The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 23, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy folks, today is Thursday, April 23rd, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans managing editor Rob Laus, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, a sterile fly facility broke ground last week in South Texas, part of the federal government's ongoing plan to stop the spread of the new world screw worm. And U.S. Senator John Cornyn were present at the groundbreaking. Rollins, alongside U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lieutenant General William H. Butch Graham, led the groundbreaking, which marked a critical prong of her five-pronged strategy in combating NWS. The U.S. Department of Agriculture partnered with the Army Corps of Engineers in building the facility.

Starting point is 00:00:51 Last year, Rollins announced the opening of a sterile fly facility in Mexico, part of an $850 million investment in the facility's infrastructure. The NWS is a parasitic fly that produces flesh-eating larvae, mainly affecting pets and livestock. Although it had been eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s, the fly began making its way from Latin America up into Mexico in 2023. The facility will produce up to 300 million sterile flies per week, intended to mate with NWS to slow their reproduction. Until the opening of the sterile fly facilities, American efforts to eliminate the spread of NWS have included monitoring over 8,000 traps along the southern border, testing around 50,000 fly specimens, and suspending livestock imports classified as high risk. In other news, President Donald Trump signed an order on Saturday that will accelerate the review process of certain psychedelic drugs, including Ibogaine. He was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., podcast host Joe Rogan,

Starting point is 00:02:00 and Americans for Ibogaine CEO W. Brian Hubbard, as well as Texas Congressman Morgan Latrell and his twin brother, former Navy SEAL Marcus Latrell. The executive order states, quote, psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds, show potential in clinical studies to address serious mental illnesses for patients whose conditions persist. after completing standard therapy. Trump announced that the U.S. would be investing $50 million into states participating in Ibogaine Research. The news comes less than two weeks after Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker of the Texas House, Dustin Burroughs, announced Texas' own $50 million investment in Ibogaine Research. Texas' research was originally meant to be

Starting point is 00:02:46 done through the University of Texas Health Science Center, but after the State Health and Human Services Commission reported that no proposals for a research plan met the law's requirements. Patrick and Burroughs announced that the state would spearhead the research itself. Last but not least, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts announced that the first round of student awards for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts, or TIFA program, will be distributed to families from April 22nd to April 24th. TIFA will provide funds to over 42,000 families in its top priority tier, students with disabilities and their siblings, from households earning $165,000 or less for a family of four. Among these families, 51% are from households with below

Starting point is 00:03:34 $66,000 for a family of four, and 49% are between $66,000 and $165,000. 63% of tier one recipients have a disability, with the remaining 37% consisting of siblings who qualified three. them. Of these Tier 1 recipients, 53% attended public school in 2024-20205, and 47% attended private school or were homeschooled. For the 2026-27 school year, nearly 75% will attend private school and roughly a quarter will homeschool. Acting comptroller Kelly Hancock said, quote, The legislature made low and middle-income students with disabilities the first priority for the first year of school choice here in Texas. And that is exactly where this process starts. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News and subscribe

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The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 23, 2026

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