Essentia Health- St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brained, according to the sheriff’s office.
In this Aug. 20, 2021, file photo provided by the U.S. Army, combat medic Sgt. Wyatt Ryser with the 811th Hospital Center gives a Covid-19 briefing to an Afghan family at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar. The U.S. military is providing meals, water, and snacks to immigration applicants seeking relocation to the U.S. Jimmie Baker/U.S. Army via Getty Images, FILE
(QATAR) -- Her room is made up of four towering gray walls. With a rug, a colorful comforter and a few pictures, 15-year-old Zahra Muheb has tried to make it feel like home. She's spent her last two birthdays living at Camp As Sayliyah, a refugee camp on an unused American military base in Doha that's a temporary home for more than 1,100 Afghan refugees.
Most of its residents are women and children who were placed there by the U.S. State Department during the U.S. refugee resettlement process.
Zahra told ABC News her dreams for the future have changed drastically since President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting refugee resettlement efforts during the first days of his second term. She said the ripple effects have been felt throughout every corner of the camp.
"I mean, when you go out of the camp and you're sick, they take you to hospital and they put GPS trackers on you so that you cannot escape," she said. "I feel like prison might be much better than here."
Zahra also told ABC News that she was threatened by the camp duty director and other camp officials after speaking to news outlets.
She claimed that they said someone in Washington, D.C., asked them to talk to her, then turned to her parents and said, "What you allow your daughter [to do] has significantly increased the risk of going back to Afghanistan."
In response to Zahra's specific claims, a State Department spokesperson told ABC News, "We have no information regarding this alleged incident" and that "accusations are dealt with promptly to protect residents."
The fear of being sent back to Afghanistan is intense for many refugees at the base, she noted.
Zahra told ABC News camp officials are using that fear and not knowing where they will be placed against residents at the base.
"They are lying to people about [being sent to a] third country," she said. "They are encouraging people to go back to Afghanistan, paying them money."
Zahra's family was already vetted by the Biden administration, but they and many other camp residents remain in limbo, waiting to see where and when the U.S. State Department will relocate them.
"The State Department continues to work toward a positive resolution that provides safety for these remaining people to start a new life outside of Afghanistan while upholding the safety and security of the American people," a department spokesperson told ABC News.
In response to the possibility of being sent to the DRC, Zahra said she wanted to address Trump directly, saying the idea was "not even acceptable."
"Mr. Donald Trump and Mrs. Melania reconsider [to] at least take us to America because we deserve safety. We deserve a life with dignity," she told ABC News.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration raised the refugee ceiling by 10,000 solely for white South African refugees despite the promises the U.S. previously made to those residing at Camp As Sayliyah.
On June 2, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the State Department's fiscal year 2027 budget, lawmakers pushed back against these new policies.
Democratic Sen. Van Hollen of Maryland told Republican Secretary of State Marco Rubio that "this administration has capped refugees at a record low" and that "White South Africans, Afrikaners, have comprised roughly 99% of those slots." He called the administration's process a "race-based refugee system."
Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, denounced the notion of sending Afghan allies living at Camp As Sayliyah back to Afghanistan, which is controlled by the Taliban, or the DRC, which has seen a surge of sexual violence towards women and children in recent years amid the conflict that has raged since 2022.
In response, Rubio noted that the U.S. "can't admit any Afghans at this point into the country," due to an executive order in the wake of last November's deadly attack on two members of the National Guard last November.
"I don't know of any single country that's going to take a thousand people, but we've talked to multiple countries about taking several hundred of these people and allowing them to move to a safe location," he said.
The residents we spoke to told ABC News they feel left behind, including a father who served as a member of the Afghan Command Forces for the U.S. and asked ABC News not to use his name for fear of retaliation.
"In reality, we were brought here legally and we completed all legal processes," he said. "We stood side by side with the United States in Afghanistan for almost 20 years. Now the time has come for the U.S. government to fulfill their promises."
Shawn VanDiver, the president of AfghanEvac, a non-profit organization that advocates for Afghan refugees, arranged a call with residents, congressional staffers and politicians in April.
"We're gonna keep fighting for you, there's a lot of people in Congress that are gonna keep fighting for you," he told the residents.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, joined the call to relay what his son, who served in Afghanistan as a Marine Corps infantry officer, told him about the Afghan allies "who put their lives on the line."
"They love America. We will work for them and fight for them just as we would our own veterans," he said.
In a previous statement, the U.S. State Department told ABC News in March that "Afghan Nationals at the Camp do not currently have a viable pathway to the United States" and that residents would be relocated by March 31. In June, ABC News spoke with several residents who still do not know where or when they will be relocated, if at all.
"There was a viable pathway, the administration has chosen to close it -- it is a policy choice," VanDiver told ABC News.
For now, residents at the camp hope the U.S. will keep its original promise to bring them to the country to start a new life.
Zahra asked ABC News to use her name, hoping it will help her resettlement efforts and others at the camp who are afraid of being sent to countries in conflict like DRC.
"I'm showing my face and I am raising my voice. To the camp officials from here ... you cannot stop me," she said. "Whatever you do, it won't stop me. If you think that you can treat me [like this] and it will stop me, it cannot. I will fight. I will take those people to safety. I will try."
On Thursday, 83 members of Congress signed a letter to Rubio, demanding a clear plan for residents at Camp As Sayliyah, shortly after Zahra's story aired on ABC News on Tuesday. In the letter, congressional leaders gave the department until June 24 to respond with answers and a credible plan for refugees who have been living in limbo.
HOUSTON (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) — Republican Party of Texas Vice Chair D’rinda Randall became the party’s new leader Friday after defeating her former running mate, incumbent Chair Abraham George, shaking up the top of the state’s majority party ahead of the fall midterm elections.
Randall, who first became involved in GOP politics nearly two decades ago, campaigned on her accomplishments as the party’s second-in-command during the last two years, touting financial wins like the return of certain convention corporate sponsors and her support for grassroots members, pointing to volunteer training she led.
George conceded in a social media post shortly before Friday’s general session at the convention began, after delegates overwhelmingly backed Randall in an initial round of votes among each Senate district caucus.
“While this race has come to an end, our mission continues,” he said. “Now is the time to come together, unite behind our Republican nominees, support the entire Republican ticket in November, advance our legislative priorities in the next session, and continue standing firmly for the conservative principles outlined in our platform.”
George’s tenure came to an end after a memorable two-year run that saw the party claim long-sought legislative victories in Austin, including private school vouchers and a variety of socially conservative new laws. That productivity, driven by a hard-right turn in the Texas House, reduced the infighting that has plagued the Texas GOP in recent years. Attorney General Ken Paxton led a long list of elected officials and activists lining up behind George, while Randall touted a much narrower stable of backers.
Yet as the convention kicked off in earnest Thursday, the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston remained sparsely populated, with many of the over 7,000 registered delegates appearing to skip the event despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s incentive program for county parties to fill their allotted delegate seats. The convention also fell just before FIFA World Cup games kicked off in Houston, driving up the cost of lodging in a city that was hundreds of miles from many would-be delegates’ home towns.
Amid the grassroots apathy, George also faced criticism earlier this week from a member of the State Republican Executive Committee, the party’s governing board, who claimed the party was taking a $651,000 loss to run the convention. In a response, George said the deficit was closer to $100,000 and would end up in the black “when you factor in the registrations that will be paid over the next couple of days.” But that did not appear to allay concerns about the state of the party’s finances heading into the fall midterms.
Randall’s victory arrives at a crucial juncture for the party, as it tries to write its next chapter and unite voters behind Paxton, the Senate nominee who defeated incumbent John Cornyn after a bruising primary that has left behind scars within the GOP.
Trey Trainor, a longtime GOP operative who was tapped to lead the convention’s platform committee, which drafts the party’s planks, said George’s ousting stemmed from financial woes and a struggle to engage members.
“Look, I think everybody’s incredibly nervous about what happened during the primaries,” Trainor said. “They see that the Democrat Party is incredibly engaged. I think the low turnout that you see here shows some apathy of Republican voters, and they really look to the party leadership to create that enthusiasm and drive people to the polls.”
The removal of George, the Texas GOP’s first Indian American chair, also arrived at a time when the party is experiencing a wave of anti-Indian sentiment, particularly in George’s backyard of North Texas. Much of the same faction that has targeted Muslims for what they see as the proliferation of Sharia law is also raising alarm about the state’s fast-growing Indian community, urging a halt to legal immigration to combat alleged H-1B visa exploitation and labor competition.
George regularly draws racist replies to his social media posts, even when pushing for conservative priorities such as abolishing the H-1B visa program; yet, delegates at the convention did not indicate that topic surfaced in deliberations about the chair election.
The mix of headwinds facing George created the opening for Randall and her running mate, David Covey, a hard-right activist who previously served on the state party’s governing board and unsuccessfully ran against former House Speaker Dade Phelan of Beaumont in 2024. Covey also previously ran for party chair in 2021, finishing as the runner-up to George’s predecessor, Matt Rinaldi.
Some of Randall’s supporters also charged that the incumbent chair has been too welcoming to establishment Republicans, after he warmed up to Phelan’s successor, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, following initial reservations over his election aided by Democrats. That line of criticism laid bare the challenge faced by party chairs, who must balance the delegates’ appetite for a grassroots fighter while also raising money from the party’s establishment ranks.
Burrows was set to address the convention — the first sitting speaker ever to do so — Friday afternoon.
In a statement, Burrows congratulated Randall and Covey and said he looked forward to “working together to strengthen our party and advance the conservative principles Texans value.”
EAST TEXAS — EAST TEXAS — East Texans will be watching closely on Saturday, June 13, as results come in for key local races across the region — in Longview’s District 3 City Council race in Gregg County, Brandon Smith defeats Marlena Cooper with 52.22% to Cooper’s 47.78% with all votes counted. 
TYLER — A robot scanning Tyler’s sidewalks to learn about their accessibility was hit by a truck during its first day on duty Thursday. The Daxbots were first deployed to help with Tyler’s Americans with Disabilities Act Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan on Wednesday. Then, less than a week into the robots’ first deployment in Tyler, one of the robots was struck by a truck at the intersection of West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Palace Avenue.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY — The Myrtle Springs Volunteer Fire Department demolished their aging fire station building on Saturday, citing serious safety problems and a lack of funding for renovations. According to our news partner KETK, the department currently covers 3000 residents living within the 30 mile-wide Myrtle Springs area of Van Zandt County. Their fire station building has endured many problems like mold, rot, rodent infestations, unsafe structural conditions and unsafe electrical conditions.
LONGVIEW — A former Longview coach was sentenced to 16 years in prison Friday after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting and grooming one of his former students. According to our news partner KETK, former owner and coach of a local gymnastics center in Longview, Matthew Orban, 52, was charged with sexual assault of a minor in 2025.
TATUM — One man has been arrested after an alleged aggravated assault happened at an apartment complex in Tatum on Saturday morning. According to the Tatum Police Department and our news partner KETK, a patrol officer and deputies from the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported aggravated assault at an apartment complex around 12:55 a.m. Saturday.
LONDON (AP) — Helen Mirren, one of the world’s most acclaimed actors, was added Friday to a very select group of people recognized by King Charles III for their “major contribution” over the years to British life.
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department is investigating a fatal two-vehicle crash that occurred Friday morning at the intersection of Loop 390 and Scottsville Road. This marks the second fatal traffic crash in Marshall this week.
