The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - July 26, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Friday, July 26, 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, the Democratic National Committee's Convention Committee on Rules met on Wednesday and formally adopted a process that will govern the virtual confirmation to select its presidential ticket. DNC Chairman Jamie Harrison spoke at length about the importance of protecting democracy before turning to the replacement process for the presumptive nominee, President Joe Biden. Biden abandoned his re-election campaign after succumbing to a movement by donors and Democratic Party figures calling on him to pass the torch in light of his dismal debate performance just months after winning support from primary voters for a second term. With Biden out, Democrats are now up against an already tight deadline to select a nominee and make it official before the first state ballot access deadline, which is

Starting point is 00:01:05 August 7th for the state of Ohio. Next, preparations for next session's budget process are already moving along as opening day for the 89th Texas legislature inches closer, providing yet another front for the long-running feud between two of the state's top officials. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hagar notified legislators last week that his office projects a $21.2 billion treasury surplus for the end of this fiscal biennium, pending some other appropriations on school finance and Medicaid. The biennium ends at the beginning of September next year. That's a large pot of money legislators will have at their disposal, though not quite as big as the record $32.7 billion surplus last session. Following this notification, the state's top three leaders, Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Speaker Dade Phelan, jump-started the appropriations process, outlining priorities to account for in budget requests. In other news, the U.S. Department

Starting point is 00:02:06 of Justice announced that federal agents had arrested the co-founder of the deadly Sinaloa cartel near El Paso, Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as Mayo Zambada. Reports indicated that he had disembarked an unmarked plane when the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration agents made the arrest. Garcia was the co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel alongside Joaquin Archibaldo Guzman Loera, also known as El Chapo Guzman, who is currently serving a life sentence in federal prison after being convicted earlier this year. Guzman's son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, was also arrested alongside his father's counterpart this week. Both face multiple federal charges for leading the cartel, including manufacturing and trafficking narcotics. A federal grand jury in Brooklyn, New York,

Starting point is 00:02:56 indicted Garcia earlier this year, superseding an earlier indictment from 2003, with prosecutors saying he is a key figure responsible for the fentanyl trafficking crisis. Also, a homeschool family taking a road trip across the U.S. was investigated by Florida Child Services following a targeted online campaign. J.D. Lott, his wife Brittany, and their eight children have extensively documented their road tripping and homeschool journey on Instagram. They first started their travels back in 2018 after converting an old bus into a space where they could live, teach their children, and run their business. The family is originally from Lubbock. On April 30th of this year, J.D. received a message from the Department of Children and Families in Florida stating the agent would need to, quote,

Starting point is 00:03:47 verify the children are safe and that the family would need to comply with the request. A, quote, order to take into custody could be enforced nationwide if the Lott family were not to comply. Last but not least, the Keller Independent School District will ban cell phones throughout the entire school day in the upcoming school year. Superintendent Tracy Johnson presented the proposed policy in a report at the school board meeting on Thursday, July 25th. Johnson said that the majority of disciplinary incidents have been related to cell phone use by students. She cited their use for students to meet up to conduct drug deals in the bathroom, to bully and harass fellow students by recording them on video in compromising positions, and for recording fights and encouraging turf wars. According to the policy, students cannot

Starting point is 00:04:36 have their cell phones powered on during the school day. This includes lunch, passing periods, and field trips. They must place their cell phone in a bag and it must be turned off, Johnson said. It cannot be in a pocket or on their person. 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.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - July 26, 2024

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