The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - January 8, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy, folks. Today is Wednesday, January 8, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lausches, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas GOP Chair Abraham George's two-day barnstorming tour was formally about the Texas House Speaker race, but it also looked like a test run for a potential primary challenge against Senator John Cornyn. Paxton drew large crowds on Monday and Tuesday across the state, making stops in Fort Worth, Tyler, Leander, and the Woodlands. The events were aimed at GOP state representatives who are backing Representative Dustin Burroughs for Speaker. The events were aimed at GOP state representatives who are backing

Starting point is 00:00:45 Representative Dustin Burroughs for Speaker. Those targets were Representatives Charlie Guerin, John McQueenie, Giovanni Capriglione, Jay Dean, Cody Harris, Cole Hefner, Terry Wilson, and Will Metcalf. The message to Republican activists in attendance was clear. Pressure those members and the rest backing boroughs to support state representative David Cook instead, or be primaried in 2026. What was once an inside baseball process with little prevalence outside the Capitol is now playing out in the public square. And this tour, with hundreds of people at each stop, is another data point along that trend line. And while legislative records between Cook and Burroughs are

Starting point is 00:01:25 bantered about, this contest isn't about that at all. It's about personalities, alliances, process changes, and the overarching political fight to control the state's majority party. Next, in what could be the last committee hearing of the 88th legislative session, a group of Texas House and Senate members gathered to discuss the growing issue of social media's impact on children's physical and mental health. The Joint Committee to Study the Effects of Media on Minors, headed up by co-chairs Senator Brian Hughes and Representative Jared Patterson, was brought together to bring, quote, more attention and more focus to the issue. Patterson led off the hearing by alerting the committee that the social media

Starting point is 00:02:05 companies such as X, Meta, Snap, and TikTok did not send representatives to provide testimony. Patterson has already filed a bill for the upcoming session that would prohibit anyone under 18 years old from using social media platforms. In other news, a former Harris County misdemeanor court judge who campaigned as a Democratic Socialist and vowed to, quote,, citing 31 findings of fact, but he appealed the decision and publicly referred to the state board as political hacks, while blaming then-Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. The SCJC issued a second reprimand for Bynum in October for making false statements related to Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht and Administrative Court Judge Susan Brown. A special court of review,

Starting point is 00:03:05 consisting of a three-judge panel chosen by Lott from the state's appeal courts, held a hearing last November to consider Bynum's appeal, and last month issued a 40-page opinion upholding the sanctions. The panel, which included one Democrat, Chief Justice Robert Burns of the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals, and two Republicans, Justices Bruce Williams and Jeff Rambin of the 11th and 6th Courts of Appeals, respectively, cited multiple instances in which Bynum violated Texas government code, the Texas Constitution, and multiple canons of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct. Last but not least, Matt Krause was sworn in as the new commissioner for Precinct 3 on the Tarrant County Commissioner's Court on January 1. He replaces longtime commissioner Gary Fickus, who retired after 18 years in the position.

Starting point is 00:03:52 Krause, who lives with his wife and five children in Keller, served as a state legislator for 10 years representing House District 93 before seeking the county office. He believes that his legislative experience lends itself to his work as a Tarrant County Commissioner. Krause told the Texan in an interview on January 6th, quote, I feel like I was uniquely fitted for this county commission role because of my time in the legislature, end quote, adding that he learned to build and cultivate relationships even with those on a different side of the issues with which he may not agree all of the time. He believes eliminating inefficiencies and reducing spending without any cut to services is a bipartisan issue around which the court can find agreement. Thanks for listening. To support The Texan, please be sure to visit thetexan.news and

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The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - January 8, 2025

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