The mayors of Dallas and Fort Worth, along with the mayors of Texas’ three other largest cities, are conspicuously absent from a list of city leaders meeting with Gov. Greg Abbott this week, the Austin-American Statesman reports.

Mike Rawlings and Betsy Price were among the 18 mayors to sign a letter last week asking to meet with the governor, “whose specific concerns with Texas cities” have been characterized as a war on local control. More than a few issues on the agenda for this special legislative session, including proposed caps on municipal spending and other bills aimed at local ordinances, have pitted leaders in Texas’ blue cities against conservative state lawmakers.

Abbot, however, will not snub every mayor who requested a meeting. He’s set to speak with the mayors of Galveston, Corpus Christi, and San Marcos today, Lubbock, Amarillo, and El Paso on Thursday. Next week Abbott will sit down with the mayors of Arlington, Frisco, McKinney, and Irving. Maybe they can put in a good word for their neighbors in Dallas.

The Latest and Greatest Bathroom Bill Passes the Texas Senate. And by “greatest” I mean “even more pointless than ever before.” The most important thing to tell your trans child on the first day of school is that he will not be arrested for using the bathroom of his choice, but, and you can leave this part out while kissing him on the forehead and helping him with his new Pikachu backpack, Ken Paxton can sue his public school if it tries to adopt a formal trans-friendly bathroom policy. It should be no surprise that Texas law enforcement and school districts are speaking out against the bill, and it’s expected to have a hard time getting through the House.

More Bad News for Carrollton’s Spa Castle. The owners were arrested for tax fraud in March, then several women accused the mega-spa’s employees of being peeping toms, and now, reports are coming out about an incident involving feces in a women’s pool, which was spot-cleaned with bleach, but not drained and thoroughly sanitized.

Did You Watch Yesterday’s Cowboys Press Conference? Don’t. It was a bit of a beating for everyone. All questions revolved around Lucky Whitehead, and Jason Garrett was not willing to stray from a PR-ordained “we stand by our decision” mantra. But my favorite moment of the 56 seconds I watched before I just couldn’t take anymore, was when Dale Hansen asked, “Do you have some people working for the Dallas Cowboys who are just too stupid to be working for this team?” For a good summary of yesterday’s events, read this. And I will echo Tyrone Crawford’s hope that Lucky Whitehead will find a team with which to play and “ball out.”

Here we go again.

Yesterday on Facebook, Dallas City Councilman Scott Griggs shared drafts of the documents that would establish the Local Government Corporation (LGC) to take control of the Trinity River Project. The council will be briefed on the documents on August 2, but this is the first look at the legal structure and authority that the new entity may  have. I’ve uploaded the three documents for your perusal (the Term Sheet, Bylaws, and Certificate of Formation), and I would suggest looking at them in detail. I’ve spent the morning attempting a close read, and I’m left with a few questions.

I’m not necessarily opposed to the idea of Local Government Corporation taking over the business of managing, designing, and improving the Trinity River Watershed. That said, in this post back in April, I laid out some considerations and stipulations that would go a long way toward reestablishing public trust around the Trinity River Project by creating an entity that was both transparent and responsive enough to ensure that the public’s — and the Trinity’s — best interests. Does the LGC laid out in these documents meet those expectations? Yes and no. Let’s dig in.

Let’s step into Lucky Whitehead’s shoes for a moment.

Your dog gets kidnapped, and you owe its return to a guy named Boogotti Kasino. People on the internet besmirch your abilities as a wide receiver and kick returner. A warrant is issued for your arrest in connection with a shoplifting charge in Virginia. You are cut by the Dallas Cowboys.

And then you learn that Virginia police are dropping the charges. You weren’t even in Virginia. They had the wrong guy. You are compiling a long list of people who owe you an apology.

Sorry, Lucky.

Speaking Monday night to thousands of Boy Scouts at the National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia, President Trump asked early in his remarks: “Who the hell wants to speak about politics in front of Boy Scouts?”

Evidently, Donald Trump does. Flanked by Energy Secretary and Eagle Scout Ricky Perry and Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price, Trump addressed some of his favorite subjects, including fake news, winning, his 2016 election, and the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The atmosphere appeared similar to a vintage Trump campaign rally, complete with an enthusiastic crowd and chants of “USA.” (There was, fortunately, no “lock her up” routine.)

The speech also provoked criticism for bucking the long tradition of U.S. presidents avoiding politics when speaking to Boy Scouts. The Irving-based organization responded this morning with a statement distancing itself from partisan politics.

Cowboys Cut Lucky Whitehead. The only thing that makes me sad about this move is that is lessens the chances that we’ll ever again hear from Boogotti Kasino.

Irving Mall Evacuated Because of Fire. The two-alarm blaze was reported about 9:15 p.m. at an Express Electronics. No one was hurt because who the heck would be at Irving Mall at 9 o’clock on a Monday night?

Ballet Dancer’s Murder Still a Mystery. Darrell Cleveland danced with the Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Early Sunday morning, he lost control of his car downtown and crashed into a parking meter. When cops investigated, they found that Cleveland had been shot in the hip. Police say they still have no leads.