The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 16, 2024

Episode Date: April 16, 2024

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Howdy folks, today is Tuesday, April 16th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lausches, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. Donald Trump holds a commanding lead in Texas over President Joe Biden, according to a new poll, while Senator Ted Cruz is up five points on Congressman Colin Allred in the U.S. Senate race. The poll, conducted by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation, surveyed 1,600 likely voters in early April. Among those likely voters, Trump is up 46 percent to Biden's 34 percent, with independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy pulling 9% of the support. The number of undecided reached 8%. Trump leads Biden among Hispanic voters by a four-point

difference. Trump also leads independent voters by five points. The only demographics gauged in which Biden leads are Black voters and voters with a four-year college degree or postgraduate education. The National Democratic Redistricting Committee is targeting the three Texas Supreme Court seats on the ballot this November. The group, chaired by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder under the Obama administration, announced its 2024 electoral priorities last week, which places the Texas court 10th on its numbered list. The group's section on courts reads, State Supreme Courts have the power to review and, if necessary, overturn redistricting plans that are unfair or unconstitutional. Former President Barack Obama touted the group's target list. Multiple lawsuits were filed over the Texas legislature's 2021 redistricting maps,

none of which succeeded in state and federal court. Those losses supplied the onus for the group's focus on the Texas Supreme Court this year, which has three races on the ballot, Justice Jimmy Blacklock against Deshaun Jones, Justice John Devine against Christine Weems, and Justice Jane Bland against Bonnie Lee Goldstein. An administrative law judge will hear a case later this month against a Houston doctor who attempted to prescribe ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment for a hospitalized patient in 2021. Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, an ear, nose, and throat specialist who studied medicine at both the University of Texas and Stanford University, says she has successfully treated more than 6,000 COVID-19 patients without a single death. But in response to anonymous complaints, the Texas Medical Board filed a formal complaint against her last year

over events in the first years of the pandemic. Bowden rejected a proposed disciplinary compromise offer from the state board that would have required her to admit guilt, pay a $5,000 fine, attend trainings, and retake a jurisprudence exam required of state-certified physicians. In April 2023, TMB filed charges with the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Bowden recently won a settlement in her lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in which the federal agency agreed to remove a misleading website article and social media statements that implied ivermectin was not approved for human use. The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced that $6.4 billion will be sent to a Texas Samsung facility to bolster the supply chain of semiconductors. The multi-billion dollar

investment is part of a larger $40 billion federal funding agreement as part of the Chips and Science Act. As a White House press release states, the investment aims to quote, cement Central Texas's role as a state-of-the-art semiconductor ecosystem, creating at least 21,500 jobs and leveraging up to $40 million in chips funding to train and develop the local workforce, end quote. The announcement of the investment in Taylor was attended by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Congressman Michael McCaul, and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. The Tarrant Appraisal District board makeup is about to change. On May 4th, three at-large members will be elected and added to the district's governing board.

The change comes from the successful constitutional amendment passed by voters in November. According to Senate Bill 2, authored by Senator Paul Bettencourt and passed during the second special legislative session last year, counties with a population over 75,000 will have their boards of directors increased by three members, who will be elected by voters to staggered four-year terms. The current five voting board members are elected by taxing entities within the Tarrant Appraisal District that are apportioned some share of 5,000 votes based on its tax rolls. Each of the three at-large, popularly elected seats is contested. Most of the candidates were present at a candidate forum hosted by the Colleyville

Republican Club on Tuesday, April 9th. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.