Star-Telegram opinion roundup: Paxton’s vacation, Arlington’s embarassment

The Star-Telegram’s opinion section recently tackled the Texas U.S. Senate race, Arlington’s World Cup moment, a new state law on kids’ phone use and what American identity means in 2026. Below is a roundup of the columns and letters, each summarized in brief.

• Ken Paxton’s Iceland trip with a woman reportedly tied to the collapse of his marriage to state Sen. Angela Paxton drew Democratic attacks, but columnist Ryan J. Rusak argues that it’s not likely to sway voters, who know that a marriage can be over even if a divorce is not final. See why he says affordability concerns tied to the trip fall flat, too.
• Rusak’s Texas Senate Rundown also highlights comedian Bill Maher calleing out Paxton’s campaign for clipping Democrat James Talarico’s border quote — “a giant welcome mat out front, and we should have a lock on the door” — to falsely suggest Talarico supports open borders.
• Arlington is basking in FIFA World Cup crowds at AT&T Stadium — dubbed “Dallas Stadium” for soccer — but North Collins Street, the main gateway to the venue, still looks like a run-down state highway with utility lines, giant signs and aging businesses from the old Arlington Stadium era, columnist Bud Kennedy writes.
• Texas’ new App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420) requires app stores to verify user ages and link minors’ accounts to a parent who approves downloads and in-app purchases — 80% of Texas parents back the requirement, and it passed with 93% support in the state House, writes policy analyst Hannah Bruck.
• A letter from Gary Brown of Fort Worth urges Texas Christians weighing Paxton against Talarico for Senate to ask “How would Jesus vote?” — pointing to compassion, forgiveness, servanthood and justice as the moral yardstick, in a Star-Telegram letters roundup.
• A Dallas physician warns in a letter that data centers emit pollutants harmful to lungs, hearts and kidneys and drive up electricity costs, forcing patients to choose between utilities and medications — a factor she says belongs in the development debate.
• USA TODAY columnist Nicole Russell, a former Star-Telegram opinion writer, argues that American exceptionalism comes from liberty rather than prosperity, citing the Supreme Court’s June 30 ruling allowing schools to set female sports eligibility by biological sex and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte’s 2025 Free to Speak Act on pronoun use.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.