Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. One of the largest search and rescue operations in the history of Texas continues after severe flooding devastated the central part of the state. The death toll has risen to at least 109, with more than 160 people still missing. David Martin Davies from Texas Public Radio reports.

In the meantime, lawmakers are calling for the full restoration of the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service predicted the Texas July 4th storm and sent out alerts, but local

officials said they didn't get them in time for

an evacuation. San Antonio New Congressman Joaquin Castro says weather service needs to be returned

to full strength after Trump administration layoffs. Cutting so many people, 600 from the National

Weather Service in such a short period of time is going to affect an organization.

This is very much a statewide and a national issue.

The Trump administration has reduced Weather Service staff by about 25%.

The White House is proposing slashing NOAA's budget by roughly 25%.

For NPR News, I'm David Martin Davies in San Antonio.

The Transportation Security Administration will no longer require passengers to take off their shoes when they go through security checkpoints at airports.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Christy Noam, says the move is part of an effort to reduce traveler

frustration.

We want to improve this travel experience, but while maintaining safety standards and making

sure that we are keeping people safe as they go to take their vacations, travel for work,

or spend time with their families.

The government started requiring passengers to take off their

shoes during security checks in 2006, about five years after a man tried to detonate a bomb

hidden in his shoes on an American Airlines flight. The State Department is looking into a number

of cyber security threats. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports,

one includes a signal account that was trying to impersonate Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.

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