The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 24, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy, folks. Today is Friday, October 24th, and you are listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texan senior reporter Brad Johnson, and here's the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, the Texas Supreme Court will see a new face on the bench this fall with Governor Greg Abbott, announcing the selection of former Texas Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins to the position being vacated by retiring justice Jeff Boyd. Boyd, who served in place seven on the court. for 12 years announced his retirement this past April, positioning Abbott to make his eighth appointment to the nine-member court. Hawkins served as Texas Solicitor General from 2018 to 2021, which is a senior deputy within the Texas office of the Attorney General. He has also worked in the U.S. Department

Starting point is 00:00:45 of Justice, including having recently served as a counselor to the U.S. Solicitor General. Hawkins also clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and has an extensive appellate career, arguing multiple cases before the highest state in federal courts. Next, Texas cattle ranchers and beef producers are pushing back against the Trump administration after it announced plans to increase beef imports from Argentina. Speaking with the press pool aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump suggested that the U.S., quote, would buy some beef from Argentina. If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down, end quote. Reuters reported that a White House official told them that to combat rising domestic beef prices, the administration is set to quadruple the tariff rate quota on Argentine beef from 20,000. thousand to 80,000 metric tons. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association pushed back on the Trump

Starting point is 00:01:35 administration's purchasing plan saying, quote, it undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers by importing Argentinian beef. The Texas and southwestern cattle raisers association also voiced their opposition to the plan. In other news, a lawsuit to remove West Texas district attorney Sarah Stogner from office was filed this week, accusing her of refusing to enforce state drug laws following her viral video in which she smoked a marijuana joint purchased in New Mexico. The suit invokes Texas's, quote, rogue prosecutor law, which allows citizens to petition for the removal of district attorneys who openly decline to prosecute certain crimes via a trial process. Unlike other local elected officials in West Texas, who are largely

Starting point is 00:02:17 unknown to larger audiences, Stogner is no stranger to news headlines. After forcing incumbent Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian into a runoff election in the 2020 GOP primary, Stogner went on to be elected 143rd District Attorney last year, which includes Reeves, Ward, and Loving counties. U.S. Senators John Corny and Ted Cruz, along with Congressman Randy Weber, are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into potential violations of the Anti-Lobbing Act by officials of the Smithsonian Institution over the move of Space Shuttle Discovery from Virginia to Houston. As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law on July 4th, the space shuttle discovery is to be moved from its current home

Starting point is 00:02:58 at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Virginia to a place near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Corning Cruz and Weber claimed that the Smithsonian staff has, quote, work to undermine the space shuttle provision, now law, at every turn, end quote. Last but not least, 11 different conservation groups ranging from fishermen to tourist organizations along the Gulf Coast penned a letter asking Governor Greg Abbott to direct state agencies to address a growing problem of microplastics in the Gulf. The groups, which include the Charter Fishermen Association, Texas Oyster Mariculture Association, and the Madagorda Bay Foundation, wrote, quote, we write to ask you to protect Texas's fishing in tourism industries by supporting efforts

Starting point is 00:03:40 to reduce the harmful effects of microplastics on our coastal ecosystems. In asking the governor to direct the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to adopt certain standards related to pellet production and discharge, the groups added, quote, the economic, consequences are severe. The outdoor recreation industry in Texas supports nearly 300,000 jobs, 14 billion in salaries, and 31 billion in total value added to the state's economy, end quote. 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 24, 2025

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