The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 14, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy, folks. Today is Thursday, August 14th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, an Illinois judge has ruled against involving the state's law enforcement in locating and tracking down Texas House Democrats who have been camping out in the state during their ongoing. quorum break. Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with the Texas House of Representatives and House Speaker Dustin Burroughs, filed a civil petition against more than 30 Texas House Democratic members last week in an effort to have Illinois law enforcement enforce the civil arrest warrants that were issued after said members broke quorum in order to kill the Republican's congressional redistricting proposal. This is the first response Paxton has received from a court lying outside the

Starting point is 00:01:00 borders of Texas. He has filed a similar lawsuit in California seeking to return House Democrats hiding out there. Next, Congressman Henry Quayar and his wife will have two of the 14 counts of federal bribery and conspiracy against them dropped, a federal judge stated on Thursday. According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal said during a Zoom hearing that in addition to the two counts being dismissed, the trial will be moved to next year. Quayor and his wife were indicted in May 24 after they, quote, allegedly accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities, an oil and gas company wholly owned and controlled by the government of Azerbaijan and a bank headquartered in Mexico City. His campaign office was raided in 2022 after the allegations of financial misconduct were made public. The Quayars continue to face 12 charges that include conspiracy, bribery, and money laundering. In other news, two brothers illegally present in the U.S. and wanted for multiple murders in Mexico were arrested in Arlington during a targeted

Starting point is 00:02:12 immigration enforcement operation pursuing the, quote, worst of the worst illegal aliens. Brothers Pedro Luis Ortiz Mendez and Jose Vicente Ortiz Mendez are allegedly responsible for two murders that occurred at a patron saint festival in Mexico back in May, 24, where one victim was attacked with a machete and one was shot. The Mendezes entered the U.S. at an unknown date and location and without inspection by an immigration officer, ICE stated, after committing the murders in the Mexican state of San Luis Podossee. Within the release, ICE shared that 70% of its illegal alien arrests were of individuals convicted or charged with a crime within the U.S.

Starting point is 00:02:57 Also, the Texas House Committee on Public Health took up the lower chambers bill banning THC on Wednesday, with medical professionals, industry leaders, and law enforcement descending on Austin to provide testimony on one of the state's most contentious issues. State Representative Gary Van Deaver filed House Bill 5, which is an exact word-for-word copy of the upper chambers bill. The bill would ban any product with cannabinoids other than CBD. or CBG from being sold in Texas, with a 21-year age restriction on who can purchase the remaining legal products from retailers. Senate Bill 3, the THC ban that was passed during the regular session,

Starting point is 00:03:39 was vetoed by Governor Greg Abbott after public pressure to ax the ban continued to mount throughout the session. Abbott then placed the item on the special session call, saying during an interview with the Texan that he is not in favor of a total ban and would like to see strict oversight and regulation of hemp products during every step of the manufacturing process. Last but not least, legislation establishing an affirmative defense to prosecution for human trafficking victims who may have committed crimes while in captivity unanimously pass the Texas Senate, where it will likely die before being refiled during the next special session. Senate Bill 10 by State Senator Tan Parker, creating an affirmative defense to the prosecution for

Starting point is 00:04:23 suspects who were coerced or acted under duress or threat of imminent death or serious bodily injury was refiled after governor gregg abbott vetoed identical legislation passed during the regular session sb1278 also authored by parker and unanimously approved by the texas legislature abbott vetoed it on the basis that the legislation while necessary went too far in its protections potentially opening the door for individuals who freely commit crimes to plead not guilty due to some form of past coercion. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan.

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The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 14, 2025

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