The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 12, 2026

Episode Date: May 12, 2026

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? Visit The Texan for complete access to our in-depth articles, newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to follow us and leave a review!

Well, howdy folks. Today is Tuesday, May 12th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texan senior editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, the Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met with panel members for a hearing on Monday to discuss the New World Screw Worm and Water Disalination, among other items. Both topics have recently put South Texas in the headlines. with Texas announcing the groundbreaking on a sterile fly facility in Edenburg to combat the advancement of the New World screw worm, a parasite that is affecting livestock across South America and Mexico into the U.S., and water supply dilemmas spotlighting in Corpus Christi. The hearing on May 11th covered a range of topics, including municipalities diverting water revenue toward general funds, Texas' response to the screw worm, and an evaluation of desalination feasibility in the state.

Visit the texan.com. News to read reporter Hannah Brewer's breakdown of the committee hearing. Next, new polling from the University of Houston indicates that Alex Miller leads state representative Briscoe Kane in the Republican primary runoff election for the newly redrawn Congressional District 9 seat on the east side of Houston. U.H also found that CD9's current occupant, U.S. Representative Al Green is trailing U.S. Representative Christian Menifee to represent the new boundaries of Houston's historic 18th congressional district. In a survey of 400 likely Republican primary voters taken between May 5th and May 9th, U.H found that 50% of respondents preferred Mueller, while 41% chose Kane and another 9% were undecided. CD9 includes portions of both Harris and Liberty

counties and was redrawn to favor Republicans based on the 2024 election, with a rating of R-60% from the Texans' Texas Partisan Index. But Democrats have targeted the race as one they could hold, based on analysis of the 2018 midterm election and the shifting political landscape in 2006. U.H's survey of 800 likely Democratic runoff voters found green trailing Menefi by 7%. In other news, the Johnson County Commissioner's Court held a specially called meeting on Monday, May 11th, to give residents more information about concerns surrounding the development of data centers, including water and energy usage and possible health implications. County Judge Christopher Bettaker noted that the county does not have any specific data center

projects in the works right now, and no action was taken at the meeting. However, many residents had expressed concerns about the growth of data centers, so the county hosted the informational meeting. The invited speaker was Rita Beving, who works with public citizen, a left-leaning advocacy group founded by environmentalist and presidential candidate Ralph Nader that works on environmental causes, among other issues. Beving pointed out that Texas is second among the 50 states for the growth of data centers and that the Dallas-Fort Worth region is the largest data center market in Texas. Last but not least, a Pasadena mechanic who has been fighting the city to open his shop for more than five years is asking the Supreme Court

of Texas to weigh in on when a resident can sue their local government. Azao Oz Sepulveda purchased property to expand his auto mechanic business in 2021, but the city of Pasadena demanded that he comply with a new regulation that forced him to increase his number of parking spaces from five to 28. An innovation that Sepulveda said would cost approximately $40,000. or half the purchase price of the property, which he said would be physically impossible to fit. After Sepulveda filed suit, the Pasadena City Council approved a settlement agreement in May 2022 that only required seven parking spaces, three in front of the main building and four on the side.

Sepulveda submitted a site plan and engineering drawings in February, 2023, but the city rejected the plans, thus making it impossible for him to apply for a permit. With legal representation from the Institute for Justice, Sepulveda sued for breach of the settlement agreement, but the city claimed immunity. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan.news to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.