Texans and residents of other southern states with abortion bans could soon seek the procedure on the high seas.

Driving the news: A California doctor has outlined her idea for a floating abortion clinic in the Gulf of Mexico to maintain access for anyone pressed to travel long distances to receive treatment, writes Axios' Selene San Felice.

Why it matters: If it docks in Galveston, about 300 miles from Dallas, the boat would be the closest abortion clinic to North Texas.

• Now the closest place for North Texans to obtain a legal abortion is in Kansas, roughly 400 miles away.

Details: Meg Autry's proposed ship, PRROWESS (Protecting Reproductive Rights of Women Endangered by State Statutes), would offer first-trimester surgical abortions, contraception and other care while out of reach of state laws.

• Of note: The seaward boundary of Texas extends nine nautical miles off the state's coastline.
• Autry is looking to raise $20 million to fund the boat clinic.

What they're saying: "Wealthy people in our country are always going to have access (to abortions), so once again it's a time now where poor, people of color, marginalized individuals, are going to suffer — and by suffering I mean like lives lost," Autry told NBC Bay Area.

Point of intrigue: This wouldn't be the first abortion boat to set sail. Dutch nonprofit Women on Waves sails to countries where abortion is illegal, including Poland and Ecuador, at the invitation of local women's organizations.

• Dutch laws — which allow abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy — are in effect on the ship, according to the organization.

Former President Trump remains the favorite to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee among the most active conservatives.

Driving the news: Trump got 69% of the vote in a straw poll conducted at the weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, affirming the ex-president's continuing popularity among Republicans since he left the White House.

The big picture: Trump said Republicans should campaign on strengthening the border, reducing crime and stopping inflation if they want to win the midterm elections and take back control of Congress.

• Republicans have made recent gains in South Texas — notably the 34th congressional district, where Mayra Flores flipped the Democratic stronghold in a June special election and became the first Mexican-born woman in Congress.

What they're saying: Flores said that Mexican-Americans in southern Texas no longer feel safe crossing the border to visit their families because criminal organizations have taken over.

• "It has only gotten worse since [President] Biden was elected," Flores said during a panel discussion.

Flashback: Trump also led during a February straw poll at Orlando's CPAC with 59% of the vote.

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was second, with 24% of the most recent vote.

The intrigue: Many presidential hopefuls, including Sen. Ted Cruz, are waiting to see what Trump does before deciding whether they’ll run in 2024.

• Cruz was the third most popular among CPAC attendees with just 2% of the votes in the straw poll.

Of note: The conference also featured a fake jail cell with a Jan. 6 rioter inside, pretending to cry.

Rising temperatures are chipping away at our sleep time, according to a study of global trends.

• Beth Ann Malow, director of the sleep division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, tells Axios' Adam Tamburin that the cascading effects of less sleep could put us at greater risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity.

Why it matters: Malow says sleep loss shows how climate change affects our health.

Driving the news: Record-breaking heat waves have dominated summer forecasts worldwide, and boy, is it hot in Texas.

What's happening: Excessive heat can inhibit sleep in multiple ways, Malow says.

• It can stand in the way of activities like neighborhood walks and exercise, which promote healthy sleep habits.
• Heat can also make it harder to fall asleep because our bodies need to cool down as we doze.

The bottom line: Less sleep increases the risk of chronic health problems. It also modifies our brain function, lowering our impulse control, making us more irritable and undercutting our decision-making.

🚨Rowlett police took a man into custody after finding his infant unresponsive in a parked car. The boy later died at a hospital. (CBS11)

🚙 The Plano woman who argued that her unborn child should count as her second passenger in the HOV lane has delivered the baby. (DMN)

🔥 Texas is on pace to set a record for wildfires this year. (FOX4)

👮🏼‍♂️ An Austin police officer indicted for misconduct during the George Floyd protests is now on the state's police regulatory agency. (Texas Tribune)

💼 See who's hiring around the city.

1. Delivery Manager at Edward Jones.
2. Commercial Banking Middle Market Banking & Specialized Industries – Analyst Program Manager at JP Morgan Chase & Co.
3. Manager, Content Marketing at NICE Cxone.

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This week's caffeine craving takes us to a Coppell cafe that serves coffee and snacks in a cozy setting.

• Located in the middle of a neighborhood, the space was designed to look like a big farmhouse. Some of the baristas live upstairs.

Where: GEORGE Coffee + Provisions, 462 Houston St., in Coppell.

Vibe check: The shop is a good fit for work-from-homers, with plenty of tables and outlets.

• It can get too loud at times for a Zoom call.

What we got: Bananas Foster latte from the seasonal menu, available all summer.

Cost: $5.35 for 12-ounce regular lattes, $5.75 for seasonal drinks.

Six-word review: Chip and Joanna would be proud.

🤔 Know a coffee shop we should try? Hit reply and tell us.