The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 14, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy, folks, today is Tuesday, October 14th, and you are 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, it did not take long after Indiana political activist Malcolm Turner announced his plan to resettle new voters on his desolate desert property in Loving County for him to face legal trouble, with the Texas Office of the Attorney General now seeking a court order alleging multiple violations of state law. To recap, Tanner recently purchased two five-acre plots of land in a county with a population of an estimated 64 residents, according to the 2020 census results, but about $18 billion in taxable property value, making the local government unusually well-funded. He then launched an online campaign offering free homes to people willing to move to the county.

Starting point is 00:01:02 Implicit in that effort is his plan to use the new electorate to overthrow the existing county government, and he is reportedly close to succeeding. After several state and federal lawmakers issued statements calling for investigations into the scheme, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced his office was taking action to stop the political settlement. Next, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has followed up on an investigation into the East Plano Islamic Center and asked the Texas State Securities Board to begin reviewing the findings so that his office can file a lawsuit. Epic's Muslim-centric residential development outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, known as Epic City, has remained a controversial matter for state and federal officials,

Starting point is 00:01:49 with multiple investigations launched into the community. The Epic City development is intended to encompass 402 acres of land and has preliminary plans to include a mosque, more than 1,000 homes, and private schools, with utilities provided through an approved municipal utility district. In other news, after months of controversy over a 2021 redistricting scheme that violated state law, the Fort Bend County Commissioner's Court approved redrawn voting and commissioner's precincts Monday that aims to do. divide power between Republicans and Democrats. During a contentious meeting that included heated exchange between Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George, commissioners, and county attorney Bridget Smith Lawson, the court heard public comment on maps recommended by a citizens committee. In a three to two vote along party lines, the court approved a map that favors Republicans by 60% in precinct one and by 54% in Precinct 3, according to analysis based on data from the 2020, 2022, and 2024 elections.

Starting point is 00:02:57 Democrats will retain an electoral advantage in precinct 2 and 4 by 68% and 58% respectively. The mid-decade redistricting effort was prompted by allegations that the county's current maps are in violation of both state and federal laws. Also, the New World Screw Worm has been reported as close as 70 miles south of the county's current of the U.S.-Mexico border, and the federal government and Texas Department of Agriculture are budding heads on the best path forward for combating the flesh-eating pest. The New World Screwworm is a parasite that causes devastating damage, including death to livestock such as cattle, pigs, and horses, by laying eggs on the tissue of a wound

Starting point is 00:03:40 which hatch into larvae and then burrow and feed on the flesh, leading to tissue destruction and infection. Just last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned that the screw worm has been reported less than 70 miles from the southern border, with USDA Commissioner Brooke Rollins calling it, quote, the closest detection yet. Rollins has been stalwart in following a sweeping five-pronged plan that included joining Governor Greg Abbott to announce an $850 million investment in building preventative infrastructure, such as a facility to mass produce and release millions of sterile flies to cut down on screwworm reproduction and technology to combat the incoming threat. Last but not least, the commotion in Washington, D.C. over the relocation of the

Starting point is 00:04:27 retired space shuttle discovery to Houston from Virginia continues, with the Smithsonian Institution claiming it will have to disassemble the historic spacecraft. In a letter to congressional leaders, the Smithsonian said that it is likely the space shuttle will have to be disassembled in order to be moved. Keep the shuttle, a grassroots efforts to keep space shuttle discovery at its current location, is concerned about the possible disassembly of the vehicle. 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.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 14, 2025

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