The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - July 24, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Well, howdy folks? Today is Friday, July 24th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texan senior editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the addition of a new college entrance exam, the classic learning test, for Texas public universities this week. In a July 23rd letter to Texas University chancellors and presidents, commissioner of high high school, higher education, Wynne Rosser, wrote that a Texas A&M Public Policy Research Institute study, quote, determined the classic learning test, SAT, and ACT are of sufficient rigor and reliability to be used as criterion for college admissions in this state. Classic Learning Test CEO Jeremy Wayne Tate wrote on X, quote, Texas now joins the state university systems of Florida, Iowa, Indiana,

Starting point is 00:01:01 Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, the U.S. Service Academies, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of New Mexico, as the major public institutions of higher education that recognize the CLT. Founded in 2015, the classic learning test describes itself as a test that features, quote, beautiful and meaningful content in addition to assessing timeless academic skills, end quote, and asserts that the purpose of education is to help students become better human beings. The CLT evaluates reading, grammar, writing, and math, and focuses heavily on classic literature and historical texts, starting with the epic of Gilgamesh and ending with Tony Morrison, with an aim to engage students with, quote, influential authors and ideas that have shaped history and culture. In other news, the San Antonio

Starting point is 00:01:53 Independent School District voted five to two to confirm the district's new superintendent, Dr. Adrian Bustillos, who was implicated in a cheating scandal during his tenure at El Paso ISD. A science teacher who progressed into administrative roles, Bustios was previously the chief transformation officer for Aldine ISD and the executive director of the Office of Transformation for El Paso ISD, where he started his education career in 2006. Bustillo's confirmation comes after current superintendent, Jamie Aquino, announced his retirement in March. Bostios was an assistant principal at El Paso High School when the Texas Education Agency put him on probation for his involvement in a district-wide cheating scandal. In May 2017, he received a one-year probated suspension of his teaching certificate.

Starting point is 00:02:44 San Antonio ISD board members Jacob Ramos and Stephanie Torres voted against Bustios, voicing concern about his past. Ramos said at the July 20th meeting, quote, Would we allow a student caught cheating to become valedictorian? Torres told the Texan, quote, I have an elementary, middle, and high school student. How can I justify cheating to them? Last but not least, three individuals living in Texas were indicted on several counts this week for allegedly aiding the Sinaloa cartel, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Two of the three charged are from Amarillo, Lloyd Walter Hall, and Catlin Ann Townsend, while one, Jesus Casada Mesa is a Mexican national residing in Dumas. Another alleged

Starting point is 00:03:28 co-conspirators from Utah. Hall received 12 counts related to him working with the Sinaloa cartel to provide them with material support, specifically firearms, and a number of counts corresponding with that conspiracy. A handful of false statements made to a firearms dealer, possessing a firearm to advance a drug trafficking crime, and conspiracy to straw purchase and traffic firearms. Townsend was charged with fabricating a statement, quote, in required information kept by a licensed firearm dealer. Both Mesa and the individual from Utah were charged with conspiracy to straw purchase firearms and to traffic firearms. The charges were handed down by a federal grand jury in the

Starting point is 00:04:10 Northern District of Texas in late June. 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.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - July 24, 2026

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