The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 27, 2024

Episode Date: June 27, 2024

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Howdy folks, today is Thursday, June 27th, 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, in a quietly released and vague opinion, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that top officials at an unnamed state agency, believed to be the Texas office of the Attorney General, must testify in front of a federal grand jury next week. The grand jury proceeding is set for July 2nd and is understood to focus on allegations of bribery involving Attorney General Ken Paxton and business developer Nate Paul. Quote, Before the court in this sealed case is a petition for writ of mandamus filed on behalf of a state agency. Unquote. The opinion reads from a three-panel judge issued on Thursday last week but not published until Wednesday night.

The judges on the opinion are Jerry Smith, Leslie Southwick, and Corey Wilson. The timeline laid out in the opinion lines up with the allegations brought to the FBI by now-former employees of the OAG against Paxton, specifically alleging impropriety and abuse of office in connection with Paul. Allegations were brought to the FBI in October 2020, and two months later in December, a subpoena was issued to Paxton at the OAG. Next, in the wake of Texas Children's Hospital whistleblower Etan Haim being indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Senator Ted Cruz has sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney's Office

requesting information regarding the case. The letter addressed to Alamdar Hamdani, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, questions the, quote, selective prosecution and the weaponization of the Department of Justice against political opponents. Cruz writes, This investigation appears to bear the markings of a politically driven prosecution, which has unfortunately been the stock and trade of the present Department of Justice. Cruz detailed Heim's situation where, in conjunction with reporting from Christopher Ruffo, he blew the whistle on how puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone therapies

were being provided to patients during puberty and early adolescence, in addition to gender-affirming surgeries. In other news, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has dismissed Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza's attempt to challenge the recent pardon of Daniel Perry granted by Governor Greg Abbott. The court's decision was made without issuing a formal opinion. Perry was convicted in 2023 of murdering Air Force veteran and Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster, a U.S. Army sergeant. Perry was pardoned by Abbott following a recommendation of pardon and restoration of his firearm rights by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Following the Abbott pardon, Garza said he would be filing a writ of memorandum with the court in an effort to overturn Abbott's pardon. Also, the Dallas City Council voted 12-3 to approve a motion delaying a vote on proposed charter amendments until August 14th. Deputy Mayor Pro Tempore Adam Basildua made the motion, saying he believes the council has, quote, some things to work through, including fine-tuning language and, quote, doing a bit more due, including fine-tuning language and, quote, doing a bit more due diligence on the implications of what's being proposed. The Charter Review has been a year-long process, starting with the creation of a Charter Review

Commission on August 23, 2023. The 15-member commission considered many amendments from citizens, staff, and council members over its months-long review and presented its recommendations to the City Council. Charter review happens every 10 years. Last but not least, Arlington Independent School District passed an unbalanced budget for the 2024- 2025 school year. After several months of work, the school board passed a budget that costs $1.2 billion in total. The district will spend $42 million on its child nutrition fund, $132 million on its debt service fund, $380 million on its capital projects fund, and $676 million on its general fund. The general fund is $25 million out of balance. Originally, it had a

$79 million deficit in its original proposal, but that was later worked down to $74 million. The district is using other resources to get the deficit down to $25 million. At The Texan, your feedback matters. We're constantly striving to improve our content to bring you quality news you can trust, and we need your help to do it. We're constantly striving to improve our content to bring you quality news you can trust, and we need your help to do it. We invite you to take 5-10 minutes to complete our summer survey for 2024. Check your inbox or the description below for a link and share your thoughts on how we can continue to provide you with the best news coverage. As a token of our appreciation, everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a drawing to win a free hat or t-shirt of your choice from The Texan.

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