The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 17, 2025

Episode Date: March 17, 2025

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Howdy folks, today is Monday, March 17th and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans reporter Cameron Abrams and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, one of Texas' jail booking facilities for criminal illegal aliens is closing due to President Donald Trump's, quote, decisive and swift leadership on the border crisis, per a directive issued by Governor Greg Abbott. The facility located in Jim Hogg County was established in February 2022 as part of Operation Lone Star, a joint operation between Texas' military forces and its Department of Public

Safety to secure the border. House Bill 9, passed in 2021, allocated $1.8 billion of taxpayer dollars for statewide border security efforts over the following two years. It also included provisions for the creation of three jail booking facilities. The facilities are used to process illegal aliens convicted of border related criminal activities such as trespassing to ensure quote enough jail capacity in border county jails. Prior to the establishment of the Jim Hogg County facility Abbott set up one in Vale Verde County. His office did not respond to whether Texas will also close the facility in Vale Verde.

Next, quote, race exclusionary practices at two Texas universities are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education, according to an announcement by U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon last week. Rice University and North Texas University are two of the 45 universities listed by the DOE as being allegedly in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by partnering with the PhD project. A University of North Texas spokesperson told the Texas Tribune in January that the university, quote, Tribune in January that the university, quote, discontinued its affiliation with PhD project in early 2024, continuing and is working with them to remove our name from the list of partners.

The PhD project, according to an archived About Us page from 2022, states its goal of, quote, diversifying the corporate America by diversifying the role models in the front of classrooms. Stay tuned for more news updates after this short message. Data centers fuel 364,000 Texas jobs, generate 3.5 billion dollars in state and local taxes, and power essential services like banking, healthcare, and video calls. With 21 connected devices per household and soaring data demands, these hubs drive Texas' booming economy, shape its technological future, and keep your data here in the U.S.

To learn more, visit centerofyourdigitalworld.org slash Texas. Now returning to your daily Texas news. In other news, the Texas Senate overwhelmingly approved a pay increase for judges across the state Thursday, but with added accountability and transparency requirements that include strengthening the state's Judicial Oversight Commission. Senator Joan Huffman's Senate Bill 293 expands the definition of official misconduct to include judges and magistrates who engage in, quote, persistent or willful violations of state code governing bail or who fail to meet

deadlines set by statute or binding court order. Senator Huffman said, I share the growing concern of many in our state about the current condition of our judiciary. It's troubling to see instances where judges appear to stray from upholding the law as it's written, undermining the trust we place in our legal system. This is especially critical when it comes to bail decisions involving violent offenders where lives are at stake." Huffman added that complaints about delays in processing cases included criminal, civil, and family courts.

Also on Friday, Keller Independent School District Board President Charles Randclev and Interim Superintendent Corey Wilson informed the public that Keller ISD would no longer be pursuing detachment of a portion of the district. The letter stated, after months of vetting, we've identified a major obstacle, managing our existing bond debt. The district currently carries over $700 million in debt from previous bonds. Under a reshaping scenario, distributing this debt fairly would require tens of millions in additional funding.

Resources we simply do not have. This added financial burden would not best serve the Keller ISD students and community. It went on to state that there were potential benefits to reshaping Keller ISD and that the challenges could not have been fully understood without exploring the option. Board member Joni Smith, who has vocally opposed the detachment plan, praised the decision on social media, and urged others who had opposed the plan to join together and move forward. Last but not least, in the latest episode of our Smoke-Filled Room podcast, Senior Editor McKenzie DeLulo and Senior Reporter Brad Johnson take listeners on a catch-all review of the

89th legislative session so far, from school choice to Texas House and Senate committee fights to a newly vacant statewide office. Listen to more episodes of Smoke-Filled Room at thetexan.news or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.