The Dallas Morning News

In today's report, the State Fair of Texas names its Big Tex Choice Awards winners, Dallas police plan to keep Flock camera data for one year, and the Mavericks and Stars settle their American Airlines Center dispute. Plus, staffer Joe Snell introduces us to the man leading the team of investigators who responds to every unattended, suspicious and unexplained death in Dallas County. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more: dallasnews.com/ai_use. We welcome your feedback: audience@dallasnews.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's report, we've got triple-digit heat in North Texas, upcoming political protests at the Republican midterm convention, the memorial for Tom Luce and a federal lawsuit involving Dallas County jail mail policies. And, with elections three months away, staffer Joe Snell explains what a suspense list is, and how voters can check to see if they're on it. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more: dallasnews.com/ai_use. We welcome your feedback: audience@dallasnews.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's Morning Debrief: a North Texas heat advisory, a tragic road rage shooting in Fort Worth, a legal appeal in Collin County for Karmelo Anthony, airport infrastructure updates and and the last long-string player. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more: dallasnews.com/ai_use. We welcome your feedback: audience@dallasnews.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The trade deadline has passed, the Rangers stood pat and waited for everybody to get healthy, and now John and Evan have to make sense of where they stand, which is where they seemingly always stand: stuck in the middle. Evan points out the importance of this week's road trip, especially with Houston hosting the same two losing teams next week. Then Bobby Witt, the elder, joins the guys to talk about his quick rise to the majors, the 1996 pitching staff and being the father to one of the most electric players in the game. And, since his career was impacted by the 1994-95 strike, and he now works for an agency, we had to talk about the possibility of a work stoppage after this winter. His view isn't sunny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington and Evan Grant discuss the impact of the late Don Nelson, who, with his son, Donnie, gave the Mavs clarity and an icon, not to mention the makings of the franchise's only title. Kevin asks Evan if he's willing to bet on the Rangers, who, no matter what happens, always seem to come back to .500. Joe Hoyt joins the guys to analyze the impact of Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and others in the locker room. Bottom line: They're not as noisy as they used to be with Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs, but they may all be on the same page for a change. Joe also says it's not lip service when Jerry Jones tells us he'd be willing to trade draft picks to finish out the roster, if it comes to that. Bonus: Did Joe blame his teammate, Calvin Watkins, for the Cowboys' opening loss to the Eagles last year?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, we cover the birth of Baby Gabriel, the medically fragile child at the center of a surrogacy dispute; Oak Cliff residents face displacement after explosion-related damage at The Bonnie apartments; and a lawsuit seeks repairs and landmark protections for Dallas City Hall. Plus, reporter Karen Brooks Harper on what Texans need to know about new THC rules. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more: dallasnews.com/ai_use. We welcome your feedback: audience@dallasnews.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's DMN Morning Debrief covers intense North Texas heat, a lawsuit between the United Methodist Church and a prominent parish, allegations of racial profiling at a restaurant, and apartment evictions. Plus, staffer Joe Snell brings us a report on a woman who talks openly about an experience most of us spend our lives avoiding: death. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more: dallasnews.com/ai_use. We welcome your feedback: audience@dallasnews.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's Morning Debrief: a new student-visa rule could squeeze North Texas universities and international students, a Fort Worth high school goes into lockdown on the first day of classes, and a Richardson Thai restaurant prepares to close after nearly 40 years, plus staffer Annika Sunkara breaks down what you need to know about Flock cameras. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more: dallasnews.com/ai_use. We welcome your feedback: audience@dallasnews.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AT&T's billion-dollar Plano HQ rises on the site of EDS's demolished 'God Pod' as the Cowboys chase a defensive upgrade and Don Nelson's Mavericks legacy is remembered — plus, in Debrief Extra, how one Dallas zoologist keeps animals cool through the summer heat. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more: dallasnews.com/ai_use. We welcome your feedback: audience@dallasnews.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, the boys have made it through 50 episodes without strangling one another and to celebrate Rangers legend Will Clark joins the show to reminisce about his time in Texas, the great run of 1996 and the camaraderie of that time. And, yes, all of us old-timers gripe how that same element doesn't seem to exist today in MLB. John and Evan also break down the Rangers activity - or relative lack thereof - at the trade deadline. Why didn't the Rangers do more? Is this season still salvageable. And then in the Archives in Arlington, John goes back to 1996 and the immediate impact that was made by the acquisition of John Burkett from the Florida Marlins, where Evan was just a young pup of a beat writer at the time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's DMN Morning Debrief - A Dallas Independent School District police officer is wounded outside a northwest Dallas Sam's Club, a court leaves the State Fair of Texas handgun ban in place, and former employees sue Prime Data Centers over more than 400 million dollars in compensation. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Kevin away on "assignment," Evan seizes the microphone and brings in fellow Rangers insider Shawn McFarland for a lively breakdown of the Rangers' trade deadline activity. Who knew we could make 40 minutes out of the team trading Josh Smith for Adam Macko? But the guys break down the lack of activity, the reasons for it and what it means. In addition, do we, like the Rangers, believe this team, as constructed, is good enough to win the AL West? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's DMN Morning Debrief, we cover the latest news from across North Texas. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's DMN Morning Debrief - we cover the latest news from across North Texas. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's DMN Morning Debrief - Social Security beneficiaries learn when the next inflation adjustment will be set, there's an update regarding a new trial for Tanner Horner, and North Texas remembers former Congresswoman Kay Granger. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything you need to know about what's going on across North Texas. Coming up on the Debrief, a fallen soldier from Carrollton is laid to rest, Dallas' Texas Stock Exchange completes its trading launch and Texas attracts Gen Z movers. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, it's less than a week until the trade deadline and John and Evan have been moved by the Rangers' recent hot streak. What is there to do? How can the Rangers do it? But the team deserves a chance to compete is the guys' perspective. Then Royce Clayton, at the center of the Rangers' 1998 trade-deadline makeover, joins the fellas to discuss the trade that brought him and Todd Stottlemyre to Texas, why he refused to move off shortstop for Alex Rodriguez and how much money Taco Bell actually owes him for a viral World Series moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A North Texas doctor and a Freestone County med spa owner have both been arrested and charged with murder in the 2023 death of a patient. In other news, UNT has denied 11 professors funding for memberships to professional organizations it says violate the state's DEI ban — a move some faculty members describe as unjustified and warn could undercut their career development; in a list of the 10 best state fairs for festival food in the United States from Yelp, the State Fair of Texas is sixth on the list of 10, and Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers and Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese will not be punished after what was supposed to be a light-hearted post from the WNBA's official X account went viral. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SportsDay Insiders Kevin Sherrington and Evan Grant look at the Rangers' prospects heading into Monday's trade deadline and discuss what makes this year different from last year. Besides the fact they're in first place. Kevin asks if anyone scares you. They also discuss whether to trade or keep Corey Seager and ask why Rangers owners are always so cheap. Calvin Watkins joins the guys to decipher what Jerry Jones was talking about in his opening address from Oxnard, when he said he'd make a big trade if necessary. Is he really just one piece away? And Calvin gets to the bottom of DaRon Bland's foot problems, thus spawning a new nickname for the organization that gave you Too Tall Jones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attorneys for a woman who sued Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for an alleged sexual assault at a 2018 social event are seeking to remove the judge overseeing the case, arguing she has favored Jones and questioning her court staff's contacts with a social media commentator. In other news, a 40-acre data center campus proposed by Dallas developer Crow Holdings may spell the end of Dallas' Market Hall building; and nearly three-quarters of Texas' confirmed cyclosporiasis cases this year have come from just two regions of the state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, officials announced indictments against six men and two women in connection with an ongoing investigation at an adult novelty store in northwest Dallas. In other news, former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was issued a citation Monday for refusing to take a test for intoxication, stemming from his arrest in Wisconsin last Thursday; Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching an investigation into feminine products and various cosmetics related to toxic chemicals; and American Airlines flight operations were recovering Tuesday evening after an IT outage forced the airline to briefly ground all of its flights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The North Texas Tollway Authority and Dallas police are in talks over expanding officer patrols on toll roads within the city, a move that could put Dallas officers on more routine assignments there as state police prepare to let their agreement with the toll authority expire. In other news, a single-engine plane crashed at Arlington Municipal Airport on Monday morning. The pilot was the only person on board and escaped with no injury; HBO's John Oliver is picking a fight with Buc-ee the beaver. Oliver accused the chain of "outright bullying." and Chan Ho Park joined Mark Cuban's investment group to purchase the Athletics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson proposed several ideas in a newsletter Sunday as ways to cut spending and raise revenue while Dallas confronts a projected $51 million gap in its next budget. In other news, a man accused of breaking into a woman's apartment was shot and killed by Fort Worth police Sunday morning;  in April, the CDC issued an advisory, warning Americans of a nationwide rise in tick-borne illnesses. The agency reported tick bite-related ER visits reached their highest levels since 2017; and retiring is getting more expensive. Meet the mother-daughter duo with a solution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a huge series against Seattle looming, what's the guys' level of optimism about the Rangers' ability to make a declaration that they belong? Are they merely in first place or can they be a first-place team? Then we break down the ever-growing impact of injuries and how that might further impact the ability to declare their intent. Then Evan's longtime archnemesis on the Rangers' beat, TR Sullivan, joins to discuss his new book, his 32 years on the beat and how competitive the beat was between Evan and TR, with John often having to referee. Finally, with two guys who tried on Rangers' uniforms briefly going into the Hall of Fame this weekend, John and Evan talk Hall of Fame memories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Southwest Airlines flight attendant was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Nashville International Airport earlier this month. In other news, Midwest Poultry Services is voluntarily recalling Texas-produced white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs distributed from farms between June 6 and July 3, with sell-by or best-by dates between July 20 and August 17. They were shipped to Kroger stores in Texas and Louisiana and Brookshire Grocery stores in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mississippi; PT Organics Limited is voluntarily recalling select Pumpkin Tree Peter Rabbit Organics Banana & Strawberry 4-ounce fruit puree pouches after an internal packaging defect was found. The recalled pouches were sold exclusively at Target, Kroger and Meijer stores nationwide between March 6 and July 13. The recall applies only to Banana & Strawberry 4-ounce pouches with:Barcode: 8 15367 01078 0Lane number: 4 (printed on the rear right-hand seam) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 20-year-old student at Texas Christian University was deported Tuesday to El Salvador following an arrest last month in Arlington. In other news, an 80-year-old man was arrested in Colorado this July in connection with the Grapevine cold case killing of 35-year-old Beverly Bruneau in the 1980s; a woman was arrested last week in connection with a 14-year-old fatal stabbing after Arlington police received help searching for new investigative leads from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's genealogy program; and Dallas city employees returned from furlough to an email from City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert promising a pizza party if they clean up their desks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A consortium backed by BlackRock and Abu Dhabi-based fund MGX has completed the $40 billion acquisition of North Texas-based Aligned Data Centers. In other news, one of downtown Dallas' most recognizable walls was reduced to an interim layer of blue in May. What would you like to see in its place? Click here to share your thoughts; Jake Paul shared more about his family office and why he decided to start one in a Q and A with the Dallas Morning News; and the Dallas Stars have finally reached a resolution to their difficult contract negotiation with Jason Robertson, signing the forward to a short-term deal to bring him back for next season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19-year old U.S. Army Pvt. Isabella Gonzales of Carrollton, and 25-year old First Lt. Tyler James Feehan of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, died following an attack in Jordan. Gonzales was a 2025 graduate of Hebron HS. In other news,  South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics is laying off hundreds amid the move of its U.S. headquarters to Plano; President Donald Trump on Monday imposed 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, declaring that Canada has unfairly discriminated against American autos, alcohol and dairy products; and a new 37,000-square-foot Admirals Club will be in Terminal C, where American recently opened the first phase of a $3 billion expansion at the airport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tropical Depression Two has formed in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, putting Texas and the western Gulf Coast in the forecast for potential impacts this week. In other news, The Mexican iceberg lettuce linked to an outbreak of cases of explosive diarrhea was distributed in Texas for more than two weeks; Texas hemp consumers will soon face new limits on which THC products they can legally buy. Beginning July 31, products containing cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC and THCP will be banned in Texas; and 16-year old Chess grandmaster Andy Woodward of McKinney traveled to St. Louis to defend his U.S. Junior Chess Championship title against nine of the nation's strongest players under the age of 20. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the All-Star break, John and Evan spend more time on Jacob Latz's All-Star performance than Jacob Latz spent in his six-pitch effort to strike out Luis Arraez in Philadelphia. Then the guys touch on the Rangers' move to the BZZR app for a direct-to-consumer streaming option. And Evan muses on how much it pays (no pun intended) for him, as a borderline Boomer, to just keep shelling out for cable while trying to grasp the hard and chaotic transition to streaming that can leave consumers scrambling and frustrated. Then, it's time for our favorite cycle: The Bengie Molina, 2010 edition. The former Rangers catcher joins the guys to talk about that magical night 16 years ago in Boston, on how being considered so slow was a motivating factor for him and on the legacy of both the Molina brothers as catchers and Puerto Rican catchers, in general. Finally, John keeps peddling his cycle on The Archives in Arlington when he visits some of the more notable cycles in club history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Catastrophic flash floods in Texas have killed two people and forced hundreds of rescues in areas still reeling from devastating floods a year ago. In other news, the World Cup is over and so is its grass. The natural grass will be removed from AT&T Stadium; more than two dozen curious farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, energy industry employees and more convened in northeast Texas recently to learn about agrivoltaics; will Texas High School football coaches have to worry about some of their players signing NIL deals? And the Dallas Wings' home game against the New York Liberty, originally slated for last night, was postponed to Monday. The game was postponed due to mechanical issues with the Liberty's charter flight. All tickets purchased for Thursday's game will be honored for Monday's 7 p.m. tipoff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Kevin on World Cup coverage, Shawn McFarland joins Evan for a Rangers roundtable. And, boy, do we get to a lot. Has this team wasted chances in the first half? How many games will the Rangers be able to count on from Corey Seager after the break? And could they pull a fast one - consider trading Seager AND still contending for a playoff spot this season? Oh, and we even get into a little draft talk before the most important question of all. Will the Rangers make the playoffs, yes or no? Oh, and we try to come up with our fondest memories from dear departed "Dallas Stadium." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 It's expected FIFA will award the 2031 Women's World Cup to the US in November or December, ahead of the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. In other news, since last June, a bill signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott making daylight saving time permanent has been in line to go into effect should the federal government enable states to do so; Karmelo Anthony's defense attorneys struck a handshake deal intended to protect their client from his past. The “gentleman's agreement” detailed in Howard's affidavit, meant the jury would see the case through a narrow lens; and a Prosper man won a pair of tickets to Sunday's World Cup final in New Jersey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As thousands of supporters packed Dallas Stadium on Tuesday for the World Cup semifinal between Spain and France, visitors praised the tournament's organization, the food and the hospitality. In other news, as cyclosporiasis cases continue to increase nationwide, a source of the outbreak has still not yet been identified; a Frisco man was sentenced Tuesday to 50 years in prison for attacking a security guard with a machete inside the Islamic Center of Frisco last year; exas-based Legacy Casting put out a casting call for extras to pose as store customers in a commercial filming in Frisco this week. The pay is $250. Interested applicants can apply through mycastingfile.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Talmage Boston interviews Peter Onuf and Frank Cogliano on their newest book Thomas Jefferson Survives. They are leading Jeffersonian scholars and between the two of them have written 15 books on Jefferson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Haley Popp, who owns Hive Bakery, ignited an outcry for refusing to celebrate July 4. In other news,former DISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa on Monday launched his campaign for Dallas mayor, becoming the first major candidate in the 2027 race; Ben Abbott is one of several prominent figures weighing a run for mayor in the November 2027 election to replace Mayor Eric Johnson, who will leave office because of term limits; Blake Poston, founder of Cover2 Capital, said his company hopes to begin construction on The Savannah, a high-rise at McKinney Avenue and North Central Expressway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prices for the cheapest tickets to Tuesday's World Cup semifinal at Dallas Stadium dropped by 60% but the cheapest ticket on the secondary market still costs more than $1,600 to watch France against Spain. In other news, for a few weeks this summer, Frisco and Mansfield became home away from home for Sweden's and Czechia's World Cup teams with local officials saying the international attention will have lasting benefits; leading Texas Republicans took to social media after the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, celebrating the native South Carolinian as a great conservative leader. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John and Evan salute Jacob Latz making the AL All-Star team and continue to struggle to define the 2026 Rangers. But at least this time, they get some help for their problem. Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young stops by the show to discuss the state of the team at the season's midpoint, the club's needs at the deadlines and whether the Rangers will have resources to add talent. Young also discusses his own frustrations with the first-half performance. And, as Evan puts it, it's time for this Rangers team to go. Finally, with Latz making the All-Star team, the guys revisit the most unlikely Rangers All-Stars ever. So, it's time to talk Jeff Zimmerman and Roger Pavlik. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dallas County has recorded more heat-related illness compared to the same time last year. In other news, a man who lost his wife and infant son in a recent natural gas explosion in Oak Cliff has sued Atmos Energy; Jeremy Theron Smith pleaded guilty to a single count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon that was classified as a hate crime. According to the record, Smith conceded that his motive for the crime was his bias against Asian Americans; and a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that a community college and advocacy groups cannot reopen a lawsuit that ended the Texas Dream Act. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark Cuban has taken his increasingly public dispute with Dallas Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont to court, accusing his business partner of shutting him out of the team's plans for a new arena and other lucrative development opportunities. In other news, two faculty groups filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to block the Texas Tech University System from implementing its policies on how professors can discuss race, gender and sexual orientation in the classroom; Dallas' transportation and public works department has major gaps in how it oversees contracts, payments and other spending nearly two years after the city merged the agencies; and two Dallas-Fort Worth barbecue joints have closed during a summer of soaring beef prices. Farmers Branch restaurant Crossbuck BBQ is shuttered permanently, and Plano's Yearby's Barbecue and Waterice is relocating to Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sports Day Insiders Kevin Sherrington and Evan Grant discuss the Rangers' position with three weeks until the All-Star break and what the organization will have to see to make improvements. Kevin says missing out this year would be especially egregious given the performance of Jacob Latz, who's made himself into an All-Star closer, along with bounce-back years from Josh Jung, Zeke Duran, Joc Pederson and Jake Burger. Evan says if they don't make it, it falls into the laps of Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter, who have mostly been unavailable. Kevin tells us what he thinks of May's influence on the Mavs' roster construction, and the guys wonder why the USMNT has never quite realized the bright future everyone's been talking about for 30 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Several North Texas counties, including Dallas County, have reported or are investigating cases of cyclosporiasis, a diarrhea-inducing intestinal illness. In other news, former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland had stage 1 CTE when he died by suicide in November, according to an announcement from the Concussion and CTE Foundation on Tuesday; Texas' school voucher-like program promised students with disabilities up to $30,000 to pay for private schooling; and White Castle, the fast-food company known for its square-shaped sliders, is planning its second Texas restaurant in Fort Worth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ahead of the World Cup, the Lockhart Smokehouse staff thought they were well prepared for the surge in barbecue-craving customers. In other news, the Texas Education Agency is rolling out a new program that offers third graders who are struggling academically a way to get extra help; when does your child head back to school? Find specific dates here. and Frisco King, the latest show from Fort Worth-raised Taylor Sheridan, is looking for extras for shoots in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For more specifics, check here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More than 1,800 pounds of illegal fireworks were confiscated on the Fourth of July as Dallas police worked alongside the Dallas Fire-Rescue's arson division to stop the sale and use of illegal fireworks. In other news, a Dallas mother has been found guilty of murder by a Collin County jury months after police said she left her 15-month-old in a vehicle on a day when temperatures topped 90 degrees; It will cost more than $2,300 for an upper-deck seat to see Portugal's all-time great, Cristiano Ronaldo, against Spain's 18-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal. Hardly any tickets remain for less than $2,600; and U.S. President Donald Trump intervened on behalf of star U.S. forward Flo Balogun, whose red-card suspension was lifted in a decision that allows him to play in a World Cup match against Belgium on Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What a turnaround! Here comes home-field advantage: What a difference a week makes. The guys are getting whiplash from the Rangers' turnaround that saw them win six straight, storm into first place in the AL West and look like an energized team with a real identity. After they finish catching their breath from the turn of events, John welcomes in former Ranger manager Bobby Valentine, who guided the team from 1985-92. Bobby V regales the fellas with how ahead-of-the-curve Tom Grieve was as a GM, how John turned him from Bob to Bobby and which of the Rangers' great Puerto Rican talents from the period made the biggest impression. Finally, presidential historian John takes us down a walk through the Rangers, July 4 and the Declaration of Independence. A mashup only he could pull off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Texas Republicans said in the wake of this week's Supreme Court ruling affirming automatic citizenship for anyone born in the United States should stop issuing birth certificates if the parents aren't citizens. In other news, as Dallas-Fort Worth prepares to host its second knockout-round match of this World Cup, last-minute asking prices for tickets on the secondary market have dropped significantly; Tormenta: Rampaging Run, a record-breaking dive coaster coming to Arlington's Six Flags Over Texas, will open Thursday, July 9th; and Dallas-based hospitality management company Local Favorite Restaurants acquired popular chain Cotton Patch Café. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices