The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 18, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Well, howdy folks. Today's Thursday, June 18th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texan senior editor Rob Lauchess, and here's the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick joined the Texans reporter Meredith Dyer at the Republican Party of Texas' 26th State Convention to discuss Texas U.S. Senate race, other primary results, and the interim charges the Texas Senate is working on prior to the 90th legislative session. Visit the texan. news, YouTube, or wherever you get podcasts to listen now. In other news, the Supreme Court of Texas has unanimously sided with a Texas man in ruling that the government cannot restrict gun rights for casual drug users. The case involves a dual citizen of Pakistan and the United States,

Starting point is 00:00:54 Ali Himani. In 2019, Himani, the subject of an FBI investigation that found he was connected to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps was stopped at the Texas border. He was not arrested at the time. The FBI had additional information that not only was Himani connected to a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization, but that he was dealing drugs. Eventually, the FBI obtained a warrant to search the home he shared with his parents, at which time a handgun, cocaine, and marijuana were all discovered. Himani was indicted by a grand jury, not for foreign terrorism charges, but under the federal statute that it is unlawful for a person addicted to or using a controlled substance to possess a firearm, quote, in or affecting commerce.

Starting point is 00:01:40 Himani moved to dismiss the indictment, arguing that the statute violated his Second Amendment rights and conflicted with Second Amendment precedent. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with Hamani's argument. However, the government sought Scotus' review of the lower court's decision, and on Thursday, the High Court announced its decision, delivered by Justice Neil Gorsuch. Gorsuch stated that the government's argument, which attempted to draw a parallel between, quote, present regulations and historical laws addressing habitual drunkards,

Starting point is 00:02:10 end quote, did not hold against Second Amendment violation claims by Himani. Other justices also rebutted the government's comparison of chronic alcoholism to casual marijuana use by Himani. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that, quote, marijuana use today is like alcohol use at the founding. It is widespread and increasingly considered socially acceptable in many quarters. Last but not least, Hassan Algarawi, an Iraqi national living in Sugarland, was sentenced to federal prison last week for his role in a conspiracy to illegally export firearms to Iraq. After nearly two hours of deliberation, a jury found Algarawi guilty of one count of, quote,

Starting point is 00:02:52 conspiracy to violate export control laws. The jury also found him not guilty of smuggling or attempting to smuggle three types of pistols to Iraq. Algarawi's verdict came down on October 1st, 2025, following a three-day trial. He was arrested in September 2021. His sentence includes 63 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $5,000. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas stated in a press release that, from November 2020 through June 2021, Al-Garawi, quote, conspired with others to knowingly stockpile, conceal, and transport firearms in vehicle parts bound for Iraq. The jury was presented with information that stated Al-Garawi received two deliveries of firearms

Starting point is 00:03:39 totaling 77 weapons, which he stockpiled in his home, and that in June 2021, quote, authorities observed Garawi load firearms into his vehicle and transport them to a storage facility. Algarawi's sentencing records are yet to be released to the public, but he filed for an appeal on Tuesday, June 16th. 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 18, 2026

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