The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - December 16, 2025

Episode Date: December 16, 2025

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Howdy, folks. Today is Tuesday, December 16th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans managing editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, Congressman Wesley Hunt introduced legislation to create a national registry and federal task force to combat sexual abuse in schools, known as the National Educator Safety, and Accountability Act of 2025. In a December 9th press release, Hunt said that it is, quote, the responsibility of American leadership, end quote,

to address the issue of sexual abuse in American school systems. The press release added, quote, approximately 10 to 12% of children experienced sexual misconduct or grooming by a school employee before they graduate.

It continued that, quote, multiple incidents in Texas have been reported, end quote, by various news outlets. Educator sexual misconduct has recently made headlines in Texas with the arrest of former Salina Independent School District teacher and coach Caleb Elliott for charges relating to child pornography. His arrest was followed by lawsuits against Elliot and Salina ISD,

including one filed by State Representative Mitch Little on behalf of 17 families. In other news, Mexico and the United States reached an agreement this month after a long-standing water dispute, with Mexico agreeing to release 202,000 acre feet of water to the U.S., which will impact the agricultural economy in South Texas. In 1944, the U.S. and Mexico formed a treaty in which the U.S. agreed to deliver 1.5 million acre feet of water per year via the Colorado River. The Water Treaty also delineates that the, quote, United States has a right to flows from tributaries that feed the Rio Grande in the U.S. United States, and one-third of specified Mexican tributaries flows, which must average at least

0.35 million acre feet per year measured in five-year cycles, end quote. However, since the 1990s, Mexico has not upheld its end of the agreement. Not only were its deliveries under the minimum required amount, but according to the International Boundary and Water Commission, the lack of water delivered, quote, led to the second largest deficit in three decades. A Texas A&M Agri-Life report in 2023 highlights the economic impact of Mexico's undersupply to the U.S. and details the irrigation losses in the lower Rio Grande Valley. According to the report, the total loss for row crops is estimated to be about $43 million. The report also estimated the total loss due to row crops in addition to specialty crops to be approximately $496 million. Last but not least, Texas is suing

five major television companies for their consumer data collection practices, specifically alleging that two of them pose a risk to American consumers due to their ties to China. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed five separate lawsuits against Sony, Samsung, LG, Hysense, and the TCL Technology Group Corporation, kicking off each suit with the same claim that each company's, quote, TVs are watching you back. He alleged that all of these companies use automatic content recognition or ACR technology that, quote, secretly monitors what consumers watch across streaming apps, cable, and even connected devices like gaming consoles or Blu-ray players. The suits assert both that the alleged mass surveillance made possible through ACR technology was never understood.

or agreed to by consumers, and that it violates Texas laws regarding consumer safety practices. TCL and Hysense are based in China, which Paxton highlighted. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the Texan. News and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts. Thank you.