The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 14, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Tuesday, May 14th, 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. First up, the state's top prosecutor in El Paso continues to face unexpected procedural challenges in the prosecution of several hundred illegal aliens who stormed Gate 36 on the Rio Grande during the March 21st event that injured Texas National Guard soldiers and damaged public property. The rioting suspects have seen three friendly decisions by local El Paso judges, the first being a decision by Magistrate Judge Humberto Acosta to release the suspects on personal recognizance bonds. However, an immigration detainer request from Customs and Border Protection prevented their being released from county jail.

Starting point is 00:00:53 The second event was Judge Ruben Morales' first order to dismiss the charges. This prompted El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks to quickly re-present the cases to the grand jury, which issued misdemeanor indictments against all of the suspects. However, Hicks was faced with another hearing called by Morales with what he described as, quote, insufficient notice or documentation. Morales then issued the second order, dismissing all of the charges. Next, Congresswoman Beth Van Dyne introduced the, quote, Hamas Supporters Have No Home Here Act to the U.S. House on May 1st, proposing an amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act by expanding

Starting point is 00:01:31 its removability terms to include aliens charged with crimes while participating in pro-terrorism or anti-Semitic demonstrations. This comes amid pro-Palestine protests and rallies on college campuses across the country, including the University of Texas at Austin, where protesters have clashed with Department of Public Safety officers and dozens of arrests have been made. The Immigration and Nationality Act was enacted in 1952, shaping the immigration system of the United States by influencing who enters, resides, exits, works, or becomes a citizen in the country. Van Dyne's bill proposes to amend the act by adding, quote,

Starting point is 00:02:10 the removability of aliens who are charged with any crime related to their participation in pro-terrorism or anti-Semitism rallies or demonstrations. In other news, a medical negligence case recently decided by the Supreme Court of Texas also has implications for pro-life issues. Griselle Velasco sued her doctor for not performing a sterilization procedure she requested after receiving a cesarean section during her third childbirth, after which she became pregnant with a fourth child. Velasco sued for a type of medical negligence, which some states refer to as wrongful pregnancy. The Texas Supreme Court rejected that term, finding the label, quote,

Starting point is 00:02:49 more confusing than illuminating. Velasco was refunded $400 for the sterilization procedure. She also sought non-economic damages, such as mental anguish and pain and suffering, but the court denied those. Judge Rebecca Huddle wrote, We disagree for the fundamental reason that Texas law does not regard a healthy child as an injury for which a parent should be compensated, but rather as a life with inherent dignity and profound, immeasurable value. Also, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced during a rally in Austin on Monday that

Starting point is 00:03:21 he had collected the necessary number of signatures for ballot access as an independent candidate for president in Texas. In Texas, an independent candidate must submit an application with 113,151 signatures of registered voters who did not vote in the presidential primary of either main party. On Monday, Kennedy turned in his petition to the Secretary of State's office with 245,572 signatures. The Kennedy campaign now says it has collected the necessary signatures to gain ballot access in 14 states. After that, the Austin Police Department has posted its five-year strategic plan with a focus on making Austin the safest city in America. In an effort to address crime, the APD plans to, quote, explore alternative strategies to effectively respond to calls and best meet the needs of our community. Some of these alternative strategies include utilizing the Resource Intensive Service Calls Unit, which provides direct and efficient support to calls for service

Starting point is 00:04:21 which require additional time and expertise. APD will also be implementing the Collective Sex Crimes Response Model and reintroducing CompStat, a police performance and organizational data collection system. APD also stated it has a total of 2,152 people on staff, 1,458 of which are sworn officers. Last but not least, the state of Texas should explore buttressing its growing liquefied natural gas industry in the wake of the federal government's pause on exports, a select committee has asserted in its new report. The Texas House Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG Exports issued its findings this week, following a hearing at the beginning of May. four of the five appointed

Starting point is 00:05:05 members signed the final report, the only one not to sign being one of the two Democrats, State Representative Mary Ann Perez. Speaker Dade Phelan, whose district contains the Port Arthur LNG Export Terminal, commissioned the evaluation after the Biden administration announced a pause on approval of new LNG export permits. Texas and 15 other states sued the U.S. Department of Energy over the directive, and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granum eventually said the pause would end by the end of the year. Thanks for listening. To support The Texan, be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

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The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 14, 2024

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