The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 12, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Well, howdy, folks. Today is Monday, October 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, competitive, predominantly Hispanic South Texas House districts are in the spotlight this election cycle. The Texans reporter Meredith Dyer interviewed state representatives Eddie Morales Jr., a Democrat, and Denise Villabos, a Republican, for House Districts 74 and 34, respectively, as well as HD37 Democratic candidate Ozio Lachoa, Jr., about the issues that matter in these purple districts. Visit the Texan.News or wherever you get podcasts to listen now. In other news, the Texas Senate Committee on Education took up its 2026 interim charge of monitoring the implementation of Senate Bill 13, which was passed last year and aimed to target sexually explicit. materials in public schools, and ensure that, quote, parents are the primary decision makers regarding

Starting point is 00:01:10 a student's access to library material. Under the law, schools must provide a public catalog of their materials, give parents access to their children's checkout records, and allow parents to submit book lists restricting their child's access. School District boards of trustees must establish local library advisory councils to ensure that local community values are reflected in libraries. State Senator Brent Hagan-Boo brought up Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick's August 20th press conference, where Patrick announced that he would push legislation during the 90th legislative session to knock non-compliance school districts down a letter grade in the Texas Education Agency accountability ratings, as well as imposing, quote, potential budget issues. Patrick was joined at the August

Starting point is 00:01:57 event by book activist Bonnie Wallace, who was also at the hearing last week, to discuss, quote, dirty, filthy, and vulgar, end quote, books in school libraries. Last but not least, Blue Origin, a private space technology company founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, will put down roots in central Texas. The privately owned company is expected to pursue an initial public offering in the next few years. Elon Musk, fellow space tech entrepreneur and the CEO of Tesla and Space X, congratulated Bezos on X, saying, quote,

Starting point is 00:02:32 Bravo, I'm glad Jeff Bezos care so much about space. Musk recently moved the headquarters of Tesla and SpaceX to the Lone Star State, forming the city of Star Base in the southeastern part of Texas. Bezos has personally invested nearly $30 billion of his fortune in the company and recently announced $10 billion in external financing during a Fox News interview. On Wednesday, Blue Origin announced its Constellation Park Manufacturing Campus in Hudders, a 1.3 million square foot multi-facility complex that will, quote, serve as a central production hub for several of the company's most ambitious satellite

Starting point is 00:03:12 and communications programs. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said about the facility, quote, we're proud to grow our footprint here in Texas, tap into the world-class talent the state has to offer, and help ensure America remains the leader in space innovation. Governor Greg Abbott chimed in to celebrate the new development, saying that, quote, Texas is the launch pad to a future of possibilities.

Starting point is 00:03:37 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.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 12, 2026

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