Livestream of Austin city council meeting on August 12, 2026. austintexas.gov
Hi Austin! The Austin City Council finalized a new city budget Wednesday that largely unchanged ACME’s budget from last year. The department fund grants through hotel occupancy taxes (HOT).
But there was dissent on the final vote. Mayor Kirk Watson and Council member Marc Duchess (District 10) voted against the budget, the first time for Mayor Watson. Multiple council members said more could have been done.
In the month-long process, the city cut redundancies and found funds to support social services originally on the chopping block.
Council member Natasha Harper-Madison (District 1) reluctantly voted ‘yes,’ citing social service dependency as an insecure safety net that doesn’t grow a recipient’s resilience to become anti-fragile.
“I generally believe we got to a good place,” Council member Harper-Madison said. “Always being that safety net is not the best position for a municipality to be in.”
TL;DR
Water and energy municipalities targeted
America’s largest newspaper now uses Palantir
Businesses require less reporting to Financial Crimes Network
📚Reading The Connection Cure by Julia Hotz
🎶 Listening to i’m DADA by Holy Wave
News Reading Club w/ Tomo Mags paid partnership
Come together to engage with news in collaboration with the Austin American Statesman, Trust Project and Guerilla Suit and others. A moderator keeps the conversation moving and focused.
For a couple of hours, everyone reads, thinks, and talks it through. That is the club. Part reading group, part workout for the mind, part civic practice, and a way back into the conversation.
On my radar
Cyberattack on seven State water and energy systems linked to Iran (FBI)
Iran is the lead suspect behind the attacks based on the country’s history targeting U.S. infrastructure and the ongoing was with the U.S.
The attacks “potentially allow untreated ground water to seep into pipes,” the FBI stated. Michigan was the first state attacked. The FBI has not released the six other affected states. FBI Deputy director told PBS the purpose of these attacks is to spread chaos, confusion and fear.
i’m Dada by Holy Wave (⏯️ bandcamp)
Austin band Holy Wave’s KUTX Studio 1A performance made me forget about real life. Longing and hypnotic guitar melodies made time stand still along the 44 min album.
USA Today newspaper partners with Palantir (Poytner)
The largest American newspaper would use Palantir’s AI data-analytics systems to process its customer data. The paper hopes to leverage the data for tailored advertisements, subscription pricing and among other monetization strategies.
Fox News has also purchased Palantir’s software to build newsroom tools through building a “digital twin” and optimizing workflows, Axios reported.
Newspaper chain GateHouse buying Gannett, USA Today owner (2019) PBS
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will exempt ownership reporting requirements (the Hill)
Americans who have obtained FinCEN IDs will be exempt from reporting Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI). The new rule will still require foreign companies to report. The department will delete previous information reported by U.S. persons.
The Connection Cure by Julia Hotz (author website)
Traditionally, when we get sick, heath care professionals ask “What’s the matter with you?” But around the world, teams of doctors, nurses, therapists and social workers have started to flip the scrip, asking “What matters to you?”