The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 23, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Friday, August 23rd, 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 Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw has announced his retirement, saying it has been the greatest honor of his life. The retirement will become effective at the end of the year. No successor was named during the announcement. McCraw said, quote, This department, we've done a tremendous job, and I've been blessed to be able to work with them. And I know that because of the people that we have, the leadership that we have, that we will ensure the right person has

Starting point is 00:00:45 this particular job. Next, according to an internal email sent to KEYE, DPS will now not allow transgender Texans to change their sex on driver's licenses and state ID cards. The policy will allow for a gender change on an ID or driver's license, but only in the case of a clerical error. DPS released a statement on the policy that reads, quote, the Office of the Attorney General has recently raised concerns regarding the validity of court orders being issued that purport to order state agencies, including DPS, to change the sex of individuals in government records, including driver's licenses and birth certificates. It continued, quote, as of August 20th, 2024, DPS has stopped accepting these court orders as a basis to change sex identification in department records, including driver's licenses. In other news,

Starting point is 00:01:38 by and large, voters know where they stand on Senator Ted Cruz, but he sees a path for crossover appeal through the emerging technologies of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. The senator wants the government to create an attractive, lightly regulated environment to allow the same conditions for AI that spurred the American-based internet boom. A February study by the Texas Association of Business estimated that the tech sector in Texas, of which AI is a growing part, netted the state's economy $469 billion in 2022. Then take cryptocurrency, which has flocked to Texas for both its energy prowess and low regulation environment. There are over half a

Starting point is 00:02:19 dozen large Bitcoin mining operations in Texas and lots of smaller, miscellaneous cryptocurrency miners across the state. Also, the Supreme Court of Texas has granted an order to review the direct appeal in the case of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the state of Texas against Catholic charity Annunciation House. Annunciation House, which is located along the U.S.-Mexico border, describes itself as, quote, a volunteer organization that offers hospitality to migrants, immigrants, and refugees in El Paso, Texas. Paxton originally filed the lawsuit in February, arguing that the non-governmental organization has been allegedly facilitating the unlawful entry of illegal aliens into Texas. Paxton sought to halt its operations in Texas and liquidate its assets

Starting point is 00:03:06 after the NGO failed to present certain specified records requested by the Office of the Attorney General. In addition, Paxton has sued the Biden administration over a policy he alleges would allow illegal immigrants to parole in place and receive otherwise unpermitted benefits. The lawsuit alleges that the Biden administration is violating the U.S. Constitution in a new agency rule established on August 19th. That rule establishes a process for certain non-citizen spouses

Starting point is 00:03:35 and non-citizen stepchildren of U.S. citizens to get around federal prohibitions against certain immigration benefits being obtained until after leaving the country and returning in a legal manner, according to the Department of Homeland Security's press release. The filing argues, quote, These provisions of law established by Congress serve as powerful disincentives for individuals to cross the border unlawfully. Indeed, were they not present, there would be no practical reason

Starting point is 00:04:03 for any alien to abide by the law, wait his or her turn, and only come to the United States when the law provides. Last but not least, an independent panel appointed by Houston Mayor John Whitmire recommended additional resources and reforms for the Houston Police Department in order to promote transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness. Independent Review Committee Chair Ellen Cohen said during a presentation of a report to City Council Wednesday, quote, We realize that these recommendations require significant, significant investments in resources, technology, personnel, and infrastructure. After learning last March that 268,920 cases had been suspended since 2016 using a code for lack of personnel, Whitmire tasked the five-member committee with reviewing HPD policies and procedures and analyzing data related to the cases. Thanks for listening. To support The Texan,

Starting point is 00:04:59 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 23, 2024

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