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7+ min ago (312+ words) December 10, 2025 / 5:06 PM EST / CBS/AP NASA has lost contact with a spacecraft that has orbited Mars for more than a decade. Maven, an acronym for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, abruptly stopped communicating with ground stations on Dec. 6. NASA said this week that it was working fine before it went behind the red planet. When it reappeared, there was only silence. Launched in 2013 and having entered Mars' orbit in September 2014, Maven began studying the upper Martian atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. Scientists ended up blaming the sun for Mars losing most of its atmosphere to space over the eons, turning it from wet and warm to the dry and cold world it is today." Maven also has served as a communication relay for NASA's two Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance. NASA has two other spacecraft around Mars…...

28+ min ago (43+ words) In Louisiana, new videos show federal agents' expanding their immigration crackdown, dubbed the "Catahoula Crunch," outside of New Orleans. CBS News national reporter Kati Weis has more. "Catahoula Crunch" immigration operation expands outside New Orleans "Catahoula Crunch" immigration operation expands outside New Orleans...

51+ min ago (456+ words) Gehry designed such notable buildings as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. He died on Dec. 5 at 96. The Woodlands was never supposed to be a bedroom community. Instead, Jim Carman, president of the Texas Region of Howard Hughes Communities, which owns and manages The Woodlands, said it was designed to be an ecosystem in and of itself. In order to accomplish that goal, oil tycoon George Mitchell, who founded The Woodlands in 1974, knew he wanted to invest in a thriving town center, with shopping, dining, entertainment, and employment. In order to do that, Mitchell turned to a number of architects and planners for their design suggestions. One of them was Frank Gehry, who died last week on Dec. 5 at 96. He died at his Santa Monica home after a brief respiratory illness. "Frank and his team in…...

1+ hour, 5+ min ago (365+ words) Updated on: December 10, 2025 / 4:12 PM EST / CBS News Washington " Republican moderates in the House revolted against leadership on Wednesday as they seek to force a vote on expiring health insurance premium tax credits " an issue that could have major political ramifications for the party in next year's elections." Facing an end-of-year deadline, Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania introduced a discharge petition to try to bring a bill to the floor that would extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies by two years. A handful of GOP moderates quickly signed on." The move is the latest rebellion by rank-and-file Republicans to force votes on issues that leadership would rather avoid." The underlying proposal, spearheaded by Fitzpatrick, would extend the tax credits through 2027 and impose a cap on income for those who are eligible for the subsidies. The plan would also expand access…...

1+ hour, 20+ min ago (213+ words) Today: We talk with Precinct 6 Constable Silvia Trevino about holiday safety, explore the legacy of former HISD superintendent and U.S. Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, break down the latest Houston housing numbers, and much more. On today's Hello Houston, we are joined by Harris County Precinct 6 Constable Silvia Trevino in the first hour of the show, who talks to us about holiday shopping safety and the threat of porch pirates during the holiday season. Also, in the show's first hour, engineer Dale Link joins us to explain how he comes up with his hurricane landfall predictions, as well as his forecast for the upcoming 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. In the second hour of the show, we discuss the legacy of former Houston ISD superintendent and U.S. Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, following his passing yesterday morning, with his former press secretary, Terry Abbott....

1+ hour, 49+ min ago (342+ words) December 10, 2025 / 3:24 PM EST / CBS News Miami mayor-elect Eileen Higgins believes the key to her election victory Tuesday " the first for a Democrat in almost 30 years " was her outreach to people of all political persuasions. In an interview on CBS News just after the election, CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett asked her about the "Trump effect;" President Trump had endorsed her Republican opponent, drawing attention to the race. "I don't know," Higgins responded. "What I know is what I did. I worked. I knocked on doors and called Republicans, independents and Democrats all across the city of Miami " because you cannot become the mayor of this city if only Democrats vote for you. You can't become the mayor of this city if only Republicans vote for you. You've got to have all three." Higgins, who is also the first woman…...

2+ hour, 5+ min ago (521+ words) In one of her final actions as a member of the Houston City Council, Letitia Plummer on Tuesday again delayed her own priority legislation " an ordinance that would ramp up inspections of problematic apartment complexes. "Obviously, from a selfish perspective, I wanted to vote on this [today], but it's not about that," Plummer said. "It's about people, and it's about us doing the right thing." The rule would create a "high-risk rental building" registry of apartment complexes that receive at least ten health and safety citations over six months. For the next six months, they would be subject to increased inspections and fines for continuing violations. Plummer reluctantly delayed the proposal in October amid pushback from the Houston Apartment Association, which argued it would unfairly penalize large complexes by using the volume of 311 complaints to assign complexes to the registry....

2+ hour, 13+ min ago (518+ words) December 10, 2025 / 3:00 PM EST / CBS News Lottery jackpots have exploded in size over the last decade. When Powerball launched in 1992, the first jackpot was $5.9 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. Now, the largest Powerball jackpot on record was the $2.04 billion prize won on Nov. 7, 2022. Mega Millions followed a similar path. Its first jackpot winner in 2002 took home $28 million. Its record prize " a $1.602 billion jackpot won on Aug. 8, 2023 " ranks as the fourth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. Twelve out of the 20 largest jackpots have occurred since 2023. Here are the biggest U.S. jackpot wins: Only five states don't sell lottery tickets: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. While the prizes are huge, the odds of winning still remain extremely low. Over the last three decades, both games have been redesigned multiple times. Changes have pushed jackpots higher while also adding more ways for players…...

2+ hour, 14+ min ago (440+ words) Factors such as the age of each campus, its deferred maintenance, enrollment and location were used to determine which locations would be closed." Spring ISD's Board of Trustees approved the closure of two schools Tuesday as part of the district's broader "optimization plan" following a $13 million deficit. Spring ISD Board President Justine Durant said via a statement that the decision to close the two campuses was not taken lightly. "Closing Link and Dueitt is truly a heartbreaking decision," Durant said. "With campuses operating at nearly 60% capacity and reductions in federal funding, we are facing realities that require hard choices. We will not be fiscally responsible if we do not address these challenges now, even when the decisions are difficult." Students currently enrolled at Link Elementary will be rezoned to either Lewis or Beneke Elementary. Dueitt Middle School students will be…...

2+ hour, 14+ min ago (614+ words) University of Houston researchers have developed a single-shot X-ray imaging method that captures three types of contrast at once, enabling far more detailed diagnostic images without added radiation or mechanical motion. University of Houston researchers developed a new X-ray imaging method capable of revealing hidden features in a single shot, a breakthrough that could advance cancer detection, disease monitoring, security screening and material analysis. This study, published Dec. 3 in scientific journal Optica, introduces a system that captures far more detailed diagnostic information without requiring multiple exposures or complex mechanical movement. The research was led by physics researcher Jingcheng Yuan and Mini Das, Moores professor at UH's Cullen College of Engineering and College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Conventional X-ray and CT imaging rely solely on attenuation contrast, which shows how tissues and materials absorb X-rays. While effective for bone and…...