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Today's newsletter is 1,017 words — a 4-minute read.

After Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to withhold grant funding for Dallas and Houston airports over religious washing facilities used by Muslim travelers, Mayor John Whitmire said yesterday that the ablution room at George Bush Intercontinental Airport was built without city taxpayer dollars.

Why it matters: The airport dispute is the latest example of Abbott using the threat of withholding state funds to push Texas cities to change local policies and procedures.

• It comes as Texas Republicans have sought to restrict Muslim communities and civil rights groups.

Driving the news: Abbott sent a letter to the mayors of Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth on Friday saying his office was reviewing grant funding over the facilities at their airports, saying they "appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion. That is illegal."

• He also asked U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to refer the airports for federal investigations.
• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport canceled plans for an ablution facility after Abbott threatened to withhold state funding.

What they're saying: "The ablution room and adjoining prayer room are open to all travelers, employees and stakeholders with access to Terminal D, regardless of faith. Nobody receives preferential access, and nobody is excluded," Whitmire said in a statement.

Catch up quick: The IAH ablution and prayer room opened in 2024, among the first in the nation. Whitmire's office says it was created in response to passenger requests and gives travelers who practice ritual washing before prayer a designated space instead of using restroom sinks.

• It was paid for by fees charged to the international airlines, Whitmire says.

Zoom in: The Terminal D facility serves international travelers, including Muslim passengers flying airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, and includes a prayer room with a Quran.

The other side: Muslim civil rights group Council on American-Islamic Relations called Abbott's threat an "anti-Muslim political stunt" and said the washing stations are "universally accessible" amenities that can be used by travelers of any faith.

The Trump administration paused border wall construction at Big Bend National Park while U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott visits the site, Scott announced yesterday.

Why it matters: The wall's construction inside the national park has been the subject of bipartisan pushback and criticism that the job has been rushed, and is damaging to the environment.

Driving the news: "Last night, I put a pause on all activity in that park as far as construction goes till I can get down there and do a personal evaluation, talk to some stakeholders, talk to some local law enforcement in that area," Scott said in a video posted to X.

• "More to follow this week."

Catch up quick: The Trump administration has pushed to quickly expand the border wall as part of its effort to reduce unauthorized immigration across the border with Mexico.

• Earlier this year, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signed at least 28 environmental and cultural preservation waivers to speed up the project.
• The government has threatened to seize land if property owners don't grant access.

Zoom in: Scott said CBP is "firmly committed to protecting America, and that includes our national treasures like Big Bend National Park (BBNP)."

• "We know the current and predictable national security threats and they are real," he said, adding that his evaluation will ensure America secures its borders "while simultaneously protecting BBNP for generations to come."

Go deeper

Houston will be one of the first U.S. cities to get drone delivery through Uber Eats under a new partnership between Uber and drone delivery company Zipline.

Why it matters: Drone delivery, once a novelty, is becoming more widely available as the technology and regulatory environment have advanced.

State of play: Uber is investing in drone delivery company Zipline, with the two companies aiming for 1 million Uber Eats drone deliveries per day by the end of 2029.

• Zipline drone delivery on Uber Eats will begin in Houston and Dallas before the end of the year, and then expand into dozens of U.S. cities.

Zoom out: The deal is part of Uber's effort to build a flexible hybrid delivery network of couriers, sidewalk robots and drones to match every delivery with the best mode of transportation.

• For Zipline, the deal is a major step toward scaling its delivery operations in the U.S.

Go deeper

📄 Harris County joined a coalition suing the Department of Homeland Security for allegedly withholding federal anti-terrorism and emergency response funding. (Axios)

💾 Amazon is planning a nearly 3,000-acre data center project outside Houston. (Houston Chronicle)

🎓 A former IBM president is giving Rice University $25 million to launch a new program that will support low-income and first-generation students. (Houston Business Journal)

In the last decade, the rate of twin births has declined in the U.S. and in Texas, per CDC data.

The big picture: Early use of IVF contributed to a national twin baby boom. But once fertility treatments got more advanced, doctors increasingly recommended transferring a single embryo to reduce pregnancy risks.

By the numbers: The national twin birth rate rose 79% from 1980 to 2014, before dropping an average 1% per year after that, according to the CDC.

Zoom in: The biggest twin birth declines were for mothers age 30 and older. Rates dropped …

• 18% for mothers 30-34.
• 27% for mothers 35-39.
• 46% for mothers 40 and older.

Yes, but: Black mothers already had the highest twin birth rate, and that rate rose 5% nationally over the decade. The CDC didn't determine what drove the increase.

Meanwhile, between 2022 to 2024, Texas counted 33,164 twin births, per the CDC.

• Over the same three-year period a decade earlier, Texas counted 36,499 twin births, per state health statistics.

Thanks to Bob Gee for editing this newsletter.

📍 Shafaq is reading about Neighbors Pizza Restaurant and Bar closing in the East End.