The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 25, 2025

Episode Date: June 25, 2025

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Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, June 25th 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, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis has announced that Carmelo Anthony has been indicted on first degree murder charges in the killing of Austin Metcalf. On April 2nd, Metcalf, a 17-year-old junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, was fatally stabbed while at a track meet. Anthony, who at the time of the incident was also 17 years old, will be considered an adult under the Texas criminal justice system.

If convicted, he could face a sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison. No date has yet been set for a trial. Next, the US Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest of 11 Iranian nationals, two of whom were in Houston, who were allegedly illegally present in the country amid the ongoing conflict between Israel, Iran, and the U.S. President Donald Trump announced the quote very successful Operation Midnight Hammer on Saturday striking and quote obliterating three of Iran's key nuclear

facilities. Following Israel launching missiles at Iran in retaliation for allegedly furthering its nuclear program. Trump later confirmed it was a collaborative operation between Israel and the U.S. Over the same time span, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement both arrested 11 Iranian nationals and issued a national terrorism advisory, reflecting the department's, quote, commitment to keeping known and suspected terrorists out of American communities. In other news, the U.S. Department of Justice will be closing its investigation into the East Plano Islamic Center's Epic City, a controversial new Muslim-centric residential development outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

A letter from the DOJ, obtained by the Dallas Morning News from Community Capital Partners, or CCP, a development partner in Epic City, states, quote, CCP has affirmed that all will be welcome in any future development and that CCP plans to revise and develop marketing materials to reinforce that message consistent with its obligations under the Fair Housing Act. It continues, quote, based on this information, the department is closing its investigation at this time. Also, the Fort Worth City Council voted on Tuesday, June 24th to join a lawsuit with the city of Arlington against so-called Traveling Housing Finance Corporations, or HFCs,

to stop them from removing millions of dollars in real estate from the city's tax rolls. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order against several HFCs and the Tarrant Appraisal District Chief Appraiser in order to prevent 20 properties from being granted exemptions which would cost Fort Worth approximately $4.4 million annually in property tax revenue. In a year where the city is already expecting to face a budget shortfall, those tax dollars become even more important. Traveling HFCs are nonprofit corporations formed by local governments meant to provide affordable multifamily housing in an area, but they have become a mechanism for seeking tax

exemptions and removing millions of dollars worth of property from the tax rolls. Last but not least, a business owner has filed a federal appeal in a long running property rights dispute that alleges the city of Kima has engaged in violations of the takings due process and equal protection clauses of the US and Texas Constitutions T&W holding LLC owner

of the Palapas Tiki Bar and other businesses on Kimas 6th Street filed the businesses on Kima's Sixth Street, filed the original lawsuit against the city in January 2022. But last summer, Federal Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison agreed to dismiss the case without prejudice on grounds that the suit was not ripe for consideration. In a brief filed with the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month, plaintiff's attorney Brian Kilpatrick, argued that the trial court erred in determining ripeness under precedents set by the federal

courts and disregarded evidence showing the business owner had unsuccessfully sought a remedy with the city's elected officials. 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.