The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 31, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Well, howdy, folks. Today is Monday, August 31st, 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, the State Board of Education will meet this week to hear public testimony and hold final votes on revised standards for high school social studies and a personal financial literacy course. In June, the Board passed revised K-8 social studies standards. the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS, following months of contentious debate and public attention. Tensions had mounted between groups who favored the revised TEKS and encouraged members to vote for standards that promote American exceptionalism, and those opposed who felt that history was being whitew whitewashed through the process. The SBOE postponed discussion and final votes for social

Starting point is 00:00:58 studies teaks for high school courses in U.S. history, world history, U.S. government, and world geography to the September meetings. The SBOE will meet this week from Monday, August 31st through Friday, September 4th. Follow the Texans reporter Meredith Dyer on social media for live updates on the meetings. In other news, President Donald Trump visited Houston for a two-day trip last week that included a fundraiser for Attorney General Ken Paxton, Texas' Republican-Uroupen. Texas' Republican U.S. Senate candidate this year, and an event at the National Areonautics and Space Administration's Johnson Space Center. Paxton, locked in a close race with State Representative James Talaico, has been the subject of recent hand-wringing from some national Republicans who are nervous about his

Starting point is 00:01:45 chances. Recent polling has consistently shown Paxton tied or behind Tala Rico. Exacerbating the worries is fundraising, which shows a stark gap between the U.S. Senate candidates. Some Republicans strategists have urged an intervention from MAGA, Inc., Trump's own super PAC that's sitting on $403 million in cash on hand. That hasn't happened yet, but Trump's Houston fundraiser is a sign he's engaged with the race and is looking to help Paxton close the gap. According to an invitation obtained by the New York Times, tickets to the Houston fundraiser started at $10,000 per person. John Link, senior vice president of data at the polling intelligence and analytical firm Ad Impact, told Houston public media he expected, quote, just about $440 million in total spending, end quote, by the time ballots are cast in November. Last but not least, a former Houston police officer pleaded guilty to abusing his authority as law enforcement in his falsification of information used to obtain a search warrant that resulted in a no-knock raid and, two murders for which the officer is already serving time. Gerald M. Goins pleaded guilty to making

Starting point is 00:02:57 false claims, including that a resident had sold illicit drugs to a confidential informant, and that other customers had bought drugs from the resident in prior weeks in an affidavit that was necessary to obtain a search warrant, known as a color of law violation. Goins was a senior narcotics officer with the Houston Police Department. The No Knock warrant was executed in January 2019 and became known as the Harding Street raid when officers shot and killed a couple in their home. The raid added fuel to the fire in regards to a particular scrutiny of HPD, with activists and some Houston City Council members calling for the department to be defunded or similarly financially impacted. This occurred amid anti-police protests that followed the death of George Floyd

Starting point is 00:03:43 in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2020. Due to his role in leading the raid, Goins was charged with the murder of Dennis Tuttle and Regina Nicholas, who were shot and killed alongside their dog during the drug bust. He was indicted in 2019 on two counts of murder and found guilty at trial, and is currently serving a 60-year prison sentence as a result. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan.News to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 31, 2026

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