The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 20, 2024

Episode Date: March 20, 2024

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free "Remember the Alamo" hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://thetexan.news/subscribe/The Texan’s Daily Rundown brings you a quick recap of the latest stories in Texas politics so you can stay informed with news you can trust.Want more resources? Be sure to visit The Texan and subscribe for complete access to our in-depth articles, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review! Got questions for the reporting team? Email [e-mail] — they just might be answered on a future Weekly Roundup Podcast.

Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, March 20th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Senior Editor Mackenzie DeLullo, filling in for Rob Lausches, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. Yesterday, less than 24 hours after extending a stay on Texas Senate Bill 4, the Supreme Court of the United States denied the Biden administration's request to pause the bill's implementation while the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals considers the law's constitutionality. Then late last night, in a two-to-one order, a three-judge panel at the U.S. Fifth Circuit voted to lift a stay from the previous ruling

that had temporarily allowed SB4 to go into effect, putting the district court injunction against the law back in place. And today, oral arguments in the Fifth Circuit SB4 to go into effect, putting the district court injunction against the law back in place. And today, oral arguments in the Fifth Circuit SB4 case are being heard now. Stay tuned for more coverage from our team. SB4 would prohibit any foreign national from illegally entering the United States between the ports of entry and also allows state judges to issue deportation orders for anyone charged or convicted of violating the new law. While SB4 continues to ricochet through the courts, Mexico has condemned the Texas law,

stating clearly that it will not, quote, On its official website, the Mexican government lambasted SB4 for, quote, encouraging the separation of families, discrimination, and racial profiling that violate the human rights of the migrant community. The Mexican government said that they will file an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief with the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to, quote, provide information on the impact that this law will have on the Mexican and or Mexican-American community and its effects on the relations between Mexico and the United States.

Growing concerns about unaffordable home ownership have prompted Governor Greg Abbott to signal he will be urging the Texas legislature to address reports of multinational investment firms purchasing single-family homes, pricing ordinary people out of the market. I strongly support free markets, Abbott wrote on X, but this corporate large-scale buying of residential homes seems to be distorting the market and making it harder for the average Texan to purchase a home. The comments came in response to a video that asserted private equity firms are buying up all the single-family homes. The video said the trend will be the death of the middle class,

pointing out figures that claim 44 percent of all single-family homes in America are being purchased by private equity firms. Abbott's call prompted debate between Derek Wilson, chairman of the Texas Young Republican Federation, and former gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines. We don't want the next generation to be rent slaves to mega corporations and rich investors as they get priced out of the opportunity to buy their own home, Wilson stated. This is an emotional response to a problem that doesn't really exist. All investors will stop buying houses when the expenses exceed the rent, Huffines responded, along with offering his solutions such as eliminating property taxes

and balancing the federal budget. With Abbott signaling that large investment firm purchases of single-family homes will be a priority item for him next session, lawmakers will have to take into consideration how those investors are shaping the housing market for better or for worse. A Houston Republican group was forced to reschedule an event with an Israeli official Tuesday after pro-Palestinian protesters warned they would disrupt the event, some threatening violence. The Houston Young Republicans, meeting with guest speaker Livia Link-Revive, a consul general for Israel, was originally scheduled for Tuesday evening at Christian's Tailgate Bar and Grill. But several hours before

the meeting, management notified the group that they could not provide a location for the meeting. The group secured a second location, and within hours, protesters began calling. One threatened to burn down the building if Link-Revive was allowed to speak. Another protester entered the property and began disturbing customers by shouting about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that governs the Gaza Strip. Harris County Constable deputies removed the protester from the premises and issued her a criminal trespass warning. The event's postponement has drawn a statement of solidarity from a local Democratic Party leader, and state lawmakers have pledged to help provide security for a rescheduled event. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit thetexan.news and

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