Obama's Dallas Escapades

President Obama doesn't let pouty Gov. Rick Perry ruin his Dallas fun

President Barack Obama's visit to Dallas on July 8, part of a three-city fundraiser tour, included parties, meetings with local politicians and a speech about the economy. But the lingering takeaway of his visit is a photo showing a scowling Gov. Rick Perry that has become a caption contest across Facebook.

Highlights of the president's trip included a sit-down with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and a fundraiser dinner in Preston Hollow featuring some of the best barbecue in Texas.

Gov. Perry demanded one-on-one time with Obama, ostensibly to talk about border issues related to the wave of unaccompanied children from Central America who've crossed the border in the past few months. Dissatisfied with the president's initial offer to meet at the airport, Perry refused to meet the President on the tarmac.

President Obama relented and agreed to let Perry sit at the adults' table in a meeting with Rawlings, Judge Clay Jenkins, Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia and Democratic Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas to discuss the 2,000 children being taken in Dallas County.

The photo from that meeting, tweeted by New York Times reporter Doug Mills, speaks volumes. It shows the president and others at the table laughing, while Gov. Perry sits off to the side, his bottom lip gripped in a pout that makes him look about 5 years old.

Mills added the diplomatic caption, "President Obama shares a light moment Mayor Mike Rawlings, with Gov. Rick Perry at the end of the table." Yahoo describes it as a "photo for the ages."

The photo has drawn nearly 700 caption suggestions on Democratic blog Burnt Orange Report's Facebook page. Sample: "The cool kids are teasing me again."

On Wednesday night, Obama attended a fundraiser dinner for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at the Preston Hollow home of attorney Marc Stanley, near Northhaven and Hillcrest. Street closures began at 2 pm, and by 4:30 pm, police cars were stationed in every driveway along Walnut Hill.

The dinner, which was limited to 50 people and cost a minimum of $10,000 a person, was catered by John Mueller, who prepared ribs, brisket, sausage, turkey, beans, potato salad and coleslaw.

Late-night commuters on the Tollway suffered an hour-long clogging until 9 pm, when the presidential entourage headed to Love Field and Austin for a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee. Continuing the barbecue theme, the President made a surprise visit to Franklin Barbecue, where he got to cut in line.

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Texas shocks as America's No. 3 least safe state in 2026 report

Photo by Hiroshi Kimura on Unsplash

Texas ranks as the 48th "safest" state — out of 50.

While no state is invulnerable, some do more to protect their residents than others. And a new study has declared Texas one of the five least safe states in America.

WalletHub's "Safest States in America (2026)" report examined all 50 states for their emergency preparedness and for residents' personal and residential, financial, workplace, and road safety. Factors that weighed into the rankings include specific crime rates per capita, the share of the population that is uninsured, road quality ratings, workplace injury statistics, and more.

Texas ranked at the bottom of the list as the 48th "safest" state — or the third least safe state. It's joined by several other Southern states, like Mississippi (No. 50), Louisiana (No. 49), Florida (No. 47), and Arkansas (No. 46).

According to WalletHub, Texas specifically ranks third to last in the nationwide "emergency preparedness" category, which was determined based on the prevalence of climate disasters causing $1 billion or more in damages from 1980-2024, and the loss amount resulting from those disasters.

The Lone Star State also ranked 40th (or 10th worst) across three safety categories: personal and residential safety, financial safety, and road safety. The report additionally found that Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents nationally.

Texas' "workplace safety" was the state's highest-ranking category, landing 30th nationally.

Additional rankings that determined Texas' overall safety include:

No. 30 – Assaults per capita
No. 32 – Fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 full-time workers
No. 32 – Sex offenders per capita
No. 35 – Murders and non-negligent manslaughters per capita
No. 36 – Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel
No. 41 – Loss amounts from climate disasters per capita

According to the report, the five safest states in America are all located in the Northeast. Vermont leads as the country's safest state in 2026, followed by Massachusetts (No. 2), Maine (No. 3), New Hampshire (No. 4), and Connecticut (No. 5).

Though every state has varying levels of safety, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo asserted that the safest places in the U.S. categorically invest in protecting their residents. Top-ranking states have low crime rates and diligently maintain their road infrastructure, and other states that prioritize their residents' safety have "strong economies and job markets that prevent people from falling into dangerous financial situations."

"[The safest states in America] have high levels of occupational safety and disaster preparedness, too," Lupo said. "In addition, states are made safer by efforts that individual residents take, such as forming a neighborhood watch or working in firefighting and EMT jobs at high rates."

safety texas wallethub reports