Flood recovery stalls in the Texas Hill Country while Austin debates bond costs, Anthropic settles its piracy litigation, and the U.S. faces international friction over payment systems.

Central Texas manages a flooded Lake Travis as gasoline prices spike from conflict in the Strait of Hormuz and the Justice Department activates a long-dormant court to bypass standard immigration proceedings.

Texas flood zones trigger federal disaster aid while drifting border buoys paralyze the Rio Grande, mortgage rates react to Mideast airstrikes, and Hungary dissolves its presidency amid a broader regional shift.

Floodwaters crest in Texas as the state rotates its election oversight, markets bet on AI hardware, and the White House threatens Canada over smoke.

Central Texas grapples with historic flooding, Fifth Third Bank consolidates its Texas footprint via layoffs, and Washington faces fresh controversy over AI-driven insider trading and intelligence declassification.

Austin ISD slashes budgets while TSMC expands in Arizona, and the White House links war funding to voting rules as conflict in the Middle East escalates.

Taylor County funds a campaign to force jury participation while Capital Metro proposes fare hikes despite looming labor strikes and federal defense spending hits a procedural wall in the Senate.

Georgetown faces broadband outages after thieves mistake fiber lines for copper, while Capital Metro prepares fare hikes and the US Navy demands a transit toll in the Strait of Hormuz.

Austin's budget relies on a maxed-out property tax hike, AI infrastructure demands force retail electricity prices higher, and a coalition of attorneys general targets the multi-billion dollar Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery merger.

Austin residents brace for a downtown blackout as retailers turn zoning boards into housing partners, while global markets react to a renewed war in the Strait of Hormuz.