The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 1, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Well, howdy folks. Today is Monday, June 1st, 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, partisan infighting can take a breather now that primary runoffs in Texas have drawn to a close, the end of the line for a particularly tumultuous GOP campaign season defined by endorsements, anti-establishment sentiment, and long-time incumbency losses. As is typical for his style, President Donald Trump had his fair share of influence in the primary runoffs, selectively dubbing certain Republicans as his favored candidates with varied timing and explanations. While loyalty is always expected, Trump's support for Republican candidates is never promised, and often unpredictable.

Starting point is 00:00:52 Two members of the Texas House who voted last year for the very congressional redistricting maps that Trump requested ultimately lost their races, after the president handed the golden ticket to their opponents mid-campaign. Visit the Texan. News to read more takeaways from Texas' primary runoff election. Next, nearly six years after McKinney Police destroyed a portion of her house in pursuit of a fugitive, Vicki Baker has again won a lawsuit against the city in a federal appeals court decision that reinforces Texan's rights to compensation for property damaged by the government. Under an opinion released by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals at the end of May, Baker is entitled to nearly $60,000 based on the value of damages incurred in 2020,

Starting point is 00:01:37 but the award is a mere fraction of the legal costs of fighting the case. Baker's ordeal began in July 2020 when fugitive Wesley Little led police on a high-speed chase after he kidnapped a 15-year-old girl. Little broke into Baker's house, which was then under renovation. A McKinney Police Department SWAT team used an armored vehicle which ran over a fence, tear gas grenades, explosive devices, and other breaching tactics to enter and clear the house, only to find that Little had died by suicide. Baker's insurance did not cover the $60,000 in damage to the home since it was caused by police action, and the city refused to compensate her for the damages. In other news, the state of Texas is suing the city of Denton for a private event being held on its

Starting point is 00:02:24 community center grounds that will include gender-neutral changing rooms, allegedly in violation of Texas law requiring the separation of publicly funded intimate spaces, such as bathrooms by biological sex. The event, called the Big Gay Swim Day and self-described as a private pool party, is scheduled for Saturday, June 7th, and will be hosted at the Denton Civic Center pool in Quakertown Park. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against several elected officials in Denton, including Mayor Gerard Hudspeth on Thursday, aimed at canceling the event entirely and obtaining injunctive relief to prevent the city from future potential violations of the law. Senate Bill 8, also known as the Texas Women's Privacy Act, which passed during the second

Starting point is 00:03:10 special session of the 89th legislature, requires public entities to separate multi-occupancy intimate spaces, such as locker rooms, restrooms, and changing rooms by biological sex. The law does not include private or commercial businesses. Last but not least, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts awarded additional Texas Education Freedom Accounts, or TIFA funding, to almost 3,800 students. The TIFA program was created through Senate Bill 2 during the 89th legislative session, which established education savings accounts that allow parents to pay for a variety of education expenses, such as private school tuition, homeschool materials, tutoring, and more. Tifa, awards around $10,500 to qualifying students, up to $30,000 for students with disabilities, and $2,000 to homeschooled

Starting point is 00:04:03 students. In April, TIFA awarded funds to 42,600 students from the top priority tier, students with disabilities and their siblings from households earning $165,000 or less for a family of four. The second round of awards went to 53,000 Tier 2 students from households with incomes at or below $66,000 for a family of four. Additional funding opened up after participating students either opted out of the program or chose to homeschool. 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 - June 1, 2026

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