The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 22, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Thursday, August 22nd, 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. First up, Texas is the nation's energy powerhouse and running on a fracking ban is a losing strategy, a fact that presidential hopeful Vice President Kamala Harris knows from walking back her position during the 2020 presidential race. Just below her on the Texas Democratic ticket, Congressman Colin Allred is also trying to make inroads with the oil and gas industry in his run for U.S. Senate. Last week, Allred held a roundtable event at an electrical workers' union hall with a group of oil and gas workers, at which he called for an

Starting point is 00:00:51 all-of-the-above approach on energy. It's a difficult fault line to walk, something then-candidate Joe Biden had to tow during his 2020 campaign, between the progressive wing that wants to cease all use of fossil fuels and the blue-collar moderates who depend on it, either indirectly through consumption or directly through employment. All Red's website's platform adds, quote, For the last 100 years, Texas has been an energy leader, and Collin will continue to support responsible oil and gas production as he has done during his time in Congress. But energy is one of

Starting point is 00:01:26 the biggest issues his opponent, Senator Ted Cruz, has hit him on. Next, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the execution of multiple search warrants in three Texas counties as part of an ongoing election integrity effort. Frio, Atascosa, and Bayar counties were each mentioned as part of the investigation. Paxton explained in a press release that in 2022, the Office of the Attorney General's Election Integrity Unit received a referral from Audrey Lewis, the district attorney for Texas' 81st Judicial District, concerning allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting during that year's elections. After a two-year investigation, he said, enough evidence was gathered

Starting point is 00:02:06 to justify obtaining search warrants. Paxton said, quote, "'We were glad to assist when the district attorney referred this case to my office for investigation. We are completely committed to protecting the security of the ballot box and the integrity of every legal vote. This means ensuring accountability for anyone committing election

Starting point is 00:02:25 crimes. In other news, a Texas state senator, a House member, and several House candidates have joined in expressing concerns about the Texas Department of Transportation's decision to purchase the Highway 288 toll road in Harris County for $1.7 billion and continue charging tolls for its users. Representative Briscoe Cain raised questions about the decision and how much it will ultimately cost taxpayers. Cain inquired in his letter posted on X, quote, How much will this cost taxpayers to pay for this existing highway,

Starting point is 00:02:58 given that TxDOT plans to issue bonds at today's rates to pay itself back for the purchase of the road? Senator Mays Middleton also sent a letter to Chairman Bruce Bugg of TxDOT expressing his concern about the plan to continue charging tolls on Highway 288 even after purchasing it with taxpayer dollars. Middleton stated in his letter, quote, this is a form of double taxation and is antithetical to Texas' business-friendly reputation. He also pointed out that the tolls that will be charged after the purchase have the same built-in profit rate as the private toll operator, which Middleton said is far above maintenance costs. He called on

Starting point is 00:03:36 TxDOT to eliminate the tolls on the road entirely. Last but not least, after receiving approval from the Board of Regents on August 9th, Texas State University announced that it is opening a new satellite campus in Carretero, Mexico. According to the university's star, the satellite campus could potentially generate up to $10 million in revenue for Texas State. Texas State President Kelly Dampus said, quote, It'll be like a Texas State degree degree just being taught in another location. The degrees at the New Mexico Satellite University will be valid in both the U.S. and Mexico. The website currently plans to offer degree programs in computer science, biochemistry, mass communications,

Starting point is 00:04:17 and international relations. Programs will be taught 100% in English and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Thanks for listening. To support The Texan, please be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 22, 2024

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