The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 7, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Well, howdy folks? Today is Friday, August 7th, 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, President Donald Trump is once again taking aim at birthright citizenship and cracking down on birth tourism in more narrow executive orders after his initial one was blocked by the Supreme Court of the United States. The first in his set of two related executive orders on Thursday identified which children may not be eligible for birthright citizenship, including those who have one or more parents who are employees of a foreign government or embassy, or who were engaged in a commercial transaction, such as a birth tourism scheme, to obtain U.S. citizenship for the child. The latter provision could include ensuring that the mother of the child or a surrogate is living in the U.S. at the time of birth, via said transaction. The other executive order, titled Ending Birth Tourism, directs U.S. Secretary of State

Starting point is 00:01:07 Marco Rubio and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Mark Wayne Mullen to end birth tourism. Defined in Trump's orders as, quote, the entry of any foreign national, or any effort by any foreign national to facilitate entry into the United States via a non-immigrant visa for the purpose of giving birth on American soil. About two months ago, SCOTUS issued a six to three decision to uphold birthright citizenship, going against Trump's broader January 2025 executive order that placed sweeping restrictions on birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens. In other news, amid crafting budget strategies to grapple with an estimated $129 million shortfall in 2017, the Harris County Commissioner's Court approved raises for multiple elected officials,

Starting point is 00:01:58 new positions to accommodate a labor union consultation policy, and up to $2.5 million for an independent investigation into the shooting death of an illegal alien, Lorenzo Salgado, at the hands of U.S. immigration and customs enforcement agents last month. On Thursday, commissioners voted unanimously to provide $2.5 million to the Harris County District Attorney's office to cover costs of labor, overtime, outside counsel, and software for the purposes of the independent investigation. Since the shooting death of Salgado on July 7th, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, but there have been bipartisan calls for an

Starting point is 00:02:47 independent investigation. Governor Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Rangers to also investigate. and state law enforcement has been working with the federal agencies, but local law enforcement and the Harris County District Attorney's Office do not have full access to the evidence. Harris County District Attorney Sean Tier said that while he has not heard anything from DHS, his office had received multiple calls, tips, and emails through a secure portal set up for that purpose. Last but not least, the Burke Law Group, a Houston-based law firm, was awarded $150 million dollars from the federal government to provide legal services to eligible, unaccompanied alien children navigating the immigration process. According to an August 6th notice of intent in the Federal Register,

Starting point is 00:03:35 the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families, and Department of Health and Human Services will award a single-source cooperative agreement worth up to $150 million to the firm. According to the U.S. Code, a cooperative agreement is used to carry out a public purpose when, quote, substantial involvement is expected between the executive agency and the recipient, end quote, as opposed to a grant where funds are distributed with little to no involvement from the federal government, and in the Department of the Interior as deputy solicitor for energy and natural resources. In 2023, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Burke as one of four members of the school land board to manage the sale and leasing of 13 million acres of Texas state lands.

Starting point is 00:04:22 The previous recipient of the Federal Award, the Acacia Center for Justice, claims the Trump administration owes it and its partners over $65 million for counsel provided. Their contract ended on July 31st. 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 7, 2026

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