The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 17, 2025

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

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Howdy folks, today's Tuesday, June 17th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lauschus, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, the Republican Party of Texas is on a collision course with the Texas state government and perhaps towards a legal fight over closing the party's primary. Over the weekend, the Texas GOP's State Republican Executive Committee amended its Rule 46, which was adopted at the 2024 state convention. The new language of the rule was amended to include that a voter must register with the Secretary of State as a Republican in order to cast a ballot in the Republican primary. The change was hashed out by the party's attorneys in executive session

and then passed by the full SREC. Next, Texas has opened investigations into 33 alleged non-citizens who voted in the November 2024 general election following Secretary of State Jane Nelson's referral of the cases to Attorney General Ken Paxton. After Nelson gained access to a federal citizenship database, which she used to cross-reference the voter rules, her office reported on June 5th that it had found evidence that 33 individuals who voted in the previous election are not US citizens. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services SAVE database, an online service utilized by government agencies for verifying immigration and naturalization status, was made available to the SOS after an executive order by President Donald Trump,

which laid out a variety of directives and requirements to state agencies related to ensuring election integrity across the nation. In other news, death row inmate Robert Roberson's execution has been delayed on multiple occasions over the course of the past year, but now Attorney General Ken Paxton has requested that the Anderson County District Court set a new date. The update on the status of Roberson's execution was provided by his attorney, who has also filed a counter motion to, quote, request an opportunity to be heard before the court considers the OAG's request for an execution date. The motion states that Roberson maintains that he is actually innocent of the capital crime for which the state seeks to execute him. Roberson's case stems from his conviction of capital murder

and sentencing in 2003 in connection with the death of his two-year-old daughter Nikki Curtis in 2002. Also Senate Bill 3, a ban on the manufacture, possession, and sale of certain consumable THC products in Texas is among the most contentious pieces of legislation to pass during the 89th session. While the bill has less than a week for Governor Greg Abbott to act upon it, new polling has been released that provides indications of negative views of Texans on the issue. Fabrizio Lee and Associates, a public opinion firm known for being the go-to pollster for President Donald Trump, has released survey data that finds 61% of survey respondents

oppose Abbott signing SB3 into law. When looking at the partisan breakdown, 44% of Republicans oppose the ban being signed, while 66% of independents and 80% of Democrats are against it. A majority, 52%, said they were aware of the potential ban on THC-derived products, and of that majority, 57%, said it has made them feel less favorable toward the Texas Legislature. Last but not least, President Donald Trump's newly established Commission on Religious Liberty, over which Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick presides as chair, held its first hearing on Monday in

Washington, D.C. The commission, announced by Trump four months into his presidency, was created via an executive order with a stated goal to, quote, safeguard and promote America's founding principle of religious freedom. Its key planks are specifically focused on determining threats and responses related to parental rights in education, school choice, and conscience protections, as well as houses of worship, free speech for religious entities, and institutional autonomy. Its advisory board's makeup was determined on May 16th, designating Patrick as chair and Dr. Ben Carson as vice chair.

Other members of the commission, specifically noted by Patrick in a social media post prior to the meeting on Monday, include TV host Dr. Phil McGraw, Pastor Franklin Graham, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Pastor Paula White. Plus, quote, some of the nation's preeminent scholars and experts on religious liberty. 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.