The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 15, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy, folks, today is Wednesday, April 15th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans managing editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has positioned himself in between U.S. Senate Republican primary runoff candidates, U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton, after he requested them to promise to endorse the runoff victor, which both have now done in varying forms. Paxton confirmed on Tuesday during a TV interview that he would support Cornyn in the case that the latter wins the runoff come May. The Cornyn campaign shared on social media a video clip of Cornyn, giving an interview on the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show in March,

Starting point is 00:00:52 where the senator confirmed he would support the eventual Republican ticket. While speaking at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Texas Policy Summit on April 8th, Patrick called on Republicans to coalesce behind whichever candidate wins the runoff, issuing warnings about what it could cost the GOP to have the, quote, nasty race continue as it currently is. He suggested that if around 10 to 15 percent of either Paxton's or Cornyn's voter bases don't turn out come November, Democratic nominee State Representative James Talariko would likely win the U.S. Senate seat. Next, the Texas Office of the Attorney General, alongside the Federal Trade Commission, announced a settlement with three prominent advertising companies over alleged violations of antitrust laws. The settlement comes after a

Starting point is 00:01:40 multi-state complaint was filed to, quote, combat unlawful media censorship. The multi-state complaint also saw participation from Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia. The complaint alleges that the companies violated the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act and calls the company's conduct anti-competitive. The FTC stated that the defendant's unlawful collusion, quote, to impose common brand safety, end quote, across the industry weakened competitive behavior. According to the FTC, upon approval by a federal judge, the order will prevent the biggest U.S. advertising agencies from restricting advertising based on ideological or political differences. In other news, a Texas appeals court has taken up a lawsuit alleging Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garland. Garcia effectively resigned from his seat when he accepted an appointment to another government

Starting point is 00:02:38 board with overlapping authority. A three-judge panel of the Texas First Court of Appeals heard oral arguments last week in the case, filed by a Harris County resident and the Republican candidate for Harris County Commissioner's Court Precinct 2, Richard Vega. In 2021, the Commissioner's Court appointed Garcia to serve on the board of directors for the newly created Gulf Coast Protection District. But in 2024, plaintiff, sued, arguing the appointment violated the Texas law prohibiting officeholders from simultaneously occupying two public offices with conflicting loyalties. Both the Commissioner's Court and the GCPD have the authority to impose taxes, claim private property through eminent domain, and make other

Starting point is 00:03:22 decisions that could be in conflict. Also, the Austin Independent School District will end the current school year with a $49 million budget deficit, and quote, head into the 2026-27 budget year with a $181 million deficit, end quote, according to an announcement last week. According to the April 8th announcement on the district's website, the 2025-26 budget, passed last June, had a $19.7 million deficit. The 2025-26 projection included $45 million dollars in expected real estate revenue and assumed a conservative estimate for property tax assessments, the district said. Austin ISD approved a district consolidation plan in November that focused on 24 state-mandated turnaround plans to ensure schools meet state standards. It also

Starting point is 00:04:14 included 10 school closures. Last but not least, the Texas State Board of Education met from April 7th to April 10th, with one of its main focuses being the statewide required reading list for school students. The Texas Education Agency's proposed literary works list was released in January as a result of House Bill 1605, passed during the 88th Texas legislature in 2023. The original list included roughly 300 titles and drew criticism for having too many texts per grade, the inclusion of Bible stories, and an alleged lack of diversity in authors and viewpoints. In January, the SBOE approved the list for first reading and filing authorization. Board Secretary Will Hickman proposed a shorter list,

Starting point is 00:05:01 less than half the size of the original, to, quote, give more time for local control. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 15, 2026

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