Super PACs connected to President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the artificial intelligence developer Anthropic are pumping money into Alex Mealer's race for Texas' ninth congressional seat, the Houston district Republicans redrew last year to help boost their U.S. House numbers.

Hi everyone, and welcome to a project I call The American Atlas! I've been making hand-drawn & colored maps of every state in the US. Now I’m here sharing them all on one big journey across the country 🗺️🇺🇸

This is my map of Texas, the Lone Star State! 🤠🌾🐎

Everything really is bigger in Texas, including the maps! I had to split this one into two to really capture the sheer size of the Lone Star State. From the gulf coast islands and pine forests of the east, through the rolling Hill Country, and to dry deserts and rugged mountains of the west, Texas is home to an incredible range of landscapes. Within its borders are two national parks, four national forests, and over 90 state parks. The sheer size of Texas means that no two regions feel quite the same, with the east and west ends of the state being over 10 hours apart.

But beyond the vast distances and varied terrain, Texas has its own unique character. The bustling cities of your very own Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio all bring something different, while historic towns, wide ranches, and the state’s deep Mexican and Wild West roots tell the story of a place shaped by many cultures. From rodeos, Tex-Mex cuisine, and the oil working fields outside of El Paso to the dramatic scenery & wide-open ranchlands of Big Bend, it is clear that Texas is a whole culture all on its own.

Let me know in the comments, what’s your favorite fun fact / roadtrip spot in Texas?

And if you like this style, feel free to check out my others, and thanks for taking a look at my Texas map!! 🇺🇸🗺️

At the beginning of October I was applying for jobs left and right on Indeed. About a week later I get a call back from a business called Avant Vision Co, I checked their website and from the looks of it, it seemed legit, although I did keep my guard up. The job description that was was provided online was full of little "white lies". Of course, after getting an interview I get the job. My first day I was beyond pissed.

The job that was described on Indeed as a "hybrid customer service job' was actually a door to door sales job that was mostly income by commission. Immediately upon arriving at their "business building" and seeing the morning pre work hype sesh circle that they had going on. I decided the since I had woken up at the ass crack of dawn to ride the Metro and be here, I might as well just work one day so I can get the training pay. I should have known when I was one of the oldest people there, mind you, I am only 22 years old. A "multi-millionaire" business that is mainly dominated by freshly 18 year olds is usually not a good sign.

Also during orientation my boss had described the job as "climbing the ladder" I don't want to climb some stupid fucking ladder I just want to make my rent on time.

It was freaking awful. and on top of that, I did NOT get paid for my first day at all. They played in my face for FREE. Why are they even allowed to advertise themselves as a multi million dollar business on indeed with false job descriptions??

A week or two after ghosting that job, I get ANOTHER call from another sales job called "Boss Executive Inc". Sounds like some bullshit someone my age would come up with. and they won't stop calling me. Even off of different numbers and though texts. They must be making money based off of how many innocent job seekers they can recruit.

Has anybody here heard of these two businesses or have they tried to sell anything to you? Avant Vision Co and Boss Executive Inc.

I ended up with matted hair due to depression. I have fine thin dry hair that gets tangled easily. It is somewhere between 1b and 2a when I look at charts online. I followed the advice that I could put coconut oil and detangling spray in my hair and cut out the really bad tangles. I’m realizing that I can’t do this by myself and looked up to see if there is anyone in the area who could help. I found Beauty by Umar, but they charge $125 an hour and I just can’t afford that for the multiple hours it might take. I didn’t find any beauty schools who did this when I googled it, but it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Does anyone know anywhere else where they are more affordable or could give me a set price based on the condition of my hair? I can send pictures before booking. Also any further tips and tricks on dematting hair would be helpful in case I can’t see someone for help and just have to cut I guess.

Looking for some suggestions on where I can donate new women's clothes, new/gently used baby clothes and baby gear both new and gently used. My baby turned 1 and originally I thought of selling it but I'd rather just give it away to women in need. Please let me know if anyone has any place in mind that could take some stuff. Lots of baby gear like jumpers, walkers, strollers, breast pumps, bottle warmer etc mounds of baby clothes lots still with tags and bins of clothes that I purchased prior to pregnancy and never got to wear. Don't want to hold onto them for the "maybe one day" thought. Thanks!

My partner was preliminarily diagnosed with what they believe to be a soft tissue mass in her abdomen during a hospital stay for something Crohns related.

They want her to get a PET scan as soon as possible.

She initially looked into MD Anderson - After 3 weeks her insurance denied that.

She then called Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, they no longer accept her insurance as of October 1st.

She's been struggling to find a place that will even let her in the front door with the insurance she has.

Really throwing a Hail Mary here and hoping someone knows more than me (which is nothing).

She is quite down right now and scared she'll be stuck with in her words a "rinky-dink" place that will give horrible care.

Much appreciated

Second time blown out tire chunks were in the middle of the highway and ate my bumper. The first time I avoided some and ran into other chunks was partly avoidable but this time another car clipped it and sent it flying to me😞

Has anyone recently surrendered a stray dog to BARC? I tried scheduling a surrender appointment online but there are no open appointments. I called 311 and they couldn’t give me an estimated wait time for surrender, but told me not to just take the dog to the shelter. Has anyone experienced this recently? How long did you wait?

I don’t trust Google or Yelp to be accurate because the operator was old-school cash only and didn’t seem like the type of person who cared one bit about marketing or keeping up with an online presence.

You can early vote this week, but only till Friday. Here's some useful links:

https://www.hctax.net/Voter/Search.cshtml (Check your voter registration)

https://www.harrisvotes.com/Vote-Centers (Find your closest voting site and wait times)

https://www.harrisvotes.com/Voter/First-Time-Voters (Confirm your registration)

https://www.harrisvotes.com/Voter/Harris-Votes-App (Download the App for Harris Votes and get all the info)

For Halloween, I'll be going to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Rover Oaks Theater with friends. I have a question for any regulars to these midnight showings: How early do we have to show up for the festivities? Thank y'all!

Hi Houston! I’m Trang. We’re planning a free, alcohol-free Rally for Recovery Radiate Houston Event — an afternoon of pickleball and community, similar to our Austin event.

We’d love to partner with local recovery nonprofits to share resources and welcome their communities. The Houston date and venue are still being finalized.

Which organizations should we reach out to? Personal recommendations or introductions would be appreciated. Thank you!

Sunday night i was driving on 610 east heading south. Saw a couple of cop cars blocking the left lane. As i crept by i looked over and actually saw a full sized horse laying in the left lane. It appeared to be disemboweled. I kid you not. I wish i had not seen it! I can’t imagine how it happened. Anyone else see it or know what happened?

Has anyone had any experiences I assume will be negative with the "recent" HISD takeover and the NES system? I'm curious how this has affected parents.

I need to know for personal reasons.

I see a lot of homes on my street that have renters for a year or more and appraisal shows homestead exemption . Don't they send a qualification letter to your home every year ? How do people maintain it and how to report them? As I understand it is not a harmless act and basically shifting tax burden to people doing the right thing . Is it punishable fraud ? Do people not report it to avoid raising their rental prices?

Looking for a walkable area that has lots of smaller shopping close to downtown Houston (convention center and around). No big box please! Visiting from outta town and want to fully explore in reasonable distance this cool city!

Hi all! I am moving to Houston in 2 weeks, I've been looking at some spots but I ran into one called

The terraces at Brompton and they look a bit too good to be true. Very high recent reviews and then a couple crazy Yelp reviews

Does anyone have some info or insight on how to spot red flags? I'm moving from the NE and I'm not familiar with the market in Texas

Thank you!