The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 22, 2024

Episode Date: March 22, 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 Friday, March 22nd, 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. President Joe Biden is currently touring Texas on a fundraising visit, having already finished up two events in Dallas and another in Houston on Thursday. Biden landed in Texas on March 20th around 5.45 p.m. and was met by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. He then attended a campaign event hosted by Dallas lawyer Russell Budd, who introduced Biden as the hottest ticket in Texas and said the campaign raised $2.5 million in Dallas. During the backyard speech, Biden touched on a wide range of issues,

including the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal deficit, Donald Trump, and Senator Ted Cruz. Biden said that Texans need to replace Cruz with his Democratic challenger, Congressman Colin Allred in November, saying, quote, You got to, so Ted Cruz joins another loser, Donald Trump, end quote. When Biden landed in Houston for his fundraiser, he was met by Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Harris County Judge Lena Hidalgo, who praised the almost $1 billion for projects Harris County has received. Texas joined 15 other GOP-controlled states in a lawsuit challenging the veracity

of the Biden administration's pause on permit approval for liquefied natural gas export projects. Biden announced the pause back in January to be enrolled by the Department of Energy. The pause was originally set to run through the election, though its full lifespan is unclear. The plaintiffs asked the court to rule the maneuver illegitimate both on procedural grounds, as per the Administrative Procedure Act, and on the merits relating to the maneuver illegitimate, both on procedural grounds, as per the Administrative Procedure Act, and on the merits relating to the Natural Gas Act. They also ask for a permanent injunction against the administration issuing another such directive at any point in the future. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton continues to battle online pornography companies with his

latest effort targeting two operators, Multimedia LLC and Hammy Media, for violating House Bill 1181. The bill requires a website that intentionally publishes sexual material harmful to minors to verify the user's identity through digital identification or a third-party verification system that uses government-issued identification. Websites found in violation of the law will be subject to fines and penalties. Paxton lists the penalties that can be imposed if websites are found in violation of HB 1181, which includes up to $10,000 per day and an additional $10,000 if the company is illegally retaining identification information. Additionally, a company can be fined up to $250,000 if a child who is not properly age-verified is exposed to pornographic material on the site. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration have agreed

to remove social media posts and an online article that warned against off-label use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19, according to an agreement entered in a federal court Thursday. Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a Houston-based ear, nose, and throat specialist, was one of three doctors who filed suit against the federal agency in 2022, alleging that FDA statements were interfering with their ability to treat patients. FDA publications and actions cited by plaintiffs include a 2021 post with pictures of a horse captioned, You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all, stop it, and a link to an agency article titled, Why You Should Not Take Ivermectin to Treat or

Prevent COVID-19. According to Bowden, the original article stated the FDA's official position against using ivermectin without acknowledging that doctors could legally prescribe the drug. According to the agreement, the case has been dismissed with prejudice. Within 21 days, the FDA must remove why you should not use ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19 and delete related posts on X, LinkedIn, and Facebook. The Kerrville City Council is currently considering a new solicitation ordinance to replace the one it adopted in 1968 and last updated in 1991. On March 12th, the ordinance passed the first reading by a vote of 4 to 1, with only council member Roman Garcia voting against it. Garcia has several concerns about provisions within the ordinance, mostly surrounding what he says appear

to be restrictions on political and religious speech. The proposed ordinance will be placed in the business section of the city code, even though it applies both to solicitors, those who enter residential premises for the sale of goods and services, and to canvassers, whose primary purpose of contact at a residence is political, religious, or other non-commercial event. In the ordinance, solicitors and canvassers are both prohibited from conducting their activities at private residences from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.