The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 11, 2024

Episode Date: June 11, 2024

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Howdy folks, today is Tuesday, June 11th, 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, four Republican members of the Texas House who campaigned against their colleagues were censured by the chamber's GOP caucus on Monday evening. In a letter addressed to each of the four members, state representatives Tony Tenderholt, Brian Harrison, Steve Toth, and Nate Schatzlein, the Texas House Republican Caucus Executive Committee issued a strong condemnation. The four members campaigned against multiple of their colleagues, particularly Speaker Dade Phelan and State Representative Glenn Rogers, the latter of whom filed the complaint with the caucus last week.

The four members issued a joint statement following the censure that said, in part, quote, We are proud to have helped many true conservatives join the Texas House, something we will continue to do, regardless of any absurd caucus rules designed to protect the uniparty swamp. At a time when Republicans should be unifying against Democrats, the caucus is divisively punishing conservatives. Next, Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the Biden administration's Health and Human Services Department over a new rule that, quote, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics

in covered health programs or activities. Paxton's lawsuit states, the Biden administration is attempting to exact radical social change by defunding states and health care providers across the country who refuse to provide or pay for dangerous and experimental gender transition medical activities. The effective date of the HHS rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act is set for July 5th of this year. The rule will prohibit discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in certain health programs. In other news, Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza has likely beaten a second attempt to remove him from office under the state's new rogue prosecutor law after a court-appointed prosecutor filed a motion to dismiss the removal action. The case

was originally filed by Austin resident Betsy Dupuis, who said she believed Garza used his office to exert undue influence on police and criminal investigations to procure favorable outcomes for his political allies. Unrelated to the allegations raised in the petition, she cited her own experience being a victim of domestic abuse, contending that the perpetrator received favorable treatment from Garza's office. But in the motion filed last week, Bell County Attorney James Nichols addressed the allegations raised in the petition, explaining his findings that none of them triggered the qualifications for removal from office under the new law.

Also, Senators Ted Cruz and Tim Kaine introduced a bipartisan bill that would require military officers to receive training on the Constitution before their first assignment. The Constitution Orientation Military Mandate Amplifying National Duty Act of 2024, abbreviated as the COMMAND Act, was introduced on Friday. Cruz said in a press release, officers to receive training on the Constitution, but would also require a quote, emphasis on the loyalty of military officers to the Constitution, the centrality of the Constitution to the armed forces officers' commitment, and instruction on the Constitution over aspects relevant to military service. These were described in the bill text as a separation of powers, restrictions on domestic use of powers, and civil military relations. Last but not least, after suddenly canceling an event

featuring a detransitioner activist in April, the city of Fort Worth allowed an event with a panel of speakers, quote, "'Fighting for the Safety of Children from LGBT Ideology, "'The Social Contagion of Transgenderism and P and pornography, end quote, to be held in a city facility. On June 8th, the Latinos United for Conservative Action, or LUCA, of Texas hosted the event at the city's Fire Station Community Center.

According to the city of Fort Worth's statement, it approved the application after reviewing the city's facility rental policy and receiving an acknowledgement from LUCA that it would abide by the city's policies. LUCA Texas Executive Director Carlos Torcios told the Texan, quote, despite the attempts by the city to make the process difficult, we had a good event and people appreciated the information that was provided. 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.