The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - November 21, 2025

Episode Date: November 21, 2025

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Howdy, folks. Today is Friday, November 21st, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans assistant editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, a lawsuit has been filed in federal court by former president and CEO of the Alamo Trust, Kate Rogers, alleging that Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Land Commissioner Don Buckingham violated her First Amendment rights when they demanded her resignation and then caused her to be fired from her position. According to the lawsuit, Rogers had found herself in a growing triad of political tensions over the management of the Alamo, with Patrick, Buckingham and interest groups quarreling over the direction of the historic site. The tensions boiled over on October 13th. According to Rogers' complaint, the Alamo made a social media post, which has since been deleted, celebrating Indigenous People's Day, an alternative holiday for October 12th to the traditional Columbus Day.

This prompted a call from Buckingham's chief of staff to the Alamo Trust's communications director to complain about the post, but after another post celebrating Columbus Day was made, the complaint was dropped. Next, under a draft policy proposal from Houston City Council member, Letitia Plummer, Houston police officers would not be required to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after running a warrant check during a traffic stop or investigation, but police say the measure would be illegal. Plummer, who is also a Democratic primary candidate for Harris County Judge, drafted the proposed change in response to community concerns about police cooperation with ICE, as federal agencies have been working to identify and deport individuals in the country

illegally. When making a traffic stop or investigating a suspect, Houston Police Department officers must check the Texas Crime Information Center and National Crime Information Center databases for outstanding warrants, which include detainers issued by ICE. Current policy states that HPD officers shall then contact any agency that has issued a warrant, but Plummer proposes to change the word shall to May regarding ICE warrants. In other news, The Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to approve a final consolidation plan that focused on 24 state-mandated turnaround plans to ensure schools meet state standards, including 10 school closures.

The November 20th board meeting lasted nine hours, with nearly four hours of public comment from parents, teachers, and students. The meeting adjourned at 2 a.m. The district will be utilizing turnaround plans for 24 years. different campuses that have received an unacceptable Texas Education Agency accountability rating, seven closures and reassignments, five restart campuses, and 12 intensive curriculum and instruction improvements. Also, the new Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas is facing a legal challenge from three voters who allege that its approval and funding passed via improperly

certified voting machines in nearly all Texas counties. The suit, filed by three Texas voters against Secretary of State Jane Nelson, challenges the results on Election Day that yielded over 2 million in favor of the Institute and 924,000 votes against it, arguing that the outcome is invalid due to the amount of illegal votes cast in counties with allegedly non-compliant systems. Proposition 14, one of 17 constitutional amendments on Texans' ballots November 4th, sought voter approval for the establishment of the Institute, also known as D. Pritt, which includes a $3 billion allotment in the state budget for its creation. Last but not least, the district attorney for the

355th Judicial District of Texas, Ryan Sinclair, has recused himself from the case against Granbury resident Colton Crottinger, who was arrested for online impersonation from a self-described satire Facebook account. Crottinger was arrested November 5th on a 3,000. felony online impersonation charge after investigators said he used fellow resident Tina Brown's name without her consent in a post about a local school board race on his self-described satirical Facebook page, Hood County Sheep Dogs. A search warrant later linked the page and its IP address to Krodinger. Investigators allege he used Tina Brown's identity to post messages with the intent to defraud the general public, and his bond was set at $10,000.

to a November 19th motion filed by Sinclair, he requested a substitute prosecutor for the Crottinger case because he had previously served on the Board of Anxiety Solutions of America, Crottinger's non-profit organization. Sinclair requested to voluntarily recuse himself to, quote, avoid any appearance of impropriety. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.