🟪 Austin negotiates with Abbott to avoid $2.5M grant loss over ICE policy (Austin American-Statesman)

🟪 UT announces new Dell Medical Center, research campus after $750 million gift (KUT)

🟪 Austin leaders signal support for $985M resort project at Circuit of the Americas (Community Impact)

🟪 Cornyn opposes federal funding for Austin light-rail project as grants remain pending (Austin American-Statesman)

🟪 Austin apartment glut drives surge in rent concessions (Austin American-Statesman)

🟪 Houston to vote on changes to ICE policy. Civil rights groups say the amendments would gut it. (Texas Tribune)

🟪 D.H.S. will run out of money for paychecks in May, secretary says (New York Times)

🟪 Florida backs "Jetsons"-style travel as Gov. DeSantis signs bill funding flying car hubs (CBS News)

READ ON!

LEARN MORE HERE

✅ Austin negotiates with Abbott to avoid $2.5M grant loss over ICE policy (Austin American-Statesman)

Austin officials were negotiating with state leaders Tuesday to try to avoid losing $2.5 million in state grant funding after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to revoke the money over new Austin Police Department policies that limit officer interactions with federal immigration agents.

“We are continuing conversations with the Governor’s office in a good faith effort to reach a resolution,” Assistant City Manager for Public Safety Ramon Batista said in a written statement.

“The public safety grant dollars are vitally important to our community,” Batista said. 

The at-risk grants include those funding the prevention of terrorist attacks, the processing of sexual assault kits and programs that keep youth out of the juvenile justice system, he said.

Abbott threatened to pull the funding Thursday as part of a coordinated crackdown on the three major Texas cities — Austin, Houston and Dallas — that recently enacted policies designed to curb local police interaction with federal immigration agents… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ UT announces new Dell Medical Center, research campus after $750 million gift (KUT)

After a historic $750 million gift from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, The University of Texas at Austin’s future hospital has a name: The UT Dell Medical Center. It will be part of the newly announced UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research, which will focus on clinical care and research in combination with advanced computing and artificial intelligence.

At a press conference Tuesday, the Dells, along with state and university officials, emphasized the opportunity to build a world-class university medical center that integrates modern technology from the ground up.

“By bringing together medicine, science and computing in one campus designed for the AI era, UT can create more opportunity, deliver better outcomes, and build a stronger future for communities across Texas and beyond,” said Michael and Susan Dell in a news release.

The Dells' gift is one of the largest ever given to a United States university, and the couple are now the first donors to surpass $1 billion in lifetime giving to UT Austin. They were also integral in launching the university’s medical school — also named for the Dells — with a $50 million donation in 2013. In addition to the new university hospital and research campus, the Dells’ latest investment will also support undergraduate scholarships, student housing and UT’s Texas Advanced Computing Center… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin leaders signal support for $985M resort project at Circuit of the Americas (Community Impact)

Ahead of their vote for the plan April 23, Austin officials appear supportive of a proposed city incentive for a hotel and convention center project at Circuit of the Americas that could pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy.

"As you can see from the community, they want to see what will be a first-of-its kind and meaningful city investment. This potential partnership brings a major economic hub that the Del Valle community needs," said council member Vanessa Fuentes, who represents Southeast Austin including the COTA site.

The potential 30-year economic incentive deal between Austin and RIDA Development would support an estimated $985 million resort project at COTA.

RIDA plans to build a 1,000-room hotel and 170,000-square-foot conference center. The hotel will include dining and bar areas, a golf course and driving range, and a lazy river similar to the Texas-shaped feature at RIDA's Marriott Marquis Houston… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Cornyn opposes federal funding for Austin light-rail project as grants remain pending (Austin American-Statesman)

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said he opposes federal funding for Austin’s planned $7 billion light-rail system, whose fate relies heavily on such support.

Cornyn, a Texas Republican facing Attorney General Ken Paxton in a primary runoff next month, made the comments Thursday during an interview on KLBJ-AM’s “Todd and Oz Show” after co-host Todd Jeffries criticized Project Connect as a “a mere shadow of its original self.”

“It’s not what the voters voted on and the price tag has ballooned like crazy,” Jeffries said. “Do you support federal funding for Project Connect here in Austin?

“No, I don’t,” Cornyn said. “Austin is the blueberry in the tomato soup, and obviously the City Council has run amok and needs to be reined in, and maybe this is just the latest example. We don’t need this sort of project along with the profligate spending.”

Austin voters approved a 20% property tax increase in 2020 to fund the broader transit plan known as Project Connect. Since then, officials have reduced the scope of the light-rail component from as many as 28 miles of track to fewer than 10 miles, largely because of rising construction costs. The estimated price tag has remained about $7.1 billion… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Leadership shakeups at UT continue as LBJ School dean departs for Duke (Austin American-Statesman)

In another leadership change at the top of a University of Texas college, Dean JR DeShazo will leave the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the end of this academic year. DeShazo has led the LBJ School for five years. Starting July 1, DeShazo will lead the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University as dean, UT officials announced Monday in an email. DeShazo — one of the longest serving leaders at UT — is one of several deans to leave in the past year. More than one-third of UT’s dean positions — 7 of 18 leaders — are currently in flux.

He leaves at the conclusion of his contracted term, and it is unclear whether Provost William Inboden decided to offer him a renewal. Per the university’s policy, UT leaders have until the end of a dean's six year appointment to evaluate their performance.

When a dean’s term is up, top UT leadership can then choose whether to offer a contract renewal or find new leadership, according to the current policy. UT faculty members described DeShazo Monday as an excellent, thoughtful leader who made the LBJ School stronger. “I’m shocked, and I’m devastated,” said Kate Weaver, who has worked at the LBJ School for 17 years as a professor and associate dean. “He’s the best dean I’ve ever seen. He’s just utterly transformed the school.”

As dean, DeShazo doubled the LBJ School’s degree offerings from three to six and launched the college’s first undergraduate degree. He also increased enrollment, grew research activity and supported alumni and current students in job placement as opportunities for work among federal agencies have declined. DeShazo declined to comment. University spokesperson Mike Rosen did not respond to questions about DeShazo’s departure… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin apartment glut drives surge in rent concessions (Austin American-Statesman)

Renters in Austin have the upper hand in the city’s competitive apartment market and, despite falling vacancy rates, supply reamins so high that many property managers are offering steep concessions — including up to two months of free rent — to fill units.

Concessions are typically applied as upfront discounts, but they can also be prorated across a lease to reduce monthly rent. They allow properties to preserve advertised rents while competing for tenants in a crowded market.

New data from Apartments.com shows that 41.2% of multifamily properties nationwide are now offering concessions, up nearly 10 percentage points from a year ago. In Austin, roughly 700 apartment complexes are currently offering concessions, with more than 60% advertising one to two months free, according to the report. 

What's driving of these concessions? Austin’s oversupply of apartments. After rent prices surged in the early 2010s, the city took steps to accommodate its growing population and need for more housing units.

Between 2015 and 2024, Austin added 120,000 units to its housing stock, representing a 30% increase, according to the Pew Research Center. That’s more than three times the overall rate of growth in the United States… 🟪 (READ MORE)

📝⏱️ Q2 2026 Survey: 5 minutes, 9 questions. Click here to share your input.

✅ Houston to vote on changes to ICE policy. Civil rights groups say the amendments would gut it. (Texas Tribune)

Texas’ largest city is expected to consider amending a policy that limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, as it faces a major funding threat from Gov. Greg Abbott. But ahead of the Wednesday vote, civil rights groups have called the proposed changes a “backdoor attempt” at repealing the ordinance. 

On April 8, Houston’s City Council removed a rule directing police to wait 30 minutes for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents to arrive, if local officers encounter people with administrative immigration warrants during situations like traffic stops. The ordinance that replaced it also mandates quarterly reports from Houston police on its coordination with ICE. 

But after Abbott’s office threatened to withdraw more than $110 million in public safety grants on April 13, Mayor John Whitmire — who voted for the ordinance — immediately backtracked and pushed for a special City Council meeting on Friday to consider repealing the measure. Whitmire then canceled that meeting a few days later because the deadline to respond to the state’s demand was postponed… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Texas can force schools to post Ten Commandments, federal appeals court rules (Texas Tribune)

Texas can enforce a state law requiring public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

A majority of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Texas officials’ favor, concluding that the law does not establish an official state religion.

“It does not tell churches or synagogues or mosques what to believe or how to worship or whom to employ as priests, rabbis, or imams,” according to the ruling. “It punishes no one who rejects the Ten Commandments, no matter the reason.”

The court heard arguments in January after 16 families sued over the law, alleging that it amounted to state leaders promoting their interpretation of Christianity over other faiths.  

All 17 active judges on the court listened to the case — Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District — alongside a similar challenge in Louisiana, the first state to pass a Ten Commandments requirement for its public schools. The court cleared the way in February for Louisiana to fully implement its law. 

After Tuesday’s decision, the civil rights organizations representing the families expressed disappointment… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Virginia voters OK a Democratic effort to redraw the state's congressional map (NPR)

Virginia voters have delivered a significant win to Democrats, as the state is poised to redraw its congressional districts ahead of this year's midterm election.

According to a race call by The Associated Press, a narrow majority of Virginia voters approved a ballot measure put before them by the Democratic-led legislature that allows lawmakers to circumvent the state's bipartisan redistricting commission and create more seats that are favorable to Democrats.

The new map could allow Democrats to win 10 out of the state's 11 congressional seats — up from the six the party currently controls. A four-seat boost could play a big role in Democrats' efforts to retake the U.S. House this fall.

Along with the high stakes, Virginia's special redistricting election was closely watched because polling showed voters were somewhat mixed on whether to support the ballot measure. There was also a barrage of campaign ads coming from both sides that confused a lot of voters… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ D.H.S. will run out of money for paychecks in May, secretary says (New York Times)

Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, said on Tuesday that his department would run out of money to pay employees the first week of May if Congress failed to reach a deal to reopen the department. “The money is going extremely fast,” Mr. Mullin said during an interview with “Fox & Friends.”

“The president can’t do another executive order for us to use money, because there’s no more money there.” Missed paychecks could renew chaos at airports as lawmakers remain divided over a deal to end the two-month shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

The threat of them also ramps up political pressure on Congress to unlock funding, which had eased after President Trump signed memos calling on his administration to use existing money to pay all department employees, including Transportation Security Administration officers. Mr. Mullin said the money to fund paychecks was drawn from a portion of Mr. Trump’s signature domestic policy bill, which gave the department more than $170 billion over four years to carry out the president’s immigration crackdown. But he said that payroll costs were amounting to more than $1.6 billion every two weeks, and that available funding for salaries would dry up after this month.

The dysfunction has frustrated many department employees who have been dealing with financial uncertainty since the shutdown began. More than 90 percent of the department’s roughly 260,000 workers are considered essential, meaning that most employees continue to work without pay... 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Florida backs "Jetsons"-style travel as Gov. DeSantis signs bill funding flying car hubs (CBS News)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday evening putting state dollars behind private efforts to eventually offer some commuters a short, aerial alternative to highway traffic.

The measure (HB 1093) allows the Florida Department of Transportation to fund 100% of the project costs for a public vertiport if federal funds are unavailable. If federal funds are available, FDOT may fund up to 80% of the nonfederal share.

Vertiports are expected to serve as hubs for short aerial commutes by battery-powered aircraft that have characteristics of airplanes and helicopters.

Flying cars – the quintessential technology used by pop culture to portray a distant future. For the past couple of years Florida Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue has tried to convey that vision to lawmakers and business leaders.

"You could essentially be looking at something that was envisioned in 'The Jetsons,' or maybe 'The Fifth Element,'" Perdue said while speaking at the Florida Chamber of Commerce Future of Florida Forum last October.

The technology is still in its initial experimental phase, with fully electric, certified, two-seater planes available for training.

The bill, unanimously approved by the House and Senate, takes effect July 1, the start of the next fiscal year. A staff analysis didn't put a dollar amount on the bill, noting the legislation "authorizes, but does not necessarily require, additional funding within the FDOT Work Program or other existing FDOT operational resources."… 🟪 (READ MORE)