The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 24, 2024

Episode Date: April 24, 2024

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Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, April 24th, 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. An El Paso grand jury indicted 141 foreign nationals involved in a March 21st coordinated surge at Gate 36 on the Rio Grande that resulted in Texas National Guard soldiers being assaulted and injured, but the indictments only came after a judge suddenly dismissed the original charges. According to El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks, Judge Ruben Morales called a hearing Monday on a writ of habeas corpus, giving the state little notice or time to prepare. Despite objections from prosecutors on proceeding

with the hearing, Morales moved forward. Hicks says that when prosecutors offered to present Morales with evidence to substantiate the charges, Morales refused and instead isolated his decision to review the initial complaints filed by officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Based on the complaints alone, Morales decided the state didn't have probable cause to arrest the rioters, and ordered the charges dismissed and the suspects released. But Hicks said that because Morales' order was based on the complaints alone, His office quickly moved to present broad evidence on all 141 cases to the grand jury, which found probable cause did exist, and issued Class B

misdemeanor indictments on all 141 cases. An attempt to revive the Texas Democratic Party's 2020 challenge to the state's mail-in ballot restrictions was denied this week by the U.S. Supreme Court. The court denied a petition for a writ of certiorari from three residents of Texas who do not qualify for mail-in voting under current law. They filed their petition back in December. In Texas, anyone may vote early in person, but only those aged 65 or older, is disabled, or is out of their county of residence during the election may vote by mail. The case was originally made in 2020 by the Texas Democratic Party, which secured a temporary victory in the trial court. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision, and the Supreme Court denied an appeal of that reversal.

The University of Texas at Austin Palestine Solidarity Committee planned a classroom walkout on Wednesday, where students were invited to, quote, occupy the south lawn of the campus. The Instagram post states, The footsteps of our comrades at Columbia SJP, Rutgers New Brunswick, Yale, and countless others across the nation, we will be establishing the popular university for Gaza and demanding our administration divest from death." In a letter to the protest organizers, the Office of the Dean of Students states they are not permitted to hold the event on the campus. Any attempt to do so will subject your organization and its attending members to discipline including suspension under the institutional rules. Refusal to comply may result in arrest.

Push is coming to shove on the tension between Texas' massive economic growth and its main power grid, whose operator has announced a new planning strategy to cope with the rising demand. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas' new estimate for electricity demand in 2030 is 40,000 megawatts higher than its 2030 estimate from last year. One megawatt can power around 200 homes during peak demand. Summer peak demand, usually occurring during hot afternoons and typically the tightest part of the year in power grid terms, is expected to grow between 8,000 and 9,000 megawatts by 2032. The current all-time peak demand record was set in August last year at 85,464 megawatts. In Dallas, 611 fewer people

were victims of violent crime than this same time last year. According to a report delivered to the Public Safety Committee for the City of Dallas on April 9th, the three-part Violent Crime Reduction Plan implemented over the last two and a half years has made the city a safer place to live. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson highlighted the success of the plan in reducing crime in his recent newsletter. He said that crime reduction has been one of his priorities. The North Central Texas Council of Government's Regional Transportation Council voted to proceed with an application to the Federal Transit Administration's Low or No Emission Grant Program and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program for the purchase of electric buses. The Council's application is for the procurement of up to 59 electric buses and related infrastructure

to use for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be partially hosted by Dallas-Fort Worth. The Council is only eligible for funds from one of the programs. Both programs are part of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.