Republicans set up showdown after setting vote on flood bills with Democrats absent ... and more news

Texas House Republicans teed up a slate of bills addressing the deadly July 4 Hill Country floods on Monday, but Democrats’ continued boycott left the chamber without the quorum needed to vote — setting the stage for Republicans to use the flood relief measures as leverage against their absent colleagues. In other news, a suspect is in custody after a gunman opened fire Monday outside a Target store in Austin, killing at least three people; volunteers assisting in the cleanup following the flooding in the Texas Hill Country in July discovered something unexpected — dinosaur tracks. Researchers say that they’re common for the region and, with cleanup efforts still underway, there may be more to find. Volunteers in northwest Travis County discovered the dinosaur tracks in a layer of limestone; and it’s been called the Beetlejuice house. The cereal box. The Oreo house. The leaning tower of Cedars. It’s a narrow, 64-foot-tall home on a small lot that feels a little out of place. Read more about the unusual house in today's edition.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices