The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 13, 2026

Episode Date: May 13, 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 Wednesday, May 13th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Senior Editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, former Texas Lottery Commission Director Gary Grief was indicted for abuse of his position and subsequently defrauding Texas lottery participants, as investigated by the Texas Rangers, although his case was shortly dismissed by a Travis County assistant district attorney. Grief's indictment stemmed from reporting by the Houston Chronicle, which revealed his collaboration as TLC Director with investors to increase their odds of winning through allowing the purchase of each number within the lottery in 2023, a jackpot totaling $95 million. The reporting came out in 2024 just after Grief retired from his position. Grief was indicted

this April on a first-degree felony charge of abuse of official capacity, but was cleared of wrongdoing by a Travis County court about three days after, with little explanation other than the prosecutorial discretion of Travis County Assistant District Attorney Rob Drummond. The TLC was of top priority during the 89th legislative session and was ultimately abolished by lawmakers, who transferred its functions to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and shuttered the commission. Much of the discussion surrounding the abolition of the TLC was related to a controversial February 2025 jackpot winner, who used a courier app called Jackpocket to purchase the winning ticket. In other news, the Transportation Director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments,

the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the 16 County North Texas region, has been reinstated after being removed from his duties on April 28th. The council is a voluntary association made up of representatives of local governments that help plan transportation, environmental concerns, emergency preparedness, and other issues for the region. According to Rick Bailey, chair of the Regional Transportation Council, a policy committee of the Council of Governments, a Tarrant County District Court judge, John Chup, reinstated Michael Morris to his position on May 5th, one he had held for 35 years. Bailey said that Denton County Commissioners originally brought a suit for an injunction to protect Morris's position as the Transportation Director, as well as the Council's position

as the Metropolitan Planning Organization to which the Transportation Director answers. At the heart of the lawsuit is the issue of which body, the Council of Governments or the Regional Transportation Council, is considered the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the area, and therefore has the authority to hire and fire the Transportation Director. Last but not least, the Blanko Pernalas Groundwater Conservation District has submitted a resolution calling for legislative clarity on industrial water rights as data center growth looms in their periphery. A groundwater conservation district, or GCD, is tasked with managing groundwater resources in the public interest in a particular region, per the Texas Water Code. The Blanco Peternales GCD stated that it, quote,

formally opposes data center developments in water-constrained regions, unless developers can prove a sustainable supply and implement robust mitigation. They requested from the legislature both, quote, clarification and protection regarding the regulation of data centers and concentrated demand locations, end quote, and urged lawmakers in the 90th legislative session to clarify that GCDs have the power to, quote, deny permits where resources cannot sustainably support demand. The Texan spoke with Eric Kubinsky, general manager of the Blanco Peternala's GCD, who explained that gaps in statutory and local law cause concerns when large companies with big pockets, like those which operate data centers, have the capacity to sue districts, quote, into oblivion. The district is seeking

coverage from the legislature for such lawsuits. Thanks for listening. To support the Texas please be sure to visit the texan.news to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.