The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - December 18, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy, folks. Today is Thursday, December 18th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans managing editor Rob Laus, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, a district court judge ruled that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit against Harris County's taxpayer-funded legal defense services for alleged illegal immigrant, may proceed, but refused to grant a temporary restraining order to block further implementation of the program. Paxton filed suit last month after the Harris County Commissioner's Court voted four to one to add another $1.3 million to the Immigrant Legal Services, or ILS fund, created by the court in 2020. The funds are slated to go to several groups providing services for those facing deportation. The county also provides funding for an immigrant resources hotline and had spent at least $8 million

Starting point is 00:01:03 prior to the new allocation approved in September 2025. The Office of the Attorney General called the designated recipient organizations, quote, radical open border activist groups, end quote, and in a lawsuit naming Harris County Judge Lena Hidalgo and all four county commissioners, Paxston argued the ILS program violates a state constitutional prohibition on giving gifts or conferring public benefits to individuals and groups that do not serve a legitimate public end. While the judge agreed with Harris County attorney Christian Menifee that a temporary restraining order was not warranted, she rejected the county's request to have the case dismissed. In other news, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the

Starting point is 00:01:49 Southwestern Public Service Company, known as Excel Energy in Texas, for allegedly causing the 24 Smokehouse Creek fire that killed three Texans and caused over $1 billion in damages. It was the largest wildfire in recorded Texas history, destroying over 15,000 head of cattle and around 138 homes and businesses, and causing lasting damage to agriculture, ranching, and natural resources. In a December 16th press release, Paxton said that excels, quote, blatant negligence killed three Texans and caused unfathomable destruction in the Texas panhandle, end quote. The state's lawsuit claims Excel's utility polls were inspected around January 2024 and that the company was notified sometime in February of the urgent need to replace its polls due to advanced deterioration, adding that some had not been replaced since their original installation in 1936. The fire began on February

Starting point is 00:02:53 26th, 2024. Last but not least, the Board of Directors for the Charter Network KIP, Texas Public Schools, voted to close seven campuses for the 2026-2020 school year. KIP, Texas Public Schools is a regional support organization within KIP Public Schools, a national charter network consisting of 279 public charter schools. KIP stands for Knowledge Is Power Program. In Texas, there are 45 KIP schools serving more than 32,000 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students. The Charter Network assured parents that their students will still retain a place at KIP and that students from closing campuses will be prioritized for placement at receiving schools. Class sizes will remain relatively consistent and students will be provided with mental health and emotional support services during

Starting point is 00:03:47 the transition. Its website said, quote, school-based mental health teams and advice lessons will be available to help students process the change and prepare for milestones like graduation, end quote. 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.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - December 18, 2025

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