Free Republic

Toyota Motor said it is investing $3.6 billion to move production of the Tacoma midsize pickup truck from Mexico to Texas. The San Antonio plant currently produces the Toyota Tundra full-size pickup truck, including a hybrid variant, and the Toyota Sequoia SUV hybrid. The automaker said last year that it plans to invest up to $10 billion more than previously expected by 2030 in the United States. Toyota Motor on Monday announced that it is investing $3.6 billion to move production of the Tacoma midsize pickup truck from a plant in Mexico to its San Antonio, Texas, manufacturing campus. The...

The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville is working to gather information on Sunday’s arrest of a nun as she was walking to church in McAllen, calling circumstances behind the actions by federal immigration agents “wildly disturbing.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja, a 56-year-old nun from Nigeria, and released her later Sunday after South Texas members of Congress intervened. “There are many questions remaining about the circumstances surrounding Sister Letty’s arrest and detention,” Bishop Daniel E. Flores said in a statement. “For now, it is clear that Homeland Security enforcement protocols that make it possible for...

Questions are being raised over how the daughter of a congresswoman landed a $411,000-a-year council job over three other candidates who reportedly scored better than her in interviews. Erica Lee Carter, 46, the daughter of late Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, was appointed as the Harris County Administrator earlier this year in a hotly contested hiring process with over 400 applicants. The role is one of the best paid government jobs in Harris County, which covers over five million people including the city of Houston, with applications coming from CEOs and politicians across the country. But according to a review...

Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico was caught on video describing a “Christofascism movement” as he criticized legislation restricting gender-affirming care for transgender minors and the state’s abortion law.

The Left pretends Antifa isn't a real thing, ignoring the very real violence and property damage done in the name of the organization. The Trump administration has declared Antifa a terrorist organization, both domestically and internationally. Back in March, several members of Antifa were convicted of numerous crimes stemming from an ambush at an ICE facility in Texas that saw one law enforcement officer shot. They were recently sentenced to a combined 450 years behind bars. Their violent comrades are not happy about this, and are now threatening the federal judges who sentenced them. "He has an address."After the North...

MIDLAND, Texas — A sweeping new Texas law intended to simplify permits for mobile food vendors took full effect Wednesday, but mom-and-pop operators in the Permian Basin say skyrocketing administrative fees are instead threatening their livelihoods, keeping investments trapped in backyards, and forcing immediate business closures.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told 7News Reporter Nick Minock that ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C. officers arrested Jose Jairo Rivas-Santiago in June 2026. ICE says 32-year-old Rivas-Santiago is a suspected MS-13 gang associate convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery. In April 2019, ICE said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Richmond agents found and arrested Rivas-Santiago on charges of armed robbery and conspiracy related to an MS-13 gang murder. ICE says HSI turned him over to the Richmond City Police Department for prosecution. In April 2021, ICE says a judge convicted him of murder and armed...

LONGVIEW, Texas — Three women have been arrested in connection with an assault investigation stemming from an incident at a Longview nightclub in the early morning hours of June 21. Arrest documents obtained by WFAA are shedding new information about a woman being allegedly assaulted in the parking lot. Ciarrianne Fuller, 21, of Longview, Dejae Brown, 21, of Pittsburg, and Alana Mumphrey, 21, of Longview, are all charged with assault causing bodily injury in connection with an alleged assault at Whiskey J's, located at 300 TX-63 Spur in Longview. According to an arrest affidavit, a person working security for Whiskey...

President Trump announced on Tuesday that the Republican Party would hold an unusual midterm convention in September in Dallas as he seeks to mobilize his party before the fall elections. Party conventions are typically held only in presidential election years. But Mr. Trump became enamored with the idea of a splashy midterm convention last year, and party officials have been planning the logistics of the event for months. The convention will be held from Sept. 9-10, Mr. Trump said. “It has never been done before, and will be a truly Historic Event,” he wrote on Truth Social, his social media...

Two sisters and a pal hacked a 32-year-old mom of five to death in broad daylight, according to cops in Texas. The arrests of Kitty Mia Diaz, 21; Amaya Cookie Diaz, 19; and Kyandra Renee Faz, 21, were announced by the Del Rio Police Department in a social media post Friday. The victim, mother-of-five Caroline “Caro” Peña, was stabbed multiple times in broad daylight and arrived at Val Verde Regional Medical Center just after 2 p.m. local time on Thursday. Due to the severity of her injuries, she was subsequently taken to a medical facility in San Antonio for emergency...

DALLAS (AP) — Texas’ education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible stories, widening conservative efforts to bring Christian teachings into U.S. classrooms.The state-mandated list of assigned reading — which includes Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” and excerpts from the New Testament — appeared to be among the first of its kind of the nation and will take effect starting in 2030. The State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list on a 9-5 vote following weeks of contentious debate that again put Texas at...

Texas is on the verge of requiring its more than 5 million public school students to study Bible stories, as the state emerges as a leader in a national conservative effort to infuse Christian teachings into American classrooms.The majority-Republican Texas State Board of Education is expected to vote Friday to approve a proposal that would establish biblical stories and Bible verses – among other works – as required reading for its K-12 English and literature curriculum.Going beyond a 2023 law that required at least one Texas State Board of Education approved literary work be taught in each grade level, the...

Paxton 49, Talarico 47

Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) has introduced a resolution to repeal the 17th Amendment. The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution established the direct election of U.S. senators in each state. Before, senators were appointed by state legislatures. The 17th Amendment reads: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures. When vacancies happen in the representation of...

BREWSTER COUNTY, Texas (KOSA) - A multi-agency operation in Pecos led to the rescue of seven human trafficking victims and the arrest of 24 people, according to the Reeves County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said the discovery was made during a June 13 search warrant execution at El Ranchito Night Club, an adult entertainment establishment that had been operating out of compliance with a local ordinance. Authorities said residents began reporting suspected violations as El Ranchito continued operating. The Reeves County Sheriff’s Office then launched an investigation, which led to a search warrant. “That’s how we were able to develop our...

Local moratoriums spring up after state inaction, while New Mexico and Utah fight “hyperscale” data polluters .... Local governments in Colorado are moving quickly to slap moratoriums on new data center development in reaction to a public backlash against rising electricity prices, heavy pollution and lucrative tax breaks. Denver, Jefferson County and Longmont have all moved in recent weeks to limit data centers, which house servers for mass computation that demand enormous amounts of electricity and cooling water. Cities and counties are moving in part because the state legislature failed to act in 2026, eventually letting two competing bills die...

A 43-year-old man who fled across multiple states to avoid prosecution has been sentenced to three life sentences for sexually assaulting children in South Texas. Benjamin Alan Molodecki was found guilty on three counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child following trials in June 2026. Judge Janna Whatley imposed the maximum sentence for each offense – two counts in Live Oak County and one in Bee County. The case began in July 2020 when an arrest warrant was issued for Molodecki following allegations of child sexual abuse in Live Oak County. Rather than face the charges, he fled the...

The Libertarian Party of Texas has approved a resolution rejecting party support for candidates who accept political support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee or any other “foreign-connected political organization.” The party announced the resolution on June 12, saying its Executive Committee formally approved the measure just two days earlier. Details on the party’s internal business forum show the motion passed 13-1, with no abstentions. The full resolution states that elected officials “should answer to voters, not foreign interests, billionaire-funded PACs, or lobbying organizations.” It calls on AIPAC to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act when legally required...

A team of elite civil rights attorneys announced they will represent Karmelo Anthony in the appeal of his murder conviction for fatally stabbing fellow high school athlete Austin Metcalf. Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe, veteran appellate attorney Russell Wilson, civil rights lawyer Brooke Cluse from Ben Crump Law, and others have joined forces in an effort to overturn Anthony’s conviction and 35-year prison sentence, CBS News reported. They will conduct an independent review of the trial to determine whether any errors occurred during the trial in their pursuit of an appeal, the lawyers said in their announcement on Monday. They...

A flu outbreak at the Air Force's basic training hub in San Antonio is worsening, according to two sources familiar with the situation. As of Tuesday, at least 222 recruits at Lackland Air Force Base, part of Joint Base San Antonio, had been diagnosed with the flu and four had been hospitalized, the two people familiar with the matter told ABC News. This marks a sharp increase from the 159 cases and two hospitalizations reported last week. The death of one recruit remains under investigation, though it is not yet clear whether it is tied to the outbreak, the sources...