The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 2, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, October 2nd, 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, investigators believe the two illegal immigrants charged in the murder of 12 year old Jocelyn Nungary in Houston last summer have ties to a notoriously violent Venezuelan gang that Governor Greg Abbott has formally declared a foreign terrorist organization. According to new search warrants issued last month, investigators found that Johan Jose Martinez Rangel and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos had displayed signs of the Venezuelan gang

Starting point is 00:00:45 Tren de Aragua on their respective social media accounts. Judge Josh Hill approved a warrant request from detectives with the Houston Police Department to obtain records from TikTok that could confirm Martinez and Pena's ties to the gang and further bolster and enhance the capital murder charges pending against them. Unlike other gangs, such as MS-13, symbols displayed by Tren de Aragua members are more subtle and include the use of hand signs, wearing Michael Jordan or Chicago Bulls clothing, and small tattoos of a clock, train, rose, and two stars on the shoulder. The gang also uses specific slang and emojis in communications, including a ninja, crossed swords, and an image of a classical building. TikTok accounts for the men show use of the emojis, and Pena in particular posted photos of his tattoos that include the stars on each shoulder and a small of himself highlighting his Air Jordan shoes on May 31, 2024, the day he was released from a Border Patrol facility with a GPS ankle monitor.

Starting point is 00:01:51 Investigators also noted that Pena's photo appears to have been taken at the Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas, where he stayed after his release. Both men entered the United States illegally in 2024 but were released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In other news, during the vice presidential debate Tuesday night, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz claimed that, quote, we have seen maternal mortality skyrocket in Texas, outpacing many other countries in the world, end quote, after Texas's pro-life laws took effect upon the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The Texas Maternal Mortality Ratio, or MMR, which calculates the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, reported Texas's increase from 17.2 in 2019 to 27.7 in 2020 and 37.7 in 2021, a spike the Texas Maternal and Mortality Review Committee of the

Starting point is 00:02:47 Texas Department of State Health Services attributed partially to COVID-19. The committee reported that if COVID-19-related maternal mortalities were excluded from the data, Texas' MMR would have been closer to 24.2 in 2020, with a decrease to 23 in 2021. According to an exclusive analysis published by NBC News and data collected from the Gender Equity Policy Institute, the maternal mortality rate rose 56% from 2019 through 2022. While the methodology of this research is unknown, it includes both maternal mortalities that occurred during COVID-19 and those that happened after Texas's abortion ban. In a chart provided by the Gender Equity Policy Institute, data indicates that maternal mortality increased in 2020 and 2021, but significantly

Starting point is 00:03:37 decreased in 2022. The data reports a slight increase as compared to pre-COVID-19, showing 2022 was not far behind 2020's maternal mortality rates, indicating most of the increase occurred before the Dobbs opinion that triggered Texas' abortion restrictions. Last but not least, Texas history is responsible for generating some of the most widely recognized symbols that embody a spirit of liberty and defiance of tyranny. One of special prominence among these symbols was a flag hastily made by two young ladies that bore the immortally defiant words, come and take it, and was flown as the first shots of the Texas Revolution rang out on October 2nd, 1835. Visit thetexan.news to read reporter Matt Stringer's

Starting point is 00:04:22 account of these legendary Lone Star words today in Texas history. The Texan is commemorating the 189th anniversary of the Battle of Gonzales with an exclusive offer. Sign up for an annual subscription to The Texan anytime between now and Sunday, October 6th, for a free come-and-take-it hat modeled on the famous battle flag. Stand proud with independent Texas journalism that honors the state's past and future. Subscribe now and you'll receive an emailed link to claim your free merch. Thanks for listening. To support The Texan, please be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 2, 2024

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