The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 24, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Well, howdy, folks. Today is Monday, August 24th, 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, a Kaufman County District judge denied Carmelo Anthony's bid for a retrial this past weekend after he was recently convicted of murder following a jury trial in Collin County. Anthony was convicted after the April 2025 stabbing of Austin Metcalf, a fellow high school student at a track meet. Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison and will be eligible for parole in 17 and a half years. The Stand With Carmelo Coalition, an advocacy group in support of Anthony, stated about the retrial denial that they were disappointed but not deterred by the ruling. Democratic State Representative James Talarico, who is currently running for Texas U.S. Senate, seat in the 26 election, recently made waves during an interview with weekday radio show The

Starting point is 00:01:06 Breakfast Club when he was asked about his perspective on Anthony's conviction. Talariko said, quote, I'm not an expert on this case, but I know there were no black members of the jury, and to me, that's the only evidence you need to really prove that the system is not working for Black Texans, end quote. GOP elected officials responded to Tala Rico's recent comments, including his opponent in the U.S. Senate race, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who stated on X in reference to the recent interview, quote, James Talarico sides with a murderer. In other news, Paxton released a new plan on data centers and artificial intelligence on Monday. He proposed new federal regulations that would affect everything from how data centers are built and powered to how

Starting point is 00:01:51 companies are held responsible for illegal content. In a press release from his campaign, Paxton pledged to author two bills related to data centers. First, he said he would author legislation prohibiting the use of Chinese technology to power American data centers or be used in their infrastructure. Paxton also said he would introduce a bill that would hold, quote, data center companies criminally liable if the center empowers AI chatbots that undermine children's safety. The plan sparked a row between Paxton and Tala Rico, with both accusing each other of being beholden to the Center industry. In his own press release, Talariko said, quote, Ken Paxton has taken nearly half a million dollars from the data center industry,

Starting point is 00:02:35 voted to flood Texas with data centers by giving them billions in tax handouts, and has refused to use his power as Attorney General to respond to Texans' requests to block data center development in their communities, end quote. Data centers have become a flashpoint in the 26 midterm elections, with public opposition to them mounting and members of both. parties rushing to endorse regulations on their operation and construction. Last but not least, it took nearly all day Thursday for the Texas House Committee on Public Health to discuss a plethora of interim charges, including social media's impact on youth and infant mortality prevention,

Starting point is 00:03:14 while also establishing a new subcommittee on women's health. The committee kicked off with Chairman Gary Van Deaver formally establishing the new subcommittee on maternal health, menopause, and access to evidence-based medicine, which will focus on issues related to women's hormonal health. As lawmakers discussed one of the interim charges, the impact of social media on youth, individuals on both sides of the aisle expressed similar levels of concern over social media algorithms and minors access to and heavy consumption of content on such platforms. Several committee members expressed dismay at the various methods by which social media algorithms are believed to be shaped, including, quote, by pupil dilation, how you're engaging with the

Starting point is 00:03:58 content, and whether it gets your heart rate activated. The issue will once again bring the subject of the government's role in regulating private companies intersecting with parental responsibility and the corresponding legislation's odds in court back to the Texas legislature's attention in the 90th session beginning in January. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan dot news to get full access to all of our articles newsletters and podcasts

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 24, 2026

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.