Artificial intelligence is quietly moving into the machinery of American government. The question is no longer whether agencies will use it—but how much authority Americans are willing to give it. WASHINGTON — For generations, Americans dealing with the government encountered clerks, investigators, police officers, auditors and bureaucrats. Increasingly, another participant is entering those interactions: an algorithm. Artificial intelligence is spreading through government a

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — In early 2025, four current or former members of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office died by suicide within just six weeks. The extraordinary concentration of deaths stunned one of the nation's largest sheriff's departments and quickly generated an uncomfortable question online: Could four deaths involving people connected to the same agency really be unrelated? Authorities say they were. The sequence began on Feb. 6, 2025, when retired Deputy Long Nguye

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — For generations, Huntsville has carried an identity unlike almost any other city in America. Home to the headquarters of the Texas prison system and several correctional facilities, the city has long been known nationally as the “Prison Capital of Texas.” But Huntsville is changing. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice remains one of the area's defining institutions and employers. The historic Huntsville Unit, commonly known as the “Walls Unit,” sits o

Texas has spent decades selling itself as a place where businesses can build, families can prosper and economic growth has room to run. Now that success is creating a new problem: The state may be growing faster than its infrastructure can keep up. Nowhere is that challenge more apparent than on the electric grid. Population growth, new manufacturing plants, oil and gas operations and a massive wave of artificial-intelligence data centers are creating unprecedented demand for

WASHINGTON — With fewer than three months remaining before the 2026 midterm elections, Americans are preparing to decide far more than who represents them in Congress. The November vote is rapidly becoming a referendum on President Donald Trump’s second term — and a battle that could determine whether he governs his final two years with a Republican Congress or faces a Democratic-controlled chamber determined to challenge his agenda. Every one of the 435 seats in the House of

NEW YORK — The killing lasted only seconds. The argument it unleashed has lasted nearly two years. On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson was walking toward an investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown when a gunman approached and shot him. Surveillance footage of the attack quickly spread across the country, setting off a nationwide manhunt and transforming what might otherwise have been remembered as the murder of a corporat

AUSTIN — For decades, Texas politics followed a dependable formula: Republicans dominated statewide elections, Democrats controlled the largest cities, and national campaigns viewed the state primarily as a reliable source of Republican electoral votes. In 2026, that formula is being tested. Texas remains firmly Republican at the state level, but November's elections are unfolding amid unusual political crosscurrents involving redistricting, property taxes, immigration, publi

Every few weeks, a viral video shows a humanoid robot folding laundry or flipping a burger, and the internet declares the robot takeover has arrived. The reality, according to the people actually deploying this technology, is far more uneven — genuinely transformative in a couple of industries, and mostly theater in others. Warehousing: the real deal If there's one place humanoid and industrial robots have moved decisively past hype, it's the warehouse floor. Agility Robotics

Of all the ways the United States claims to be a global leader, this is one ranking no one wants to top: the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any wealthy nation on Earth, and the gap isn't close. A widely cited Commonwealth Fund analysis comparing the U.S. to a dozen high-income countries found that American women died from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes at a rate of 22.3 per 100,000 live births in 2022 — a figure more than 55% higher than Chile, the co

Ozempic and its chemical cousins made their name as weight-loss drugs. Increasingly, that may turn out to be the least interesting thing about them. A massive VA-linked study led by researchers at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System, analyzing records from over 100 million U.S. patients, found that GLP-1 drugs were associated with reduced risks of substance abuse disorders, suicidal ideation, schizophrenia, and other psychotic disorders — alongside lower risk of

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is driving demand for computing power at an unprecedented pace, and some of the world's largest technology companies are looking beyond Earth for the next generation of data centers. What once sounded like science fiction has become a serious industry, with several companies now testing orbital computing platforms. One of the pioneers is Starcloud, a Washington-based startup that launched its first orbital data center satellite in l

For decades, humanoid robots capable of doing real work were more science fiction than economic forecast. That's changed fast. In 2026, humanoid robots have moved from lab demos to actual factory floors — but the honest answer to when they'll disrupt the U.S. job market is: sooner than skeptics expected, later than the hype suggests, and unevenly across industries. Where things stand now. Hundreds to low thousands of humanoid robots are already deployed industrially, mostly i

Few questions in modern technology inspire as much disagreement among genuine experts as this one: could artificial intelligence someday take control of human civilization? The question sounds like science fiction, yet it is debated seriously by AI researchers, philosophers, and policymakers, including many who built the systems in question. The honest answer is that nobody knows for certain — but the range of expert opinion, the mechanisms under discussion, and the possible

DEL RIO, Texas — A broad-daylight stabbing that claimed the life of a 32-year-old mother of five has drawn national attention after three young women were arrested and charged with murder. Authorities allege the attack was captured on surveillance video and occurred on a busy Del Rio street, raising questions about what led to the deadly confrontation. Booking phots of suspects in the murder of Texas mom. By James Lawson Reporting from Huntsville, Texas, USA June 26, 2026 Upd

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump used a nationally televised primetime address Thursday night to unveil newly declassified intelligence documents that he said reveal foreign efforts to influence U.S. elections and shortcomings in how intelligence was handled during the 2020 election. He argued the documents justify stronger election security measures and renewed congressional action. President Trump speaking to the nation. By Brent Cassity Reporting from Huntsville,

HOUSTON — A 19-year-old Houston man is in custody after authorities say he attacked a woman along White Oak Bayou and attempted to drown her before she fought back and escaped. The incident occurred Monday evening near the 7000 block of Bent Branch Drive in northwest Houston. 19 year old, Jacob Isiah Fuslier's Harris County booking photo By Alexa Bickerwood Reporting from Huntsville, Texas, USA July 17, 2026 Updated 2:48 a.m. ET According to Harris County Precinct 1 Constabl

Tensions between the United States and Iran have reached their highest level in months as both nations continue to exchange military strikes across the Middle East, raising fears that the conflict could spiral into a broader regional war. By Christopher Todd Reporting from Huntsville, Texas, USA July 15, 2026 Updated 4:03 a.m. ET The latest escalation began after the United States launched a new round of airstrikes against Iranian military targets. According to U.S. officials

The unusual ammunition allegedly used in the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has emerged as one of the most closely watched pieces of evidence in the case against Tyler Robinson, with prosecutors arguing that the customized rounds help establish planning, intent, and identity. Ammunition Evidence in the Tyler Robinson pulmonary hearing. By David Johnston Reporting from Huntsville, Texas, USA July 13, 2026 Updated 1:43 a.m. ET During recent court proceed

The weeklong preliminary hearing in the Tyler Robinson case has provided the public with its most detailed look yet at the evidence prosecutors intend to present if the accused killer of Charlie Kirk stands trial. While the hearing was not intended to determine guilt or innocence, it revealed a body of evidence that appears far more extensive than many observers anticipated and has created significant challenges for several alternative theories that have circulated online. Ty

BEIJING — China has taken a major step forward in the global space race, successfully recovering and landing a reusable rocket booster for the first time, a milestone that could significantly reduce launch costs and accelerate the country's ambitious space exploration plans. China's first reusable 10B rocket lands successfully. By Jim Keegan Reporting from Huntsville, Texas, USA July 10, 2026 Updated 9:23 a.m. ET The achievement came on July 10 when China's Long March 10B roc