AM markets: wheat falls anew, despite US crop deterioration

The proportion of the crop in Kansas, the top growing state, rated "good" or "excellent" fell by 2 points week on week to 36%, amid "dry, windy conditions", US Department of Agriculture data overnight showed. In Oklahoma, the rating dropped by 2 points to 40%, and in Texas, where "precipitation across the state was scarce", by 1 point to 34%.

Donald Trump Jr. Draws Protesters

Protesters gathered outside the Omni Dallas Hotel as Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump Jr. spoke at a Dallas County Republicans event.Trump's son thanked those in attendance for their support during his father's historic campaign. President Donald Trump's eldest son and Sen. Ted Cruz rallied Dallas County Republicans on Saturday evening at a fundraiser held at the Omni Dallas Hotel.

Donald Trump Jr. says he misses campaign trail

Donald Trump Jr. made his first political public appearance since his father's inauguration, taking an election victory lap and growing nostalgic for the campaign trail. "I thought I was out of politics after election day," Trump said Saturday, speaking at the Dallas County Republican Party's Reagan Day Dinner, where he recalled his father's unpredictable path to the presidency.

Report: Missed opportunities led to 2016 Texas balloon crash

U.S. regulators ignored expert warnings that hot-air balloons like one that crashed in July in Texas, killing 16 people, have higher accident rates than other aircraft and similar fatality rates, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The newspaper relied on government documents and internal emails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, as well as testimony given at a federal hearing on the hot air balloon crash near Lockhart.

Federal judges find Texas gerrymandered maps on racial lines

Federal judges found more problems in Texas' voting rights laws, ruling that Republicans racially gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the growing electoral power of minorities, who former President Barack Obama set out to protect at the ballot box before leaving office. The ruling late Friday by a three-judge panel in San Antonio gave Democrats hope of new, more favorably drawn maps that could turnover more seats in Congress in 2018.

President Trump turns on the charm to make allies of ex-rivals

FRIEND ME: President Trump, seen yesterday at a meeting with leaders of small community banks, is trying to forge alliances with former campaign opponents. President Trump has launched a charm offensive to rope in erstwhile rivals whose help he needs as he focuses on governing and passing legislation.

PM markets: grain prices trim gains as funds take a breather

Ideas of the Brazilian soybean and corn harvest got another boost, while crop reports from the US southern Plains showed little reason to start fretting over drought damage to winter wheat yet, and absent fund buying, grain markets trimmed their recent gains. The latest forecast for Brazilian soybeans from FC Stone came in at a hefty 109.07m tonnes, nearly 5m tonnes up from its February forecast, with favourable weather across most of the country's growing regions.

Lawmakers may use riders to avoid special session over Obamacare

In a surprise move, state leaders are exploring the use of special budget "riders" to avoid a special legislative session over the likely repeal of Obamacare. Senate and House leaders said Tuesday that because of uncertainty over how much federal funding will be available to Texas for health care programs, should Congress repeal the Affordable Care Act, they are skeptical that a state budget can be finalized by the time the legislature adjourns in June.

Blair is reaping rewards from chaos he sowed

From a middle-class 'brainiac' to America's last mountain hermit: Infamous camp dweller reveals how he lived for 27 years in total isolation by raiding nearby homes over one thousand times 'Do you know who I am?': Potential top 10 NFL pick linebacker is 'sent home from combine after having a heated argument about waiting in line for a medical exam' Revealed: Tony Blair's secret White House summit and private meetings with Jared as he launches astonishing bid to work for Donald Trump as his Middle East peace envoy You'd see a lot more of Ivanka, Tony ...oh, and her best friend Wendi, too! How Blair could rub shoulders with Trump's daughter and Murdoch's ex if he becomes Kushner's peace team Federal Aviation Administration finds 27 airspace violations near Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate as one caused a sonic boom across two Florida counties Obama administration DENIES Towergate: Insiders blast ... (more)

March 2, 2017 – Senate confirms Perry to head Energy Department The…

The Senate voted March 2 to confirm former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, President Trump's nominee for secretary of energy. The vote was 62-37, with Perry winning support from every Republican member of the Senate who voted, as well as from 10 Democrats and one Independent.

The Latest: Perry nomination for Energy heads to full Senate

The next Trump administration Cabinet nominee up for a vote in the Senate is c... Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry cleared a Senate hurdle in his bid to become Energy secretary in the Trump administration. At his confirmation hearing, Perry vowed to be an advocate for an agency he once pledged to eliminate and promised to rely on federal scientists, including those who work on climate change.

Condemned killer in San Antonio robbery set to die May 24

A 35-year-old San Antonio man on death row for a fatal shooting during a robbery more than 13 years ago has been set to die. Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark said Tuesday the prison agency has received court documents setting Juan Castillo for lethal injection May 24. Castillo was convicted of the December 2003 slaying of 19-year-old Tommy Garcia Jr. Evidence showed Garcia was lured to a San Antonio lovers' lane by Castillo's girlfriend and then ambushed.

Justice department suddenly rescinds support for opposition in key part of Texas voter ID law

The U.S. Justice Department said Monday it is abandoning its longstanding opposition to a key aspect of Texas' toughest-in-the-nation voter ID law, costing voting rights groups their most important ally and possibly encouraging other conservative states to toughen their own election rules with President Donald Trump in charge. It's a dramatic break from the agency's position under President Barack Obama, which spent years arguing that the voter ID law passed in 2011 by Texas' Republican-controlled Legislature was intended to disenfranchise poor and minority voters.