The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - July 23, 2026

Episode Date: July 23, 2026

The Texan’s Daily Rundown brings you a quick recap of the latest stories in Texas politics so you can stay informed with news you can trust.Want more resources? Visit The Texan for complete access to our in-depth articles, newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to follow us and leave a review!

Well, howdy folks? Today is Thursday, July 23rd, and you're listening to the Texans' Daily Rundown. I'm the Texan's senior editor, Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, an injunction against a midwife and her group of clinics, accused of providing abortions to Texas women, was reversed on Thursday after a court found that the state did not provide sufficient evidence to uphold the order. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the arrest of Maria Margarita Rojas in March 2025, the first as a result of Texas abortion ban following the overturning of Roe versus Wade in the summer of 2022. Rojas is the owner of multiple clinics across Houston where abortions were alleged to have been

provided to mothers. A judge in the 506th Waller County District Court granted Paxton's request for a temporary injunction against Rojas and her clinics that month. Rojas was indicted on on 15 felony counts that June, as were eight others in October in connection with her alleged Houston abortion operation. She was re-indicted in June 26 on 22 counts by a Waller County grand jury. Next, a coalition of residents called grassroots Granbury has filed recall petitions, collected signatures for vote of no confidence, and filed a lawsuit against City of Granbury officials, calling for accountability and transparency regarding the city's supposed data-centered developments. Fewer than 100 signatures are needed to qualify for a citizen initiative,

which will put the recalls on the November ballot for the mayor and four city council members. On July 9th, 2025, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued an air permit to bilateral energy for a site on Knox Ranch, the source of contention for grassroots Granbury. Bilateral energy describes itself as a company that, quote, designs and delivers private power infrastructure for today's most demanding workloads, data centers, AI, and high-performance compute. In other news, the state of Texas cancel the contract with a Dallas area child welfare agency after months of evaluating the company's child safety practices, following the deaths of two infants and the hospitalization of another child.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services cited the child safety failures of Empower a petition filed on March 16, 26, maintaining that its systemic failures created, quote, imminent danger to the children under conservatorship. Empower operates in Texas Foster Care Services Region 3E, an area which encompasses much of the eastern Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, including Dallas, Colin, Navarro, and Rockwall counties. When it comes to foster care, Texas follows a community-based care model,

which has shifted foster care's managing authority from the state to private companies and non-profit organizations. Also, amid a likely decrease in homicide rates across the nation, both Dallas and Austin have experienced an increase in homicides compared to last year, with Austin's homicide rate for the first half of 26, apparently 74% higher than in 2019. According to a new study released Thursday, commissioned by the nonpartisan Council on Criminal, justice, the study examined patterns for 13 types of crime in 36 U.S. cities. It found that reported homicides appear to have dropped by 18% from the same period in 2025 and by 51% since the 22 peak. Of the 30 cities reporting homicide rates, Arlington saw a decrease of 60% and Dallas

saw an increase of 30% compared to the first half of 2025. Last but not least, facing pressure to cut spending and possibly raise taxes, the city of Austin is considering a $5.5 million reduction in social services grants, among other programs. The latest draft budget prepared by the city asks for lighter cuts than previous estimates proposed. During a budget meeting on Wednesday over, quote, community health and sustainability, homelessness and housing, and social service grants, end quote, council members debated which programs in the latter category to put on the chopping block. These programs operate through vendors that the city pays with grants, not through municipal departments, which have their own operating budgets. The city allocated $74 million to social services

grants in the fiscal year 2026 budget, according to the city manager. 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.