The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - July 10, 2024

Episode Date: July 10, 2024

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Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, July 10th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm Cameron Abrams, reporter for the Texan, and here's the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion remains a major issue for many in the state of Texas, and Senator Brian Hughes spoke recently about additional pro-life measures that will be addressed in next year's legislative session. During an interview on Inside Texas Politics, Hughes said that, quote, a ban on in vitro fertilization will not be going anywhere in the legislature. Hughes also spoke about House Bill 3058, which clarifies when a medically necessary abortion can be carried out. The law states that when a physician exercises,

quote, reasonable medical judgment in a case of an ectopic pregnancy or health risks to the mother, then actions such as an abortion can be taken by that physician. He added there may be more clarifications, saying the following. Everybody's for that. We may need to further clarify the law in Texas on that. Again, we are for protecting those little babies and protecting those moms, and we can do both. So you may see legislation about that next session. Next, one day after Hurricane Beryl tore through southeast Texas, President Joe Biden claimed that he could not immediately distribute federal emergency relief supplies because he had been unable to quote, track down state leaders, a claim vigorously disputed by Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant

Governor Dan Patrick. Patrick is serving as the acting governor, while Abbott has been on a pre-planned overseas junket to promote economic relationships with Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. And Patrick has been managing and coordinating the state response to Beryl. Addressing the president's accusation, Patrick stated, quote, I'm disappointed that President Biden is turning Hurricane Beryl into a political issue. We had a cordial call today that ended up with him granting my request for a major disaster declaration, but that's not good enough for him. He is falsely accusing me that I was not reachable. In other news, Senator Ted Cruz has launched an investigation into whether the Biden administration

used the, quote, obscure Intergovernmental Personnel Act program to fund the salaries of big tech employees as part of an executive order. Cruz explained, quote, To complete every action, agencies would have had to these influential AI fellows are shaping federal policy to benefit their organization's funders and not the American people. Next, some candidates have begun announcing their campaign fundraising hauls ahead of reporting deadlines next week. Senator Ted Cruz announced that he had raised $12.6 million in Q2, raising over $5.6 million, more than the combined Q1 and Q2 of 2018 when he was last up for re-election. Nick Maddox, a campaign spokesperson for Cruz, stated,

This quarter's record-breaking fundraising numbers are indicative of Texans' steadfast support for Senator Cruz, but the job isn't done yet. Senator Cruz will continue working day in and day out to ensure victory in November to keep Texas, Texas. Congressman Tony Gonzalez announced that he had raised $1.7 million in Q2 amid a competitive runoff primary challenge that he faced. Gonzalez said, quote, from fighting tooth and nail for our veterans to securing federal dollars to strengthening our local economy to getting law enforcement the tools they need to keep us safe, my highest priority has always been delivering results. Lastly, outgoing state rep Frederick Fraser filed a defamation lawsuit against his former opponent Paul Chabot. Chabot accused Fraser two years ago of impersonating a code officer when attempting to remove the

former's large yard sign from a Walmart in Collin County. Frazier was eventually charged with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, and impersonating a public servant, a third-degree felony. In December last year, Frazier pled guilty to the criminal mischief charge and no contest to the impersonation charge, which had subsequently been reduced to misdemeanors in the plea deal. The complaint against Chabot reads, Defendant Paul Chabot has perpetrated a systemic and public campaign of defamation against Plaintiff Frederick Frazier, a distinguished retired Dallas police officer and a current member of the Texas legislature representing Collin County, Texas.

The lawsuit asked the court to award monetary relief between $250,000 and $1 million. Thanks for listening. To support The Texan, please be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.