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cross-posted from: https://piefed.ca/c/[email protected]/p/845210/cnbcs-worst-states-to-live-list-sparks-republican-backlash-after-red-state-sweep

Original article - CNBC - These are America’s 10 worst states to live in for 2026

The list from 10-1: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, Texas, and Tennessee.

Fifteen Texans have been hospitalized with a parasitic infection that causes explosive diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms, as case counts climb across 31 states.

Texas has 68 lab-confirmed cases of Cyclospora as of July 13, during its usual outbreak season, which runs from late spring to early fall. The microscopic parasite causes cyclosporiasis, which causes explosive diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

The Texas Department of State Health Services told USA TODAY that the cases the state is currently seeing are only slightly higher than expected for this time of year, not a drastic increase.

No deaths have been reported, but the national case count has climbed to 843 across 31 states as of July 10. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has not identified a common source of the infections.

What is Cyclospora?

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis — also known as Cyclospora — and is considered generally not life-threatening.

People can become infected by consuming food or water contaminated with the parasite, and it can take at least one to two weeks for Cyclospora to become infectious after passing in a bowel movement, according to the CDC. This means direct person-to-person transmission is unlikely.

In the United States, outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of fresh produce and typically spike every spring and summer; however, the CDC is reporting no specific link in the 2026 cases.

People can also be infected with Cyclospora more than once.

Cyclospora symptoms, treatment

People experience symptoms of cyclosporiasis about one week after consuming food or water contaminated with Cyclospora, according to the CDC. However, some people in areas where cyclosporiasis is common may not have any symptoms.

Symptoms of cyclosporiasis may include:

• Watery diarrhea (most common).
• Loss of appetite.
• Weight loss.
• Cramping.
• Bloating.
• Increased gas.
• Nausea.
• Fatigue.

Other less common symptoms include vomiting, body aches, headache, a low-grade fever and other flu-like symptoms.

There is no vaccine for cyclosporiasis, according to the CDC. The recommended treatment is trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, commonly known as Bactrim.

How long does cyclosporiasis last?

The Cleveland Clinic states that cyclosporiasis can go away on its own. If it’s properly diagnosed and treated, the illness can last between one and two weeks. However, some people may still have occasional bouts of diarrhea for up to a month.

If left untreated, symptoms may last for a month or longer.

Is cyclosporiasis contagious?

Direct person-to-person transmission is unlikely, according to the CDC, because the parasite outside a human body takes one to two weeks to become infectious.

Cyclospora, cyclosporiasis prevention

Avoid consuming food or water that may be contaminated with feces and follow these food-safety practices to reduce your risk of foodborne illness:

Refrigerate cut, peeled or cooked fruits and vegetables within two hours. Wash hands with soap and water before and after handling or preparing raw fruits and vegetables. Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking. Fruits and vegetables that are labeled “prewashed” do not need to be washed again at home. Scrub firm fruits and vegetables, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush. Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating.

(#2) Texas

While Texas continues to lead the nation in attracting workers, those workers are finding a broad array of challenges when they get there. The Lone Star State has America’s highest rate of people without health insurance at 16.7%, according to the United Health Foundation, more than twice the national average. More than 17% of Texas adults said they had to forgo a doctor visit that they needed in the past year because of the cost. Even those who do have health insurance can have trouble finding a doctor. The state finishes dead last in primary care physicians per capita.

In May, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced $56 million in federal grants to rural hospitals. “We will deliver state-of-the-art treatment for everyone who calls Texas home,” the governor said in a statement. Some 31 million people call Texas home, so the grants amount to about $1.80 apiece, or about $350,000 for each of the state’s nearly 160 rural hospitals.

2026 Quality of Life score: 78 out of 290 points (Top States grade: F)

Strengths: Childcare, Air Quality

Weaknesses: Health, Crime, Inclusiveness, Worker Protections, Reproductive Rights

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Texas among America's 10 worst states in new 2026 ranking

A new national ranking has Texas near the top for all the wrong reasons.

By Molly Wilhelm, Trending ReporterJuly 13, 2026

GLENRIO, TX - APRIL 19: A "Welcome to Texas" sign along Interstate 40 (I-40) on April 19, 2026 in Glenrio, Texas. Texas recently ranked among CNBC's list of the worst U.S. states to live in for 2026.

Al Drago/Getty Images

A new ranking of the worst U.S. states to live in for 2026 didn't paint a flattering picture for Texas. CNBC, a global business news network, released on Saturday its list of America's 10 worst states to live in for 2026, ranking the Lone Star State the second worst, behind only Tennessee. 

The report cites Texas' healthcare, crime, inclusiveness, worker protections and reproductive rights as key weaknesses, while identifying child care and air quality as the state's only strengths. CNBC gave Texas an F grade, awarding it 78 out of 290 possible points. 

"While Texas continues to lead the nation in attracting workers, those workers are finding a broad array of challenges when they get there," CNBC wrote. 

The ranking cited data from the United Health Foundation showing that 16.7 percent of Texans lack health insurance—more than double the national average. The study also found that 17 percent of adults in Texas said they had to skip a needed doctor's visit within the past year because they couldn't afford it. 

"Even those who do have health insurance can have trouble finding a doctor. The state finishes dead last in primary care physicians per capita," CNBC wrote.   

RELATED: Harris County has the worst pregnancy-related death rate for Black women in the US

Road sign a the border welcoming people to the state of Tennessee. The state recently ranked top on CNBC's list of the worst states to live in for 2026.

Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty

What other states made the top 10?

Tennessee ranked as the worst state to live in for 2026, with CNBC citing crime, inclusiveness and worker protections among its biggest weaknesses. The state received 64 out of 290 points, with air quality listed as its only strength. 

The report also pointed to state laws targeting LGBTQ+ communities, as well as high rates of violent crime and drug overdose deaths. 

Behind Tennessee and Texas, Indiana ranked third worst with a score of 82 out of 290 points. CNBC called out the state's lack of childcare availability, air quality and healthcare. 

The top 10 also included Louisiana, Georgia, Utah, Missouri, Alabama, Oklahoma and Arkansas. 

A Texas State flag and the US flag are seen at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York on May 27, 2022. Texas recently ranked No.4 among the best U.S. states for business. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Texas ranks high for business 

While Texas ranked near the top of CNBC's list of America's worst states, it also landed in the top five on the network's annual rankings of America's top states for business.

In that report, judged based on infrastructure, economy, work force, and several other key metrics, Texas ranked No.4 overall.

For at least a decade, Corpus Christi sold water to a handful of large industrial plants at a steeply discounted rate, according to documents and interviews with city officials. Residents and businesses paid more than $100 million to subsidize water for some of the world’s richest energy companies, the city’s rate models show.

Three years ago, Corpus Christi doubled the companies’ water rates in an effort to correct the imbalance. But the companies, including Valero, Citgo and LyondellBassell, protested to state regulators, sparking a legal battle that will come to a head today as a public hearing over the matter begins in front of an independent state agency in Austin.

The outcome will have major implications for Corpus Christi, which is facing an unprecedented water supply crisis, as well as the energy companies that have long dominated its economy. If the companies prevail, Corpus could be forced to refund them tens of millions of dollars even as it desperately seeks funding for new water projects and raises rates on the rest of the region’s consumers.

“I’m holding my breath,” said Sylvia Campos, a City Council member who campaigned on raising industrial water rates. “Let’s hope that we don’t have to pay them back.”

Valero, Citgo and LyondellBassell, which buy water directly from Corpus Christi’s water utility to operate oil refineries and petrochemical plants just outside city limits, commented through an industry group they have formed called Affordable Water for Corpus Christi.

“The issue before the Public Utility Commission is whether the City’s rates were developed using a fair, evidence-based and legally compliant methodology,” said Heath Armstrong, a lawyer for the group.

Campos responded: “They know very well how long they’ve gotten away with not paying their fair share.”

Benny Melendez voted for President Donald Trump in 2024. But since Trump returned to the White House, it has been increasingly difficult for Melendez to run his small construction company in south Texas. He says immigration officers have detained workers at his job sites and while driving his company trucks. Since the beginning of 2025, more than 10 of those workers have been deported.

The chaos of the past year-and-a-half has convinced Melendez to abandon his support for Trump and Republicans, and instead back the Democrat in this year’s U.S. Senate election, state Rep. James Talarico.

“How can we continue voting for someone that is targeting our community?” Melendez said. “There’s no way possible we’re going to support that. No way.”

Melendez is not alone. One in five Hispanic business owners in Texas say they’ve had an employee deported in the past year, according to a new survey commissioned by the U.S. Hispanic Business Council and shared first with POLITICO. Seven in ten said their businesses had been impacted by Trump’s tariffs. Among those surveyed, Talarico holds a seven-point lead over Attorney General Ken Paxton, the GOP nominee, even though a plurality of the over 1,000 respondents self-identify as Republican. Almost one quarter who supported Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary now say they’ll back Talarico, while over half say they’ll back Paxton.

The survey is the clearest sign yet of Paxton’s vulnerability among Texas’ robust Hispanic business community amidst broader signs that Hispanic voters around the country are swinging hard against him, thanks to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the shaky economy. The survey was conducted from June 2 to 15 and included 1,012 Texas-based USHBC members. Respondents included business owners in construction, food services, retail, manufacturing and other industries.

Those business owners pointed to the fear the deportation push created in the community, as well as their bottom lines, for why they were turning on Trump and toward Talarico.

“The fear factor that it creates, the disruption that it creates, the environment that it creates, is debilitating,” said Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of USHBC. “If you’ve got a small business of 10 people or so, and you get even one person deported, you can imagine what that does to the morale of that business unit and to the fear of the business owner.”

Meanwhile, Paxton, long an immigration hardliner, has doubled down, touting his support for a controversial Texas immigration law and suing to stop publicly funded legal defense for undocumented immigrants.

The Texas Senate race will be one of the nation’s most watched — and most expensive — this cycle. Early polling shows it in a dead heat: A New York Times/Siena poll released last month showed Paxton and Talarico tied. Among Hispanic voters, Talarico led by 32 points. In 2024, Trump won Texas Latinos by 10 points.

In a statement, Paxton spokesperson Madison Cercy said Hispanic voters want “lower taxes, less regulation, affordable energy, and a strong economy.”

“Ken Paxton has a proven record of fighting for those priorities, while James Talarico has consistently opposed the tax-cutting policies that help Texans thrive, declares that ‘God is non-binary,’ and said that there are ‘six biological sexes,’” Cercy said. “Texans deserve to hear the truth about Talarico’s radical record and the damage his agenda would do to families and businesses across our state. Once they do, it will kill Talacreepo’s campaign for their vote.”

In a statement, Talarico offered an olive branch to Hispanic voters: “We should be supporting Hispanic small businesses — not crushing them under the weight of high costs and failed immigration policies,” he said. “Here’s my message to Hispanic communities across Texas: if you feel like you’ve been conned, if you feel like you’ve been let down by both political parties, if you feel like politicians aren’t doing anything to lower your costs or fix this broken immigration system — you’ve got a place in this campaign.”

Across south Texas, business owners say immigration enforcement is a major reason why they’re turning on the GOP. In 2024, Trump rode concerns over former President Joe Biden’s border policy to victory in the heavily Latino communities along the U.S.-Mexico border, a massive shift in the historically deep-blue region. Trump won 14 of those 18 border counties, including Starr County, a 90-percent Latino county that Hillary Clinton won with 79 percent of the vote in 2016 and hadn’t gone for a Republican since the 1890s.

But now, many feel the Trump administration’s interior enforcement policy has gone too far. 70 percent of those surveyed in the USHBC poll had a negative view of the immigration raids on the workforce, and that impact on families and businesses risks kneebuckling Republicans running in those same border districts.

“I didn’t like what Biden was doing here on the border,” Melendez said. “But now with Trump, it’s all the opposite, 180 degree change. He doesn’t let us work. He’s taking the best we have.”

Earlier this year, construction executives in south Texas sounded the alarm on immigration enforcement. Some trade association leaders met with officials in the White House and Congress to discuss concerns in February.

Immigration enforcement at worksites subsided for several months, executives said. But activity ticked up again last month. Now, Melendez says, immigration officers are again rounding up workers at construction sites and pulling over vehicles that have work equipment like ladders. The Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to request for comment on this characterization of enforcement.

“It just seems now more than ever, if you’re brown, they’re gonna stop you,” said Mario Guerrero, a three-time Trump voter who leads the South Texas Builders Association. “And I know that sounds really racist, but it’s what we’re facing, man.” Watch: The Conversation NATO chief Mark Rutte on Trump and the future of the alliance 24:47 NATO chief Mark Rutte on Trump and the future of the alliance

Across the state, story after story of the immigration crackdown consume local media: An undocumented man in Houston shot and killed by an ICE officer; a mariachi musician in San Antonio detained after playing at a birthday party; a Catholic nun in McAllen detained while walking to Sunday Mass.

Even some Republican officials have denounced the activity. “As I have repeatedly said, our immigration enforcement should target violent criminals,” GOP Rep. Monica de la Cruz, who represents a battleground district in the Rio Grande Valley, wrote on Facebook. “A Catholic nun on her way to church is not a threat to our community.”

One construction company owner in south Texas, granted anonymity to speak openly, said the nun’s arrest — which was plastered all over local news last month — was “the final nail in the coffin” for many Hispanics in the community who had voted for Republicans.

“We’re pissed off at the current administration. Everybody’s pissed off down here in south Texas,” the construction executive said, noting that most Hispanics in the area are Catholic. “Remember, we’re conservative, we’re not far left. We’re in the middle, conservative Latinos in south Texas. It doesn’t make sense.”

Guerrero, who leads a trade group with over 160 members across south Texas, said the idea that deportations will create jobs for American workers is ill-informed. “When people say, ‘Why don’t you hire American citizens to do foundation or to do concrete?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, tell me what f—ing United States citizen is gonna want to go and pour concrete at 103 degrees down here in the valley,’” Guerrero said.

Palomarez echoed that sentiment.

“This notion that these immigrants are taking American jobs is bullshit,” said Palomarez. “The districts in South Texas that swung decidedly Republican are paying the price, because that fear-mongering has come home to roost. And now you don’t have employees, or enough employees, to get that project done.”

Cross posted from https://lemmy.zip/post/67763340

A Pasadena police sergeant has resigned from the department while he remained under an active internal investigation, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

PASADENA, Texas – A Pasadena police sergeant has resigned from the department while he remained under an active internal investigation, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

The resignation comes as a Pasadena city council member exclusively told KPRC 2 that the sergeant was being investigated for allegedly misusing the department’s Flock Safety license plate reader camera system to track a fellow officer.

For months, KPRC 2 has been looking into allegations surrounding Sgt. Michael Palitz after receiving information about an internal investigation. As part of that reporting, KPRC 2 requested Palitz’s personnel records, receiving a heavily redacted file, and continued pressing city officials for answers.

During a Pasadena Civil Service Commission meeting in June, KPRC 2’s Rilwan Balogun spoke with Police Chief M.P. Jackson about the ongoing case after encountering him at the meeting.

When asked whether Palitz had been suspended after KPRC 2 submitted public information requests, Jackson said, “I don’t think the two are connected,” but declined to discuss the pending investigation.

“I can’t really discuss pending cases,” Jackson said.

When asked if there was anything else he could share, Jackson responded, “No, sir.”

Council member details allegations

Pasadena City Council Member Emmanuel Guerrero told KPRC 2 he believes the investigation centered on allegations that Palitz improperly accessed the city’s Flock camera system to monitor another officer.

“Based on what we gathered, [he] was using our camera system, our Flock system, to track and stalk a female officer,” Guerrero said.

When asked to clarify whether he was alleging Palitz was under investigation for misusing the Flock camera system and stalking a fellow officer, Guerrero responded, “correct.”

Guerrero said his understanding is that the system itself flagged repeated use of the account.

“To my understanding, it was an overwhelming use that the system itself flagged and notified that account associated to the officer,” Guerrero said.

KPRC 2 has not independently verified the specific allegations discussed by Guerrero, and Pasadena police have not publicly released details of the investigation.

Department confirms resignation while investigation continues

In a statement to KPRC 2, Pasadena Police Sergeant April Ontiveros, with the Administration & Media Relations Unit, confirmed Palitz resigned while the investigation remained active.

“Yes, he resigned while under investigation,” the statement said. “Regardless of his employment status, our investigation will continue in accordance with legal requirements until it reaches its conclusion. Additionally, our department does not release information on open/active personnel investigations to protect the integrity of the investigation.”

Palitz’s resignation does not end the department’s internal investigation, according to the department.

Questions about use of surveillance technology

Flock Safety describes its cameras as investigative tools designed to identify vehicles, not people.

According to the company:

“A Flock camera is a license plate reader camera built to identify vehicle details that may help generate investigative leads. That includes the license plate, along with attributes like make, model, color, and other visible characteristics. Flock cameras are not general-purpose surveillance systems designed to identify people. They are built to focus on the vehicle involved in an incident and the details that can help distinguish it from other vehicles on the road.”

Guerrero, who said he supported implementing the Flock system, said the allegations concern him because of the trust residents place in law enforcement.

“The people put their confidence in us to utilize systems that could support and protect the way of life, and to use it against certain individuals is a betrayal of our community’s trust,” Guerrero said.

KPRC 2 is not aware of any open criminal investigation or whether any case has been presented to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

KPRC 2 sought responses from city leaders

KPRC 2 reached out to Sgt. Michael Palitz on Friday seeking comment regarding his resignation and the allegations surrounding the investigation. As of publication, he had not responded.

KPRC 2 also emailed Mayor Thomas Schoenbein and city council members Bianca Valerio, Emmanuel Guerrero, Pat Van Houte, Jonathan Estrada and Dolan Dow seeking comment because they served on the city council in 2025 when Palitz was suspended and later returned to duty.

Council Member Pat Van Houte was the only person, other than Guerrero, to respond.

“I had not heard about this. The last I heard was two days ago, and Sgt. Palitz was still an employee at that time. I am not in a position to have the details as to why the sergeant resigned. I checked with the Mayor and he said your best contact would be Police Chief M.P. Jackson.”