The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 20, 2026

Episode Date: August 20, 2026

The Texan’s Daily Rundown brings you a quick recap of the latest stories in Texas politics so you can stay informed with news you can trust.Want more resources? Visit The Texan for complete access to our in-depth articles, newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to follow us and leave a review!

Well, howdy, folks? Today is Thursday, August 20th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texan senior editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called a press conference on Wednesday, August 19th, to discuss the proliferation of what he called dirty, filthy, and vulgar books in Texas public school libraries. He also promised consequences for those school districts that did. not comply. The topic of the press conference, which was not known ahead of time, was revealed when Patrick was joined by conservative activist Bonnie Wallace, who recently appeared on his podcast to discuss the availability of sexually explicit and other age-inappropriate works in public schools.

Patrick and Wallace revealed poster boards of some of them, and even handed out copies of one book titled, Let's Talk About It, which they said was available in many libraries to children as young as 12 years old. He declared that it would be his priority going forward, quote, to make sure these books are gone from our schools, adding that, quote, we're coming for the books. Next, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas announced a federal initiative to combat abuse in public schools titled Project Safe Schools. According to an August 18th press release, the initiative is, quote, aimed at protecting students, enforcing accountability, and restoring transparency to public schools across North Texas. As part of this initiative, there were two coordinated enforcement actions involving

Forney Independent School District, a civil settlement under the False Claims Act and criminal charges against a former principal and teacher. Forney ISD agreed to pay over $14,000 and adopt enhanced compliance measures in an attempt to, quote, resolve allegations that it submitted false or misleading certifications regarding compliance with mandatory reporting laws when applying for federal funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In other news, the Texas legislature is preparing to address data center development using information reported by the developers themselves, according to state officials. During a lengthy hearing in the Texas Capitol on Wednesday, several public officials told the state affairs committee of the Texas House that agencies do not

comprehensively track data center's water usage or the local tax breaks they receive. The state instead relies on survey responses. The committee heard from Pablo Vegas, CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, and Thomas Gleason, chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the two agencies responsible for managing Texas electric infrastructure. Earlier this month, Governor Greg Abbott asked these agencies to audit all data center projects in the process of connecting to the state's power grid, specifying that the PUC and Ayrkot must learn which projects benefit from state and local tax breaks. Also, state lawmakers are considering using technology to crack down on speeding in school and work zones with an automated system that combines speed detection and automatic

license plate readers to alert law enforcement to potential violations. President of the Associated General Contractors of Texas, Clint Henson told members of the Texas House Transportation Committee during an interim hearing Monday that there were more than 28,000 serious crashes and 203 fatalities in work zones last year. He said that the leading cause of the crashes was speeding and distracted driving. Henson noted that House Bill 3309, which created an exception to a Texas Transportation Code prohibition on municipalities using, quote, automated traffic control systems for the purpose of enforcing compliance with posted speed limits, end quote, pass the House and in 2025 on a bipartisan vote, but did not advance in the Senate. Last but not least, Governor Greg Abbott is being

sued by the state of Minnesota for not allowing the extradition of an immigration enforcement agent criminally charged in Minnesota for his role in a non-fatal assault case. Christian Castro, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer, was charged in May for an incident that occurred in January when he allegedly fired at a closed door while knowing that there were other people on the side. As a result, one person was shot non-fatally in the leg. Castro is currently being held in Cameron County after he was arrested by the Texas Rangers in late May on the criminal charges filed in the state and following a nationwide warrant issued by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. Minnesota Governor Tim Walls sent the extradition request to Abbott on June 2nd.

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