Texas Public Radio | By Andrea Drusch | San Antonio Report

This story has been updated.

San Antonio City Council rejected calls to hold a public vote on its $489 million Spurs arena contribution on Monday, voting down a proposal to put it on the Nov. 3 midterm ballot.

The move means that last November’s election approving $311 million in Bexar County venue tax dollars for the arena, known as Proposition B, could be both the first and only time voters are asked about a public investment that totals more than $800 million.

Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones called Monday’s meeting knowing she likely lacked the support from colleagues to get a city vote on the ballot.

Now that the council is facing a ballooning budget deficit, Jones said that investment of this scale deserved its own public hearing.

The majority of her colleagues disagreed, saying it was bad for business to invite the public to weigh in on major spending decisions that don’t legally require it.

“We should be very careful about establishing a precedent that every significant revenue bond decision requires another election simply because the dollar amount is large,” said Councilwoman Misty Spears (D9), one of the nonpartisan panel’s two most conservative members.

During public comment, the packed chamber was split between those who said voters are being shut out of the process and those who believe a county vote last year should suffice.

The 5-6 vote marked a slight decline in support since the council approved its tentative agreement with the team last year.

At that point, Jones wanted to pause negotiations so that the city could get an independent economic analysis on the sports and entertainment district. Five council members who supported the deal went around the mayor to put it on the agenda anyway, moving the project forward with a 7-4 vote.

On Monday, Councilman Edward Mungia (D4) was the only member to change sides, aligning with Jones’ call for a November election.

Mungia and the council’s progressives, Jones, Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), Teri Castillo (D5) and Ric Galvan (D6), accounted for the five “yea” votes.

The six “nays” included the more business-centric members: Spears, Sukh Kaur (D1), Phyllis Viagran (D3), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7), Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8) and Marc Whyte (D10).

City vs. county funds

The concept of a new arena originated with city leaders, who spent years quietly exploring the possibility of how it could anchor a major downtown redevelopment effort known as Project Marvel.

But the $1.3 billion arena’s biggest political hurdle was securing money from Bexar County, which owns the team’s existing Eastside home, and was expected to put up $311 million of the $800 million in public funding.

County leaders came on board with the idea after negotiating an agreement to renovate the team’s existing home at Frost Bank Center, and helped secure support for both proposals on the November 2025 ballot, known as Propositions A and B.

Now nearly nine months later, the city is the one rallying support for its own deal, while the county’s East Side plans also seem to face some headwinds.

The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo — expected to lead the redevelopment of the Spurs’ East Side home — has cast doubt on whether the vision voters embraced will ever come to fruition because private developers were promised some of the rodeo’s parking lots and barns.

Many changes have also been made to the City of San Antonio’s development vision surrounding the new arena site, including canceling plans for a new convention center hotel and scrapping a land bridge that lacks the originally expected federal funding.

This week City Manager Erik Walsh sought to tamp down on those concerns with a letter slamming “misinformation” circulating in the media, and insisting that the overall vision remains similar to when it was first proposed.

“As with any major project as complex and multifaceted as the sports and entertainment district, the initial plan is preliminary and has been, and will continue to be, subject to further evaluation, refinement, and potential modification as feasibility is assessed and additional information becomes available,” Walsh wrote.

Meanwhile, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said the county hasn’t started collecting the venue taxes expected to fund its portion of the arena funding because its still determining whether it’s “protecting the public’s interest.”

Sakai also told KSAT this week that the county could face litigation if the city doesn’t produce its portion of the arena funding.

On Monday, San Antonio Spurs Sports & Entertainment CEO RC (RC or R.C.) Buford said the council vote was a reaffirmation of support to a project years in the works.

“We can now turn our full attention to delivering on that shared vision and the transformational opportunity ahead for our city,” Buford said.

A ‘do-over’ vote or ‘voter suppression’?

Unlike the county’s venue tax, San Antonio’s arena contribution comes from sources that don’t require the city to hold an election.

In a nod to the high emotions surrounding the project, however, about half of the packed council chamber on Monday believed that not holding one amounts to “voter suppression.”

The other half said that a city election would be anti-democratic, aimed at repeating last November’s Prop B vote in hopes of achieving a different result.

As the deal was presented to council last year, the city’s $489 million is set to come from a combination of state business taxes captured in a Project Finance Zone, property taxes captured in a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone and ground leases on city-owned property in the sports and entertainment district.

Since those sources don’t need voter approval, the council made its term sheet with the Spurs dependent on the results of the county election, in which about 51.7% of San Antonio voters approved of Prop B.

“The voters have spoken,” said Martin Gutierrez, director of governmental affairs for the San Antonio Board of Realtors, who signed up to speak at Monday’s meeting. “More than 178,000 registered city of San Antonio voters voted for Prop B in 2025, therefore we do not believe another election is necessary.”

Leading up to that vote, however, critics point out that a PAC aligned with the Spurs spent $9.2 million on a campaign that only described the county’s portion of the money — giving voters a warped perception.

Monica Cruz, who signed up to speak in favor of a city vote, said the Spurs’ campaign specifically told voters that the money wouldn’t come from property taxes, only taxes on tourists.

“In the 10 community conversation meetings that the Spurs had across the city … all of those slides said that it was only paid for by visitor hotel occupancy taxes, which is a half-truth,” Cruz said. “I think that’s important to know.”

Mary Cabral, a retired high school teacher, said that voters were hit with a “massive propaganda” campaign on the part of the Spurs, and that if the deal is truly as good as it sounds, it shouldn’t have a problem passing again this November.

“Why are you afraid to let us vote?” Cabral asked the council on Monday. “Do you know that that is called voter suppression?”

Supporters of the arena deal said they also felt the other side was cheating by using the second vote to go back on a deal they never liked in the first place.

“The mayor wishes that this project would just go away, that something would kill it — an election, an economic study — so she wouldn’t have to manage it,” said Aram Meraz, whose LinkedIn says he’s a management analyst at City of San Antonio. “… I speak for a lot of San Antonians when I say that there is an election that we would like to get a do-over on, and it’s the election of the mayor.”

Politics aside, many business interests in the chamber stressed that the unusual nature of this arena deal wasn’t great for a city trying to attract investment.

Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, for example, brought a group of nearly 50 people to speak as a group on behalf of the construction industry, which the company’s Chairman and CEO James Anderson said can’t execute big projects when the funding and political will is up in the air.

“Those of us in construction understand something very practical about projects of this scale: Uncertainty has cost. Companies plan for years in advance. … People are hired and trained. Design teams are at work. Material and equipment decisions are made,” Anderson said.

“When the path moving forward changes, schedules and costs change along with it, and businesses become cautious about bringing on people and resources, and will begin to look for other opportunities to pursue.”

Another vote to come?

Despite Monday’s vote, residents in the city of San Antonio could still see another sports and entertainment district-related measure on their ballots in 2027.

The city projected last year that the arena would require between $220 million and $250 million in surrounding infrastructure, expected to come from the city’s bond program.

Some council members want those projects to appear in a single line item that voters can approve or reject, while city staff is proposing spreading them across bond proposals with other city projects.

Bond programs require voters’ approval, and they typically involve careful project selection and expensive political campaigns aimed at bringing enough of them on board.

Jones has been warning that Project Marvel could consume as much as half of the bond capacity, leaving little budget for parks, libraries, drainage and other projects residents want.

Last week Walsh said in a budget briefing that Project Marvel’s infrastructure requirements would come in lower than the initial estimate, but the city’s bond capacity has also been shrinking with slowed economic growth.

He’s counting on the council approving an increase to the debt service portion of residents’ tax bill to allow enough money for projects outside of downtown — in addition to a tax increase staff is already proposing to cover day-to-day operations.

This story first appeared in the San Antonio Report.

Madalyn Mendoza, Josephine Walker

Texas could pay an estimated $23 billion toward President Trump's mass deportation push — about $2,500 per taxpayer — according to a calculator from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

Why it matters: The estimate fuels debate over whether billions of federal dollars devoted to deportations should instead fund other public priorities, such as health care or housing.

How it works: EPI estimated each area's share of federal income taxes to calculate how much taxpayers in each state, county and city would contribute to deportation spending.

Context: The $269 billion the administration is slated to spend on deportations over the course of Trump's second term comes from a combination of money from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, regular appropriations and other repurposed funds.

• The Department of Homeland Security told Axios in July that the government spends roughly $18,000 per non-voluntary deportation.

Zoom in: Bexar County taxpayers would contribute $1.13 billion, or about $1,786 per taxpayer, according to the calculator.

• That amount could instead fund about 4,615 teachers or 4,653 firefighters locally, the calculator shows.

Zoom out: American taxpayers would broadly pay about $2,358 each for Trump's mass deportation push, per EPI's tool.

The other side: A DHS spokesperson told Axios that the Biden administration ignored the costs of illegal immigration and said the department's self-deportation program saves taxpayers roughly $13,000 per removal compared with traditional deportation.

by Michael Karlis

Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa is accusing Republican Gov. Greg Abbott trying to retaliate against San Antonio and its city-owned electrical utility, CPS Energy.

During her campaign’s Latinas for Gina launch party Thursday at San Antonio’s Woodlawn Theatre, Hinojosa — an Austin state rep — said her rival’s pledge to break CPS Energy’s regulated-monopoly status is less about saving Texans money than it is about enriching his wealthy donors.

Abbott’s comments about his desire to “end the monopoly control that cities like Austin and San Antonio have over electricity services” came about a month after a state district judge ruled against CPS Energy in a lawsuit filed against two gas companies that CPS Energy accused of charging it exorbitant prices during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri.

“Your electric company, CPS Energy, took that gas company to court to defend you, so that your prices wouldn’t go up because of what they did to us,” Hinojosa said. “CPS Energy did that to defend you. They didn’t win in court. And now Greg Abbott has come back — as payback, as retribution — to try to take away your energy company and jack up profits, guaranteeing that you will pay even more for your electricity bill. That is an example of the Greg Abbott corruption tax.”

In July, State District Judge Laura Salinas ordered CPS Energy to pay nearly $400 million to two Energy Transfer subsidiaries.

During Uri, which left millions without power, CPS Energy spent some $850 million on fuel. Nearly half of that went to the Houston Pipeline Company and Oasis Pipeline for natural gas delivered during the storm’s price surges.

CPS Energy paid about $52 million to the two companies, but ended up disputing the charges and refusing to pay the remaining $264 million.

In the end, Judge Salinas ruled against CPS Energy.

A month after that ruling, Abbott announced he’s calling on the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature to break up CPS Energy during its 2027 session.

If lawmakers follow through, many worry the breakup would worsen the Alamo City’s already precarious financial situation. San Antonio faces a $158 million budget deficit, and roughly 30% of the city’s $1.7 billion general fund budget is made up of CPS Energy revenue.

In a statement to the Express-News, CPS Energy said “any threat to the not-for-profit municipal model is a threat to all customers.”

During a town hall last week, San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jonessaid Abbott’s comments about breaking up CPS Energy are concerning.

“The fact that we own [CPS Energy] means we pay the lowest in electricity and gas rates in Texas,” Jones said. “You tell me the last time was something fully privatized and passed on those savings to you.”

By Andrea Drusch | San Antonio Report, Joey Palacios

San Antonio City Council is headed for another heated debate over its plans for a new downtown Spurs arena.

On Monday, just hours before the state’s deadline to add measures to the Nov. 3 ballot, the council will hold a special meeting to decide whether to seek voters’ support for a $489 million contribution to the overall $1.3 billion basketball arena.

The move isn’t legally required, and most council members considered the spending a done deal after voters approved Bexar County’s portion of the funding in Props A and B last November.

The Spurs' owners spent more than $9 million campaigning for that election, and the arena funding reached just under 52% support among voters who live within city limits.

But Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones says the county vote was taken before taxpayers had a clear picture of the city’s tough financial straits and put her call for a separate city vote on Monday’s agenda.

A draft of the potential ballot language was posted online Tuesday evening.

“Last November was the county’s vote on the county’s $311 million [arena contribution], but the city’s separate contribution, I think, is also deserving of a vote by city voters,” Jones said on TPR’s The Source this week.

“… Last November we were not talking about raising property taxes, and now we are, with $158 million dollar [budget] deficit,” Jones said. “We are looking at raising property taxes not just once, but potentially twice if we also want to raise the bond capacity, and that is top of mind for folks.”

In order to put the idea before voters, Jones would need six votes from the council. At least six of 10 members have already expressed opposition so far.

Previously Jones had requested another ballot initiative for the meeting, one that would shift funds from Ready to Work, the city’s voter approved job training program, to other portions of the city budget, which is in a deficit.

But this week a letter from city staff indicated that only about $4.5 million of the program’s $120 million could be reallocated to the city budget, and Jones said the council should consider reimagining the program instead.

That issue is not on the agenda for Monday’s special meeting.

Jones’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening.

A third potential city ballot item for the November ballot, extending the funding for Pre-K 4 SA, will be voted on at the council’s regular meeting on Thursday.

by Michael Karlis

Three San Antonio City Council members issued a memo this week calling for a temporary halt on new data center construction within city limits.

The document signed by District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, District 6 Councilman Ric Galvan and District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez requests a special meeting on the issue no later than Aug. 31.

Specifically, the memo calls for council to discuss a moratorium on all applications for concept plans, site development plans and permits for data center construction, in addition to a pause on the issuance of any site permits for the massive computing facilities or projects classified as “office data processing and management.”

The three-signature request comes as both Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his Democratic challenger, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, have publicly raised concerns about rampant development of data centers.

Abbott on Monday froze new data center approvals and ordered the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to audit all centers waiting to connect to the state’s power grid.

Weeks before the governor’s announcement, Hinojosa called for a statewide pause on new data center construction until a special session of the Texas Legislature can be convened to address the matter.

“What is happening with data centers is an example of the fight of our time, and it is the fight to decide: Is this going to be a Texas that is by and for the people, or is this the billionaires’ world, and we just live here,” Hinojosa said.

Developers and tech-industry officials maintain the facilities create good-paying jobs while supporting services essential to the modern economy. The facilities are used to process and store information used in artificial intelligence, web browsing, streaming, digital banking and more.

However, data center opponents argue the massive computing facilities’ large-scale consumption of power and water strains finite resources and endangers the state’s stand-alone power grid. Residents have also complained about the noise, light and air pollution the sites emit.

During a press conference last month aimed at raising awareness of the growing pushback against data centers, Granbury resident Tom Weeks told reporters he’s concerned that Bitcoin mining in his North Texas community is causing health issues ranging from high blood pressure to seizures. However, he said local and state lawmakers have blown off constituents’ concerns.

“We’re getting the middle finger, and I’m ready to snap it off,” Weeks said.

The three San Antonio council members who signed the memo plan to hold a press conference this Friday.

Texas Public Radio | By Joey Palacios

The San Antonio City Council approved the creation of a 33-member community advisory committee to offer suggestions on how to use $75 million the San Antonio Spurs are committing to the downtown sports and entertainment district.

The committee's creation was proposed by council members Sukh Kaur of District 1, Teri Castillo of District 5, and Marina Alderete Gavito of District 7 using a “three-signature memo.” It’s a process available to council members who want to bring an issue to the floor for discussion.

But that approval didn’t come without another public disagreement among council members, similar to those that have come up during multiple discussions and votes over the proposed Spurs arena and surrounding district known as “Project Marvel.”

Thursday’s disagreement was between San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran, with Viagran saying statements made by Jones were misrepresentations or lies.

Thursday’s argument

Early in the discussion, Jones said a presentation by city staff on the committee’s creation appeared to be outdated.

“It sounds like we may have had an older version that was presented as the term sheet is not executed,” Jones said.

The mayor was referring to a term sheet between the City of San Antonio and Spurs Sports & Entertainment that was considered by council in August 2025. At the time, Jones had pushed to delay the term sheet multiple times before it was approved by council.

Councilwoman Viagran called for a point of order shortly after Jones made the claim.

“The term sheet was executed. It was voted on by the council. The contract has not been decided upon,” Viagran said, triggering an argument between the two.

Jones said it was not finalized. Viagran said Jones’ statements were misrepresentations.

Jones then turned to City Attorney Andy Segovia.

“Andy, please correct the councilwoman,” Jones said.

“Mayor, this is an argument, semantics, only a law school student would appreciate. The term sheet was approved by the city council,” Segovia said. “We can use executed, approved, we can use whatever term we want to use. It was approved by city council.”

Jones thanked Segovia for his answer while adding, “we will vote on the final version.”

Viagran challenged Jones again.

“We will vote on a contract. We will not vote on a term sheet,” Viagran said. “Could we please not lie?”

Jones then repeated “no one’s lying” several times.

District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez attempted to stop the argument.

“Let’s move on, let’s move on,” he said.

“You’re being more than inaccurate,” Viagran said.

“No ma’am,” Jones replied.

“Yes, you are,” Viagran said.

The disagreement ended after Jones said, “it’s a non-binding term sheet.”

The committee

The $75 million from the Spurs as part of a Community Benefits Agreement is spread out over 30 years. The three-signature memo calls for creating a Community Advisory Committee made up of council appointees with expertise in artistry, labor organizations, small businesses and neighborhood groups.

The committee’s makeup of 33 people would allow each council member to appoint three members.

“The benefit of being able to do 33 members is you get a really wide opportunity to do a wide variety of voices,” District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said. “Sometimes for some of our committees, if we only have one representative each, we may not be able to truly hear from a general representation of the population.”

District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez said he was not likely to vote for the committee, but his mind could be changed. He offered two amendments to the ordinance. The first was a requirement for members to sign the city’s ethics code, which passed.

The second would require the three chairs to include members from specific council districts.

“What matters to me is that the districts who are most impacted, which will be districts one, two, and five, have an elevated voice in this discussion,” he said.

The amendment didn’t pass. It failed on a 5-6 vote.

Kaur was one of the no votes along with Viagran, Marc Whyte, Teri Castillo, Alderete Gavito, and Misty Spears.

“I selfishly want to say yes to this because it means that a District One individual gets to be a chair of this,” Kaur said. “But I am also conflicted because I do understand that there might be someone from a different district, District Six or District Four, that wants to be able to step up and be chair and is qualified to do so.”

The council approved the committee in a 10-1 vote. District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez was the lone dissenter. After the vote, he said he believed engagement like this should have come earlier in the sports and entertainment district discussions.

“In this instance, I feel like the creation of this committee is performative. I don't think it meets the true intent of what the community is asking for, and it doesn't take into account all of the impacts that those who live in and around the district will face,” he said.

Selection for the committee is expected to begin in the coming weeks, with the goal of having it filled by the end of September, Kaur said.

Viagran is scheduled to hold a press conference Friday morning on the steps of City Hall with several council members, business groups and community organizations to discuss the city’s economic development investments, annual operating budget and long-term financial health.

Qualifying and ineligible items

The sales tax exemption only applies to qualifying items bought during the tax-free holiday.

Here are the lists of qualifying clothing and footwear and school supplies.

The Texas Comptroller’s Office said the following items are ineligible:

• Items sold for $100 or more
• Clothing subscription boxes
• Specially designed athletic activity or protective-use clothing or footwear
  • For example, golf cleats and football pads are usually worn only when people play golf or football, so they do not qualify for the exemption. Tennis shoes, jogging suits and swimsuits, however, can be worn for other than athletic activity and qualify for the exemption.
• Clothing or footwear rentals, alterations (including embroidery) and cleaning services
• Items used to make or repair clothing, such as fabric, thread, yarn, buttons, snaps, hooks and zippers
• Jewelry, handbags, purses, briefcases, luggage, umbrellas, wallets, watches and other accessories
• Computers
• Software
• Textbooks
• Certain baggage items do not qualify for the exemption, including:
  • Framed backpacks
  • Luggage
  • Briefcases
  • Athletic, duffle or gym bags
  • Computer bags
  • Purses
• Unspecified school supplies do not qualify
  • Only specific school supplies sold for less than $100 qualify for the exemption, and an exemption certificate is not required

Refunds

Anyone charged sales tax on a qualifying item during the tax-free weekend can request a refund from the seller or file a refund claim directly with the Texas Comptroller’s Office.

by Michael Karlis

Former Transportation Secretary and 2020 Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday weighed in on the race for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, which spans from San Antonio’s far West Side to the outskirts of El Paso.

Buttigieg endorsed Democrat Katy Padilla Stout, an attorney and former public school teacher who’s running against Brandon Herrera, a controversial YouTuber known for his online gun reviews and propensity for outrageous statements.

The endorsement comes with fewer than 100 days until the election in a district Democrats hope to flip blue this cycle. The district is seen as competitive, in part due to scandals linked to its former representative, Republican Tony Gonzales, who resigned in April after admitting to having an affair with a staffer who later took her own life by setting herself on fire.

“While Washington-style politics has rewarded self-serving politicians, Katy Padilla Stout is running for Congress with a focus on integrity and a true commitment to her community,” Buttigieg said. “A lifelong Texan raised by a single mother, she became a public school teacher and then an attorney committed to strengthening systems that protect vulnerable kids. In Washington, she will be a grounded force for change to secure affordable health care, strengthen our public schools, and protect Texas’s children and families. I am proud to endorse her campaign because America will benefit when she brings her grit and compassion to service in Congress.”

Padilla Stout’s campaign has focused on preventing the construction of Trump’s border wall in Big Bend, advocating for universal pre-K and encouraging Congress to protect the Voting Rights Act.

Buttigieg has spent this election cycle traveling the country to support progressive candidates and causes. So far, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has endorsed more than 50 candidates, including San Antonio area Democrat Johnny Garcia, who’s running to represent the recently redrawn U.S. House District 35.

Buttigieg’s endorsement comes days after the Current reported on new controversy surrounding Herrera, the GOP nominee for Texas’ 23rd District. In a resurfaced video, Herrera — also known by his online persona, the “AK Guy” — referred to children as “cum trophies” and told mothers that “just because you let somebody creampie you doesn’t mean I have to give a shit about your political opinions.”

When a female reporter from the Austin-American-Statesman asked Herrera to clarify his remarks, his team sent her a photo of a cream pie — a move Padilla Stout called highly concerning.

“Brandon Herrera’s remarks are profoundly grotesque, but his response when asked to account for them was even more revealing,” Padilla Stout told the Current. “Instead of demonstrating good judgment and basic decency, he doubled down. This is not mere political incorrectness. It is cruelty as entertainment and treating accountability as something beneath him. Those are dangerous qualities in someone seeking to represent us in Congress. We need a representative focused on solving real problems, not a professional provocateur using public office to shock people and chase attention.”

However, the resurfaced clip is only the latest controversy to hound Herrera, who also took heat during his failed 2024 bid for the same seat for poking fun at veteran suicides, joking about the Holocaust and mocking the appearance of President Donald Trump’s son Barron.

This election cycle, Herrera’s campaign has also come under scrutiny over accusations by a campaign-finance watchdog group that it funneled $2.7 million in contributions into a shell company to avoid reporting how the money was actually spent. In a statement to the Current, Herrera’s campaign described the allegations as “meritless” and “little more than a recycled legal theory.”

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

There have been a few posts popping up regarding safety in the community. First, and foremost, if you believe a crime has been committed, go to the police or relevant authorities.

As a smaller community subreddit, we believe in keeping the community informed, within Reddit's site-wide rules. This means following the rules on Doxxing and Witch Hunting if an announcement post is made:

Do not post other user's private and confidential information without their express permission.

-Names are allowed only if legitimate news outlets have shared the suspects name(s)

-No direct links to socials, including screenshots

-No addresses

-No places of work

-No phone numbers

-No calls for action/payback

Again, we be believe in a safe community. These rules have been created by Reddit due to instances in the past where people with similar looks, names, social media handles were harassed and harm was done (Boston Marathon Incident). So the best course of action is to go directly to the police. If you have any questions, please message the mods directly.

Texas Public Radio | By Kory Cook

James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, campaigned in San Antonio on Thursday with a visit to the UA Local 142 Plumbers and Pipefitters training center, where he highlighted organized labor, higher wages and skilled trades while also weighing in on immigration enforcement, data centers and the Texas economy.

During the visit, Talarico toured the facility and learned to solder copper alongside a union apprentice before speaking with reporters.

Talarico argued that strengthening organized labor is key to rebuilding the middle class and improving workplace conditions.

"You can almost track the destruction of the middle class with the destruction of organized labor, and so we have to rebuild our power in the workplace so that workers can get paid what they deserve, so they can have safe working conditions. That's exactly how we get this economy back on track."

He said concerns about affordability dominate conversations with voters across the state, regardless of geography or political affiliation.

"Everywhere I go, whether it's a big city or a small town, a red area or a blue area, I hear about how hard it is to get by in this economy. Texans are drowning. We can't afford the basics: groceries, gas, utilities, prescription drugs — the things that we need to survive."

Talarico also called for tighter regulation of large data centers and said he supports repealing state tax exemptions for the facilities, arguing they place added strain on utilities and water resources.

"These data center companies are driving up utility bills for Texans. They are using massive amounts of water, and they are moving into communities without any notification, without any consent from the people who live there."

The Democratic nominee also discussed immigration and federal enforcement policies. While saying immigration enforcement remains necessary, Talarico argued that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has shifted away from its intended mission.

"ICE should be cracking down on the cartels, not on our communities. ICE should be deporting gang members, not small business owners. ICE should be hunting down human traffickers, not moms and babies."

Talarico has campaigned across Texas ahead of the November general election, making stops in urban and rural communities as he seeks to unseat Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in one of the nation's most closely watched Senate races.

Recent public polling has continued to show a competitive contest.

Notably, a new Fox News poll shows Talarico with a three-point edge, 51-48, over Paxton and holding fast to a lead among independent voters and key constituencies.

Another recent survey by Texas Public Opinion Research found Talarico holding a narrow lead over Paxton, while most other public polls conducted since the primary have shown the race within the margin of error. The same survey found Talarico performing well among independent voters and making gains among Texans without college degrees, a voting bloc that has traditionally favored Republicans.

The candidates also appear headed toward at least one debate before Election Day. Talarico has accepted invitations from multiple Texas television news organizations for debates later this fall. Paxton's campaign has said he plans to debate Talarico but has not yet committed to a specific debate sponsor or schedule, saying an announcement is expected once negotiations are complete.

by Michael Karlis

A pediatric critical care doctor from Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday decried conditions inside the immigrant prison camp in Dilley, an hour southwest of San Antonio, as child abuse and a violation of human rights.

Dr. Anita K. Patel visited the South Texas Family Residential Center as part of a delegation led by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio. She told reporters during a downtown San Antonio press conference that at least seven children have either died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or shortly after their release.

The physician said she fears that number will grow if the “Dilley trailer prison,” as Castro calls it, isn’t shut down.

“These are not just diagnoses, these are cruel harms inflicted upon children,” Patel said. “Children like Liam Ramos, who is exhibiting signs of post-traumatic stress disorder to this day. Five-year-old Alexander, who was found in his cell with his mother’s pants cord wrapped around his neck because he did not want to be in detention anymore. And 9-year-old Kinec, a beautiful child with autism, whose autism became so severely exacerbated that he was not allowed to go outside anymore.”

Patel said children inside the detention center — which was shuttered during the Biden administration and reopened during President Donald Trump’s second term — also face physical forms of child abuse.

“The inadequate vetting, inadequate food and inadequate water …. these all represent child abuse, and they also represent human rights violations as defined by the United Nations,” she added.

Tuesday marked the seventh time Castro has visited the Dilley detention center. However, it marks the first time that a pediatrician has accompanied him to provide an assessment of the conditions inside.

As of press time, 539 individuals are locked up in Dilley, according to details shared by Castro’s delegation. That total includes 84 families, 112 children and four pregnant women. The number of incarcerated children at the camp has jumped from 96 in May, the congressman added.

“They characterized them as low-level non-criminals,” U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., a member of the delegation, told reporters at the press conference. “So, it seems, their only crime is that they exist.”

Castro told reporters that each subsequent visit he’s paid to the prison camp has become more restrictive. He said he was only able to talk to one child on Tuesday’s visit, a 16-year-old who was detained while on her way to church with a friend in San Antonio.

“They took her to Crosspoint, the processing center,” Castro said. “They told her dad that they were going to send her out of state if he didn’t come pick her up, and that he could come pick her up and take her home. When he showed up to pick her up, they took him in as well. And now they’re both at the Dilley trailer prison.”

Castro didn’t just have harsh words about the Dilley camp, however.

On Tuesday, Castro also visited San Antonio’s ICE check-in processing center at 3523 Crosspoint Drive, where he said immigration agents continue to violate migrants’ rights.

“[The 16-year-old girl] mentioned that in that room, where people are detained, there are cameras that can see the entire room,” the congressman said. “Not only is there a camera in the main room, but there’s a camera that’s pointed at the place where people use the restroom. That’s how dehumanizing the situation is for folks.”​

A digital sign that’s supposed to inform detained migrants of their rights at the Crosspoint processing center is in Mandarin Chinese, Castro said.

“Well, first of all, there’s hardly anyone there that is speaking Mandarin or another language like that,” he added.

Castro said he experienced a similar incident when he picked up the phone for the National Rape Abuse Hotline at the Dilley detention center and was only able to obtain communication in either Mandarin or some other “Asian language.”

“This is a system that is corrupt, that is duplicitous, that is reckless, and this detention center, the Dilley detention center, should absolutely be shut down, and we’re committed to working towards that,” he said.

Texas Public Radio | By Jerry Clayton

Recent studies have found that expanded passenger rail service between Austin and San Antonio is possible, though getting trains on the tracks remains a long way off.

The Texas Department of Transportation recently released its Austin-San Antonio Passenger Rail Study. A separate study commissioned by the Travis County Commissioners Court is expected to be released soon.

The TxDOT study looked at using the existing rail corridor between the two cities near Interstate 35. The Travis County study examines a potential route along State Highway 130 and Interstate 10 east of San Antonio.

Amtrak currently provides passenger rail service between the two cities, but its one round-trip per day offers limited scheduling options. An estimated 266,000 trips are made between the Austin and San Antonio areas on a typical weekday, most of them along the Interstate 35 corridor.

The proposal using the existing rail corridor is estimated to cost between roughly $810 million and $1.9 billion. The alternative route could cost considerably more because much of it would need to be elevated. Neither proposal has secured construction funding.

To learn more about the studies and the future of passenger rail between San Antonio and Austin, Texas Public Radio’s Jerry Clayton spoke with Peter LeCody, president of Texas Rail Advocates, a nonprofit group that educates the public and private sectors about freight and passenger rail.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Clayton: For people who haven't been following this closely, what are these two latest studies really telling us?

LeCody: Well, they're telling us that you're either going to be stuck in traffic for the rest of your life, or we're going to have to find some solutions other than building more roads and expanding our highways.

Clayton: There are really two different ideas here, represented by these two studies. Can you explain the difference between the two?

LeCody: The first study was commissioned by TxDOT, and this was the study between Austin and San Antonio looking for options other than building more highways. So the study did an identification of infrastructure, the estimated cap and operating costs, and also looked at the potential ridership.

This study would use the existing Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way between Austin and San Antonio. At the same time this study was being done, the Travis County commissioners commissioned a study by the same group to look at the passenger rail service along the State Highway 130 corridor between the Austin airport and down toward San Antonio, and then using Interstate 10 to go from east of San Antonio into the downtown area.

So, two studies have come out in June. The other one from the Travis County commissioners, we are expecting to have that released in the near future.

Clayton: There's a huge difference in cost between these two plans. Is that correct?

LeCody: Yes, there is. There's an estimate, and, you know, buckle your seatbelt here. I mean, it's not cheap to build a passenger rail line, and of course, if you look at the cost of upgrading the highways between Austin and San Antonio, you're talking billions and billions and billions of dollars.

It could be anywhere from close to a billion dollars to $2 billion to do the study from Austin to San Antonio using Union Pacific right-of-way. It would be considerably more because you're going to have to elevate it most of the way using the State Highway 130 and the I-10 portion.

Clayton: So, in your opinion, what is standing between these studies and someone actually being able to buy a ticket?

LeCody: That's, that's the billion-dollar question, Jerry. It's funding. We know we need some additional resources other than building roadways. The thing is, we have to look at funding mechanisms. Now, I've got to say one thing: the legislature, both on the Republican and Democrat side, have been listening to what our needs are. More than they have in the past. And if you realize that we really haven't done much with rail at all as far as moving passengers here in Texas, a lot of it has to do with the fact that TxDOT really didn't even have a rail division until it was established in 2009. Other states have had rail divisions and rail management departments for over a century. So that's kind of put us back into doing a lot of baby steps.

But the thing is now that legislators are looking, and, you know, they're the ones that are driving to Austin and being caught in traffic, and I think they're starting to realize, hey, folks, you know, maybe there is a better way that we can move people in the future.

We have to have good roads, you know, we have to have good ports, good airports, but we also have to have good passenger rail systems.

To learn more about Texas Rail Advocates, visit texasrailadvocates.org

by Natalia Edwards

During a Thursday campaign appearance in San Antonio, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa attacked incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for his response to Winter Storm Uri, one of the worst natural disasters in Texas history.
During her speech at the Paper Tiger music venue, Hinojosa — an Austin state representative — said Abbott and other Republican leaders failed to lead during the 2021 storm that caused widespread power outages, hundreds of deaths and billions in economic losses. That failure stuck Texans with rising energy costs during and after the storm, she added.

During the storm, natural gas prices surged as demand increased and supply disruptions affected the state’s power grid. Energy companies received billions in payments for natural gas sold during the crisis, leading to lawsuits and ongoing disputes over whether the charges were excessive. CPS Energy, San Antonio’s municipally owned utility, sued Energy Transfer over allegations the energy company engaged in price gouging during the storm. A jury later ruled in favor of Energy Transfer, rejecting CPS Energy’s claims.

“Here in San Antonio, your electricity bills are about to have to [cover] a $400 million bill from Energy Transfer,” Hinojosa told the crowd.
“The reason why we are paying more and getting less is because we are paying the Greg Abbott corruption tax.”
Thursday’s rally marked the second stop on Hinojosa’s three-city Money in Your Pocket affordability tour, which began in Houston and will conclude in Laredo on July 20. The tour highlights her campaign’s focus on addressing the rising cost of living for Texas families.

Earlier this week, Hinojosa unveiled a proposal to send one-time $1,500 payments to Texas households. She said the plan would use $17 billion from the state’s approximately $27 billion Rainy Day Fund, officially known as the Economic Stabilization Fund, while leaving the remaining balance in reserve.
Joining Hinojosa at the Paper Tiger rally were Democratic Texas House candidates Zack Dunn, Kristian Carranza and Adrien Reyna as well as Democratic congressional candidates Kristin Hook, Katy Padilla Stout and Johnny Garcia. Each addressed the crowd before Hinojosa took the stage, encouraging support for Democratic candidates and emphasizing the importance of the 2026 election.
“I support Gina because she gets it,” Reyna told the Current. “I’ve seen her work on the public education committee … . She’s been at the forefront of that fight. Whether it’s fighting against vouchers, more public school funding or making sure we have mental health professionals that our students can access regularly, she has been there for that.”

Those in the crowd held signs reading “Money in Your Pockets” and “Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor.” Some chanted “¡No te dejes!” — a Spanish phrase meaning “Don’t back down” or “Stand up for yourself.”

Maria Luisa Rodriguez, a member of the Texas State Employees Union, told the Current she supports Hinojosa’s policies and believes Abbott’s failures during Winter Storm Uri worsened its impact.
“To listen to her speak today and talk about how many people died during the winter storm, I don’t think too many people realized how many lives were lost because of that,” Rodriguez said.

Hinojosa concluded the rally by encouraging supporters to continue organizing ahead of the November midterms.
While Hinojosa continues to campaign across the state, Abbott still holds the lead. A June University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll found the governor leading Hinojosa 47% to 40% among registered voters. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.83 percentage points.

by Michael Karlis

Despite securing millions in public dollars for a new arena, the San Antonio Spurs are looking to increase the number of home games they play away from their home base.

The NBA franchise has asked Bexar County Commissioners Court for permission to play an additional home game elsewhere both this season and the next — a request that would bump that number up to four for each of the next two seasons.

Based on the online chatter, some folks aren’t too happy about the proposal.

“Why is losing more and more home games a good thing?” X user u/Breed344 tweeted. “How does this help San Antonio? And the ticket holders?”

As of press time, the Spurs are allowed to play three home games outside Bexar County, including two at Austin’s Moody Center during the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and one international game.

County commissioners will vote on Tuesday whether to amend the Spurs’ lease agreement at the county-owned Frost Bank Center to increase that number.

“Over the years, the non-relocation agreement has been amended on several occasions,” the agenda item states. “The San Antonio Spurs have now requested an additional amendment … to expand that previously approved flexibility.”

The agenda item doesn’t explicitly state where the additional game each of the next two seasons will be held. However, the Silver and Black are expected to face the New Orleans Pelicans twice in France next season, making those games a likely possibility.

The Spurs’ request to play additional home games outside its Alamo City home base comes months after San Antonio City Council along with Bexar County voters approved more than $800 million in public financing for the team’s new basketball arena at Hemisfair.

Although City Manager Erik Walsh last month said a finalized deal between the city and Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) — the team’s ownership group — isn’t expected to be hashed out until the end of this year, a draft of that deal approved by the council includes a non-relocation clause through 2062.

Even so, some Spurs fans remarked online that they don’t like the look.

“[The] NBA [shouldn’t] allow this,” wrote X user u/SpaceFrogCowboy. “Don’t let them test other markets at the expense of home fans.”

Meanwhile, user u/grent07 tweeted that allowing more home games outside Bexar County could be a slippery slope.

“What’s next? In a couple of years they are going to want 8 home games away and before you know it half of the home games will be played away,” u/grent07 wrote. “This is getting ridiculous.”

In a statement to the San Antonio Report, SS&E spokeswoman Liberty Swift said the additional home games outside Bexar County are about “flexibility,” not relocation planning.

“That flexibility supports our longstanding strategy of connecting Spurs fans across the region, including Austin, while also allowing us to participate in selected NBA international games,” she said.

The Commissioners Court meeting will get underway at 9 a.m. Tuesday at 101 W. Nueva St.

Texas Public Radio | By Marian Navarro

A nun from the Rio Grande Valley who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the weekend has been released.

Sister Letty Ugboaja of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen was reportedly detained by ICE while on her way to Sunday Mass. Ugboaja is part of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy congregation.

The church brought attention to Sister Letty’s detainment in a social media post Sunday afternoon.

South Texas lawmakers Monica De La Cruz and Henry Cuellar said on social media that Sister Letty was released Sunday afternoon after the lawmakers worked with Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin to secure her release.

Democratic Congressman Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen criticized what he called the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies.

“(These policies) have now led to the targeting of nuns on their way to Sunday Mass,” he said in a Facebook post. “It’s a far cry of the criminals they said they would detain and deport.”

The League of United Latin American Citizens — the nation's oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization — is demanding a full account as to why Sister Letty was detained and what safeguards will be put in place to prevent similar incidents.

“Her release does not erase the fact that she should have never been detained in the first place,” LULAC said in a statement.

by Sanford Nowlin

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), which fights to elect Democrats to state legislatures, will flow money into two San Antonio races as part of the $50 million it plans to spend in Texas this cycle, according to the San Antonio Report.

Texas House districts 118 and 121 in the Alamo City are among the GOP-held seats the committee is spending money to flip this year, the online news outlet reports.

Incumbent Republican state Rep. John Lujan left his seat representing District 118 earlier this year to launch a congressional campaign. GOP voters picked Jorge Borrego, a conservative political novice to fill the slot. Borrego’s Democratic rival, Kristian Carranza, ran against Lujan last election cycle, reportedly pulling in more cash than any first-time House candidate in state history.

While Carranza’s fundraising prowess and the political headwinds faced by Republicans make District 118 a potential bright spot for Dems, the San Antonio Report points out it will be harder to secure a blue victory in District 121.

The DLCC is hoping Trump-aligned Republican Marc LaHood, who currently holds the District 121 seat, is vulnerable as college-educated suburban voters turn against the president. That district encompasses the Alamo Heights area and other affluent North Side neighborhoods.

Democrats are running first-time candidate Zack Dunn in that race.

It’s unclear how much the DLCC will commit to each of the Texas seats it’s targeting, according to the San Antonio Report. However, state Rep. Christina Morales of Houston, who chairs the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, told reporters earlier this year that the committee has taken a greater interest in the Lone Star State since the Lege is having an greater impact on national politics.

We’ll see come November just how much political change those blue dollars can buy in Texas.

by Lomi Kriel, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica

A 63-year-old man died in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Laredo this month, marking at least the fifth death in Texas ICE detention centers this year, a quarter of the nationwide total, as the fatalities have skyrocketed to a record pace not seen in decades.

According to a notification ICE officials sent congressional members late Wednesday, Felix Alcorta-Rodriguez died about an hour after being rushed to the emergency room from theWebb County Detention Center on June 19. His death has not previously been reported. It is not yet listed on ICE’s website and spokespeople for the agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did congressional representatives who oversee the agency.

Dr. Corinne Stern, Webb County’s medical examiner, said in a brief interview that although the autopsy and notification of family is ongoing, Alcorta died from “natural causes.”

“It’s not in any way related to his incarceration,” she said, without providing more details.

According to the email from ICE notifying Congress, which the agency is required to do so under federal law, Alcorta entered the U.S. without inspection at an “unknown date and time.” ICE arrested Alcorta following his release from Webb County Jail on June 16. The Laredo Police Department had detained him the previous month on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court for a 2018 driving while intoxicated charge. Alcorta has previous arrests for unauthorized use of a vehicle, unauthorized disposal of a lead acid battery and drunken driving.

The email sent to Congressional representatives Wednesdaysaid that Alcorta was found “unresponsive at 9:13 p.m” on June 19. Detention staff called medical emergency providers and began “lifesaving measures.” He was rushed by an ambulance to the Laredo Medical Center and pronounced dead at 10:02 p.m. His official cause of death is currently pending an autopsy.

“While in custody he received medical care and was seen by medical professionals,” according to the notification ICE sent congress.

A Laredo police department spokesperson confirmed Alcorta’s previous arrests. His recent arrest was the result of an outstanding warrant from the sheriff’s office for drunken driving in 2018. Webb County Judge Tino Tijerina said he was not familiar with the case.

A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a LaredoDemocrat, wrote in an email that the congressman had been advised of the death and was concerned.

“It’s critical that we get the facts and investigate what happened,” said the statement from Cuellar, who is in a heated election battle against Tijerina, the former Democrat turned Republican. “Any death in federal custody is a serious matter and transparency is important.”

Cuellar is ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, which helps oversee billions in annual federal spending for the agency that Congress recently ballooned. He was absent from some important votes last year due to his federal indictment on bribery and money laundering allegations. As heand his wife,who were accused of accepting some $600,000 in bribes from Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank, were preparing to go to trial, President Trump pardoned the couple.

Earlier this year, Cuellar was one of a handful of Democrats to vote to fund DHS and prevent a partial government shutdown in the face of mass protests after ICE’s Minnesota operation. ICE agents killed two U.S. citizens in that surge.

Alcorta’s death in Laredo marks the latest in ICE detention in Texas, which has been home to at least a quarter of the deaths in ICE custody since Trump took office last year.

It also unfoldsas the Webb County Detention Center, where Alcorta was detained, has come under some recent criticism. An ICE report this February found that the facility had at least nine violations for providing proper care in the span of the three-day visit. The facility is operated by CoreCivic, which did not immediately respond to questions. About a third of those complaints related to concerns of improper medical care. Among the allegations was that staff did not properly check on inmates for concerns about suicide or sufficiently care for pregnant women.

Such complaints have ramped up in Texas this year. In the span of six weeks between December and January, for example, six people died while detained by ICE in Texas — three of them at El Paso’s Camp East Montana.

The deadly period began with a 48-year-old Guatemalan, Francisco Gaspar-Andres, who ICE said died last December of liver and kidney failure after being hospitalized for more than two weeks following detention. His relatives have disputed ICE’s characterization that he died of natural causes. But the most controversial case has been that of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban with a criminal history, who died earlier this year at that sprawling and troubled tent camp at the U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss.

Initially, ICE officials said it was a suicide. The local medical examiner later ruled it a homicide involving staff. Lunas Campos’ death remains under federal investigation.

Thirty-two people died in ICE custody nationwide last year, surpassing the previous high of 20 in 2005, according to federal data.

Detention facilities are seeing more overcrowding and understaffing as the Trump administration ramps up enforcement in the interior of the country, experts said. Unlawful border crossings have plummeted due to the administration’s restrictions. Federal data shows that most current ICE detainees are not accused of crimes beyond civil immigration offenses.

The government last fall also temporarily stopped paying many medical providers due to bureaucratic changes under the administration. As a result, ICE for months has been unable to reimburse health care officials, including for prescription medication, dialysis and chemotherapy.

The Texas Tribune is continuing to report on the record deaths in the state’s immigrant detention facilities and the conditions inside. We’re seeking people who can speak about the quality of care at ICE’s two dozen centers in Texas, including El Paso’s Camp East Montana and the Dilley facility for parents and children, as well as anyone who can provide information on the new detention warehouses slated to open in Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley.

We take your confidentiality seriously and will protect your identity.

Among the people we would like to hear from are:

Immigrants and their relatives who have been held at Texas ICE detention centers and who can speak to the quality of care and treatment by staff there in the past decade. .

Family and attorneys of those who died either in Texas ICE custody or shortly after being released or deported, or those who experienced medical harm during or as a result of detention.

Current or former ICE employees and contractors, such as medical staff and safety inspectors, as well as emergency officials and health care workers who have treated ICE detainees.

You can contact us anonymously on Signal, an encrypted, secure app, or on Whatsapp, via phone or through email:

Lomi Kriel (se habla español): 832-729-3421 (Signal, Whatsapp, cell) or lkriel@texastribune.org

Colleen DeGuzman: 956-605-9321 (Signal, Whatsapp, cell) or colleen.deguzman@texastribune.org

Mail us: Lomi Kriel and Colleen DeGuzman, The Texas Tribune, 919 Congress Ave, STE 600, Austin, TX 78701.

By Andrea Drusch | San Antonio Report

Rapper Kanye West has added eight new shows to make up for sets the United Kingdom and others made him scrap — including one in San Antonio that’s drawing criticism from some who don’t want him performing here either.

Facing continued backlash for his antisemitic and Nazi-sympathising comments, West — now known as Ye — lost his travel permits to the United Kingdom and was forced to cancel stops on his “Ye Live Concert Tour.”

Now he’s supposed to hold a concert at the Alamodome on July 4, after two shows in Tampa, Florida on June 26 and 28.

The tickets are currently selling on Ticketmaster from about $127.50 to more than $1,460 per ticket.

But on Monday, opponents of the event are planning to urge leaders to shut down the San Antonio show as well.

Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones appears ready to join their cause.

“I support canceling the Ye concert,” Jones wrote on social media on Saturday. “Military City USA should not host someone with a record of hate speech and antisemitic comments in a city-owned facility like our Alamodome.”

Last year West, who had already made some shocking comments about Jewish people in the past, started selling swastika T-shirts and released a song called “Heil Hitler.”

The blowback was swift and Adidas canceled his lucrative clothing partnership.

West later chalked the moves up to his struggle with bipolar disorder, and in January, purchased an ad in The Wall Street Journal apologizing to the Jewish community before launching another concert tour.

But United Kingdom said it wasn’t enough, and a major music festival had to be canceled and tickets refunded.

Italy also barred West’s concerts, amid pushback from members of the Jewish community.

West is a best-selling artist with 24 Grammy Awards who had announced his intention to run for U.S. president in 2020 and 2024.