(AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez, Pool)
Obama Drops Into Austin Taco Shop, Signals Big Democratic Ambitions in Texas
It was an ordinary Tuesday lunch rush at Taco Joint on San Jacinto Boulevard — until Barack Obama walked through the door.
Patrons at the taco shop near the University of Texas at Austin were greeted by the surprise entrance of the former president alongside James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominees for U.S. Senate and governor, respectively. The trio went from booth to booth for around 30 minutes of retail politicking, discussing issues ranging from data centers to voting, and taking group photos with a mostly younger crowd that erupted with excitement when Obama appeared.
The visit, kept under wraps in advance for security reasons, carried significant symbolic weight. It was meant to give the candidates a boost from one of the more well-regarded figures in the Democratic Party, as Obama has been highlighting younger leaders heading into 2026.
Obama asked one group of diners whether they knew Hinojosa and Talarico, referring to them as the state’s “next governor and senator” as the two Austin Democrats stood nearby. The former president did not make any formal public remarks or explicitly endorse either Democrat.
The stakes for Texas Democrats are high. Democrats hope backlash to the Trump administration will help sweep them to their first statewide victory since 1994. Both races will be expensive, uphill battles — Gov. Greg Abbott is running for a fourth term with $96 million in his campaign coffers, while U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton are locked in a fiercely competitive Republican runoff for the Senate nomination.
Party leaders believe Democratic chances could improve if Republican primary voters choose Paxton, a polarizing figure who has faced corruption allegations, over Cornyn in the May 26 runoff. Meanwhile, Talarico raised a record-breaking $27 million in the first quarter of the year — the largest sum ever for a Senate candidate in any state in the first quarter of an election year.
Much like Obama, Talarico has attempted to build bridges across party lines, courting centrist voters and independents with a message centered around “love,” and has attracted some support from Republicans disaffected by the direction of their party under President Trump.
Obama departed the restaurant in true Austin fashion. He paid for his order — street tacos and fish, mole and shrimp tacos — in cash, leaving no change, before calling out “Remember to vote!” to cheers as he walked out with the two candidates, tacos in hand.
Sources:
- Texas Tribune: texastribune.org
- KUT Radio (Austin’s NPR): kut.org
- GV Wire / The New York Times: gvwire.com
- CBS Austin: cbsaustin.com
- Spectrum Local News / AP: spectrumlocalnews.com
The City of Austin has reached a tentative $35 million settlement with three men and the family of a fourth who were wrongly accused and convicted in the infamous 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders, closing what officials called “the final chapter of a devastating story in Austin’s history.”
Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Forrest Welborn and Maurice Pierce — teenagers when they were arrested in 1999 — spent years in prison, with Springsteen on death row and Scott serving a life sentence, before a judge declared them innocent in February. Investigators now say the murders of four teenage girls at the “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt” shop were committed by a suspect who died in 1999.
The settlement still requires City Council approval. (Austin American-Statesman)
New details have emerged about the triple homicide at a Travis County home and the man accused of killing his parents and brother.
Meanwhile, a 26-year-old man has been arrested in Dallas in connection with two previously unsolved murder cases in Austin and Bastrop County, in addition to two aggravated assault cases from late last year.
Luis Fernando Benitez-Gonzalez, described as “transient”, is charged with first-degree murder for the June 2024 death of Alyssa Ann Rivera and two counts of aggravated assault related to shootings in November and December of 2025. He has also been linked to the April 2018 killing of Alba Jenisse Aviles Marti in Bastrop County, though charges in that case have not yet been filed.
Austin police are investigating a fatal shooting outside Los Braseros Mexican Restaurant early Saturday after 26‑year‑old Andres Omar Reyes was shot while trying to break up a fight, authorities said. Reyes died at the scene, and police say the suspected shooter — a 16‑year‑old who fled after an employee wrestled the gun away — remains at large. The case marks Austin’s 24th homicide of 2026.
Austin police are searching for the occupants of a white 2019 Nissan Sentra after gunmen opened fire on a North Austin neighborhood late Thursday, striking several homes but injuring no one, in what detectives say may be tied to a homicide two hours later.
Criminal charges have been dismissed against a San Marcos man whose arrest back in March sparked community concern — though he remains in federal immigration detention.
A 16-year-old’s walk home in Leander turned into a high-stakes police pursuit Wednesday afternoon after a group of five suspects allegedly targeted him with a deadly weapon.
The incident began around 3:50 p.m. on Sioux Trail when the victim was reportedly harassed by four juveniles and one adult in a white SUV. Leander Police arrived within minutes, deploying drone technology to track suspects through a gated community. Following a brief foot chase, officers recovered a discarded firearm and took all five individuals into custody.
Buda police are turning to the public for help in the search for suspects involved in a few recent burglaries.
Michael Bullock is president of the local police union:
Austin City Council members want answers after the city missed a six-month deadline to create a plan for consolidating 911 dispatch centers.
New Braunfels City Council approved the official canvass and results of the May 2 election. The District 6 City Council race and the Mayor’s race will both advance to runoff elections after no candidate in either contest received more than 50% of the votes cast.
The city announced challenger Michael French (49.18% of the vote) as the winner on May 2 over incumbent Mayor Neal Linnartz (38.25%) and two other candidates because — as the city charter dictates — French was the candidate who earned the most votes (plurality).
However, on May 4, the city’s outside legal counsel informed the City Attorney’s Office about the discrepancy between the city charter and the Texas Constitution, which states that any office term longer than two years “must be elected by a majority vote (50% of the vote + one vote).”
A lawsuit filed against the Circuit of the Americas’ new theme park is alleging “gross negligence” after a roller coaster incident was reported in December.
Hutto officials are moving forward with plans for a new fire station. (City of Hutto)
New flyovers are set to open this week in southwest Austin, connecting State Highway 71 and U.S. 290 as part of the Oak Hill Parkway Project.
WEATHER
AIR QUALITY ALERT
TUESDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERSGTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Governor Greg Abbott requested that the U.S. Small Business Administration include additional Texas communities in the federal disaster declaration following impacts from last month’s severe storms.
If approved, the SBA declaration will make low-interest disaster loans available for Victoria County and its contiguous counties.
More than 40,000 pregnant Texans waited over a month for the state to process their Medicaid applications — delays that an advocacy group warns can push back essential prenatal care. Data obtained by Texans Care for Children from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission shows that from March 2025 through this February, nearly 24,000 applicants were stuck in limbo for more than 60 days. (Texas Public Radio)
County commissioners in Hill County, roughly 55 miles south of Fort Worth, appears to be the first by a Texas county to issue a moratorium on the rapidly expanding data center industry.
Self-driving car company Waymo issued a voluntary software recall that impacted thousands of vehicles. It was related to concerns about the vehicles’ ability to handle flooded streets after a recent incident in San Antonio.
Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 16 incidents involving Austin-based autonomous vehicle company Avride ride.
Texas Senator John Cornyn is doing a U-turn on the federal gas tax. Just weeks ago, Cornyn dismissed the idea of pausing the gas tax as “not really a solution” and warned it would “explode the deficit.” But after President Trump threw his weight behind a tax holiday, Cornyn walked back those comments, saying he could now support a temporary suspension.
The reversal puts him in an unlikely alliance with both the president and his Democratic Senate opponent — and it’s the latest in a series of position changes for the senator, who also reversed his long-standing opposition to eliminating the Senate filibuster back in March.
All of this comes less than a week before early voting begins in his bruising Republican primary runoff against Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also responded:
Corpus Christi could be facing a water crisis by September.
City leaders say unless the drought eases, residents and businesses — including the massive petrochemical corridor along the coast — will be forced to cut water use by 25%. The City Council voted 7-2 Tuesday to give initial approval to a curtailment plan that would cap water use for everyone from homeowners to major oil companies. (Texas Tribune)
A multi-agency investigation is underway after a body was discovered near railroad tracks in Southwest Bexar County on Monday afternoon. The body was discovered by authorities near Pue and Wolf Road around 1:30 p.m., according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
BCSO said that on Saturday, a woman who was traveling on a train originating in Del Rio called her sister, who was out of state, and told her the boxcar was overheating.
A violent shooting outside an aluminum plant in Nash, Texas Tuesday morning left one man dead, a woman critically injured, and the suspected gunman dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police. The suspect was reportedly a convicted murderer who was out on parole at the time of the attack.
Ragnar Research Partners surveyed more than 4,200 Republican voters leading up to the March primary and found a troubling trend.
From Senate to Railroad Commission, TribCast dives into the most contentious races we’ll be watching on May 26.
(Episode from May 12, 2026)
SPORTS
NBA PLAYOFFS: Victor Wembanyama atoned for his first career ejection with another huge performance, finishing with 27 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round series.
The Spurs can advance to face Oklahoma City with a victory in Game 6 on Friday in Minneapolis. (KSAT-TV)
GAME 6: FRIDAY, MAY 15
MLB: The Texas Rangers have been struggling to get back above the .500 mark. They took another step last night in Arlington.
MacKenzie Gore was dominant, going 8 strong innings and allowing just 1 earned run on 3 hits with 5 strikeouts to earn the Texas Rangers a 7-4 win over Arizona. Texas built its lead early — scoring in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th — then blew it open with a 4-run 5th inning that put the game out of reach. The Diamondbacks made a late push with 3 runs in the 9th, but Jacob Latz came on to close it out for the save.
Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo left Tuesday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth inning with a sprained left ankle.
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros have lost four straight and are just 4-7 in May so far. They were crushed by Seattle last night, 10-2. (Associated Press)
ON THE SCHEDULE
MLS: Austin FC returns to action tonight for a midweek matchup against San Diego FC at Snapdragon Stadium. The match will kick off at 8:30 p.m. CT/6:30 p.m. PT. (Austin FC)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: ESPN’s College GameDay program is returning to Austin in September.
The most conservative county in the United States is Borden County in Texas. Located at the bottom of the panhandle, Borden County has a population of 631. It’s one of Texas’s few remaining “dry” counties — you can’t buy alcohol there — and is home to some of the most decent people we’ve met anywhere. Come with us to remote Texas to see what life is like in the most conservative corner of our country.
