Former Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Texas and the first Republican woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee, has died at the age of 83. Granger represented Texas’ 12th Congressional District for nearly three decades after first serving as mayor of Fort Worth, where she became the city’s first female mayor. During her 28 years in Congress, she rose to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee, overseeing federal spending and becoming one of the most influential Republicans on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) paid tribute to Granger on Sunday evening, calling her a “dear friend” and praising her lifetime of public service. “Kay Granger devoted her life to serving her Fort Worth, Texas community — as a teacher and businesswoman, on the Fort Worth Zoning Commission and City Council, as Mayor, and in Congress for nearly three decades, where she also served as Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee,” Johnson wrote. “Throughout her career, she broke barriers for women in public service. She was the first woman to serve as Mayor of Fort Worth, the first Republican woman elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first Republican woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee.” “Kelly and I send our prayers to her family, loved ones, and the Fort Worth community as we remember her extraordinary life of service and lasting legacy,” he continued. “She was a dear friend who will be greatly missed.” Born in Greenville, Texas, in 1943, Granger began her career as a teacher before entering public service after successfully organizing opposition to a proposed waste processing facility near her home. She went on to serve on the Fort Worth Zoning Commission, the Fort Worth City Council, and as mayor before winning election to Congress in 1996. During her tenure in Washington, Granger became a leading voice on defense spending, veterans’ issues, and federal appropriations. She chaired the House Appropriations Committee beginning in 2023 before stepping aside the following year while remaining chairwoman emeritus through the end of her final term. Granger announced in 2023 that she would not seek reelection. Her final months in office were marked by declining health and extended absences from Washington. Her family later confirmed she had experienced dementia before leaving office in January 2025. Her death marks the passing of one of the most consequential Republican women in Texas political history, whose career included a series of historic firsts at both the state and national levels.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid into CNN anchor Dana Bash during a Sunday morning interview, arguing that her network — and media across the board — had been complicit in efforts to silence anyone who raised questions about the COVID-19 pandemic orthodoxy. Kennedy began by pointing out just how quickly Constitutional rights had been trampled as people who spoke out or refused the COVID-19 vaccines faced cancellation, getting fired from their jobs, or worse — and Bash immediately tried to move the conversation in a different direction. WATCH: This was a long-overdue moment on CNN. RFK Jr. called out the network on air for helping to silence dissent during COVID. Dana Bash was getting visibly irritated, after she repeatedly tried to move the conversation away from censorship. Then he aimed his fire at Dana Bash… pic.twitter.com/yHmIxjgz25 — Overton (@overton_news) August 2, 2026 “We need to protect our constitutional rights. That is the primary obligation in our country,” Kennedy began. “What does that mean?” Bash asked. “Well, during COVID, we completely dismantled our constitutional rights. We began censoring people in violation of the First Amendment,” he explained, but Bash interrupted. “You’re saying what not to do, I’m asking what to do,” she protested. Kennedy pushed back: “Well, that’s something to do. That is the number one priority: we protect the Constitution.” “Forgive me, but you’re talking about rights and I’m asking about a potential public health crisis that is coming. But I do want to … let’s …” Bash tried to redirect him. “And one of the mistakes we made last time was suppressing those rights. So people weren’t being heard. Doctors who were saying, ‘You’re doing it wrong,’ were being marginalized and vilified,” Kennedy made it clear that he was not going to be deterred. Bash tried once more, saying, “Again, I really want to move on …” “Yeah, of course you want to move on because you were part of the problem!” Kennedy shot back. “No! I wasn’t part of the problem!” Bash objected. “There was absolute press malpractice. Your job is to have a fierce skepticism toward authority, and you weren’t doing that,” Kennedy continued, arguing that many in media were to blame for doing the same. “You were beating up on people who were dissenting!”

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s comments defending women’s sports continued to reverberate across the WNBA on Sunday, as Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve appeared to protest the Fever star by wearing a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt during Minnesota’s 108-100 victory over Indiana. Reeve’s shirt marked the latest public response to Cunningham, who has become one of the league’s most polarizing figures after saying biological males should not compete in girls’ and women’s sports. Before tipoff, Cunningham and Reeve met briefly at midcourt in what appeared to be a cordial conversation. Reeve later told reporters the two discussed the responsibility that comes with having large public platforms but declined to elaborate on the specifics. “Both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate,” Reeve said after the game. “There are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on.” The atmosphere inside Target Center reflected the controversy surrounding Cunningham’s remarks. She was loudly booed during player introductions and again nearly every time she touched the ball throughout the afternoon. Some fans inside the arena also wore shirts displaying the same “Trans Kids Belong” slogan as Reeve. The tension spilled onto the court during the second quarter when Cunningham absorbed an elbow to the face while defending a Minnesota player. Despite appearing to take the contact, officials assessed Cunningham with a defensive foul instead. The ruling prompted confusion from the game’s broadcast crew and loud cheers from the home crowd after officials briefly reviewed the play and allowed the call to stand. Sophie Cunningham got ELBOWED in the face… Refs call a foul on Sophie Cunningham

Dr. Ashish Jha the former White House COVID 19 Response Coordinator now says the origin of the coronavirus pandemic was likely a lab leak from Wuhan than a natural outbreak. Jha made the comments recently and described how his thinking has shifted. “This is going to surprise some people,” he said. “When I went into the White House, my view was this was almost surely a natural outbreak, maybe a lab leak. Based on information I’ve learned and based on information I’ve seen, I have come to conclude it is more likely to have been a lab leak … We still need transparency and accountability on this.” Jha was very wary of the limits of what is known. He said that no one in the United States could know for sure, and that the only people who do know for sure are the officials in China who have been less than forthcoming with the information. Transparency and accountability remain necessary, he repeated. The comments emerge as details from Anthony Fauci’s personal diary have drawn attention. Those private writings, released by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), include an entry from as early as January 26, 2020, in which Fauci recorded that the virus almost certainly did not come from a wet market — a theory floated early on in the pandemic. The diary shows Fauci privately treated a laboratory connection as the more plausible explanation, despite his public insistence on a natural origin. Jha presented his conclusion as his current best judgment after reviewing the information available to him. He did not claim final proof. The gap between early public emphasis on a natural spillover and the private assessments now coming to light keeps attention on how the origins question was handled even from the very beginning. Both Jha’s comments and the diary entries underline the same basic problem: without fuller access to data and records from the relevant laboratories and early outbreak sites in Wuhan definitive answers stay incomplete. The diary entries from Fauci show that private doubts about the wet market explanation existed at high levels from the first weeks of 2020. Jha has now put a similar assessment on the public record years later. Full answers still depend on greater transparency from the relevant officials in China.

Authorities have identified the gunman who killed three people during Saturday’s shooting at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, and investigators are still working to determine what motivated the attack. Twin Falls Police on Sunday identified the lone suspect as 24-year-old Chad Williams, who authorities say took his own life after opening fire at the newly-opened restaurant. Police said three people were killed and seven others were wounded in the shooting, which erupted on Saturday around 2:30 p.m. local time at the In-N-Out location that had opened just over a week ago. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said Sunday that two of the wounded victims have since been treated and released from the hospital, while two remain in critical condition and three others are listed in stable condition. Hicks cautioned that those figures remain preliminary as the investigation continues. Authorities have not yet publicly identified the three people killed because family notifications are still being completed. In-N-Out President Lynsi Snyder confirmed that one of the victims was an employee. “She was taking care of our most important asset — our Customers, and her life was taken by a disgusting human who doesn’t value the lives of others or his own,” Snyder said in a statement. She added that the shooter fired both on and off company property before ending his own life. Police said the investigation remains active, with detectives continuing to interview what Chief Hicks described as hundreds of potential witnesses. The FBI is assisting local authorities. Officials also praised the actions of an armed citizen, identified as an off-duty law enforcement officer who returned fire during the attack, saying his response likely prevented additional casualties by forcing the gunman to retreat. Witnesses described scenes of panic as customers and employees fled the restaurant. “People were running out crying and screaming. It was very scary,” Haley Dodaro told the media after she and her mother encountered the chaos while approaching the restaurant’s drive-thru. Authorities have not announced a motive for the shooting, saying the investigation into Williams’ actions remains ongoing.