The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 18, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Tuesday, June 18th, 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 White House has announced details of a plan to give non-citizen spouses and children of U.S. citizens who are illegally present in the United States a path to lawful status. According to a fact sheet on the pending proposal, citizens, non-citizens, spouses, and children who are unlawfully present in the country will be allowed to qualify for lawful permanent residency, something the administration says they are already qualified for. The rule change simply drops the requirement that they first leave the country to apply. Under the

Starting point is 00:00:50 proposal, the non-citizens must have resided in the United States for 10 or more years, satisfy all other legal requirements for citizenship, and be married to or be the child of a U.S. citizen. The Department of Homeland Security will review applicants on a case-by-case basis, who if approved will be given a three-year window to apply for permanent residency and receive a work authorization. Just now, the Texas Ethics Commission gave its unanimous final approval to the change to the Texas Administrative Code that requires a paid-for disclosure statement on social media posts for which the poster received compensation. Next, a federal lawsuit has been filed in the U.S.

Starting point is 00:01:32 District Court for the Northern District of Texas, arguing that two federal laws restricting civilians from carrying firearms into post offices violate the Second Amendment and are asking the court to block the laws. The Firearms Policy Coalition announced the lawsuits, filed on behalf of several Texas residents who say they wish to carry their handguns for self-defense when going to check the mail, but are required by law to disarm before entering the post office. All of the defendants hold licenses to carry handguns. The suit describes their reasons for challenging the laws prohibiting the carrying of firearm into the post office, including how one often carries

Starting point is 00:02:10 large sums of cash and is fearful of being robbed. Another plaintiff described how his post office is in an area with rising crime and would go more often if he didn't have to disarm before checking his mail. Also, Senator Ted Cruz has introduced legislation in an effort to combat, quote, revenge porn and add protections for victims of the crime. The tools to address known exploitation by immobilizing technological deepfakes on websites and networks, or Take It Down Act, will criminalize the publishing of revenge porn, quote, non-consensual intimate imagery uploaded on social media or other online platforms to embarrass or harass the individual depicted. The bill aims to criminalize the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery,

Starting point is 00:02:58 including AI-generated deepfake pornography. It would also mandate that social media platforms and similar websites establish procedures to promptly remove such content upon receiving a notification from the victim. In other news, newly elected Dallas County GOP Chair Allen West has requested an audit of the county's election system. West said in an open letter, quote, there has never been a serious third-party examination and analysis of Dallas's voting system, equipment, processes, procedures, and protocols. Now is the time. West requested that the audit span the elections including and since November 2022. the May 28 Republican primary runoff in Texas' 7th congressional district saw Caroline Kane pull out a narrow victory over opponent Kenneth Amari for the Harris County area seat presently held by

Starting point is 00:03:52 incumbent Representative Lizzie Fletcher. But now, the final results may be in question. On Friday, Amari announced his decision to call for a recount, citing Kane's razor-thin margin of victory of only 44 votes. Cain received 2,539 votes to Amari's 2,495. Last but not least, both the Granbury City Council and the Hood County Commissioner's Court recently called for a forensic audit of the Hood Central Appraisal District. The Granbury Independent School District is planning to consider a similar resolution next week. Granbury Mayor Jim Jarrett proposed the resolution because he is concerned about whether the appraisal district has been following the proper processes and procedures. The resolution passed the City Council with only one vote in opposition by Council Member Eddie Rodriguez, who also sits

Starting point is 00:04:44 on the Hood-Cadd Board of Directors. Jarrett made clear at the City Council meeting that he does not believe any particular person received improper financial gains from the situation, but he does believe that entities and taxpayers were, quote, taken advantage of. Hood-Cadd Chief Appraiser Jeff Law told the City Council that he doesn't believe there is a need to conduct an audit. Thanks for listening.

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The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 18, 2024

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