The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 4, 2024

Episode Date: October 4, 2024

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Howdy folks, today is Friday, October 4th, 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, big tech companies, and TikTok especially, have continued to draw the attention of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has now sued the social media giant alleging it violated aspects of a newly enacted Texas online safety law. Paxton wrote on social media, quote, Big tech companies are on notice that I will hold them accountable for exploiting Texas children and failing to prioritize minors' online safety and privacy. The Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment, or SCOPE, Act is at the center of Paxton's allegations. The lawsuit states, quote, In contravention of the SCOPE Act,

defendants have failed and continue to fail to create and provide parents and guardians with the tools legally required to protect minors' privacy and safety. The SCOPE Act, also known as House Bill 18, was passed during the 88th legislative session. The law aims to prevent digital service providers, or DSPs, from entering into agreements with minors without parental or guardian consent. It also mandates that DSPs include options in these agreements for parents or guardians to permanently enable specific settings. It goes on to acknowledge that TikTok has, quote, failed to develop a commercially reasonable method for a known minor's parent or guardian

to verify their identity and relationship to a known minor. In other news, the state of Texas' lawsuit against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and an Andrews County storage facility will now go before the U.S. Supreme Court after justices agreed to hear the case. Two appeals against the state were consolidated by the court, one from the NRC and another from Interim Storage Partners LLC, and set for oral arguments this term. Interim Storage Partners, or ISP, is a joint project between waste control specialists and Orano USA. The NRC granted ISP the license to store high-level radioactive waste,

the spent nuclear fuel rods from reactors, on an interim basis of up to 40 years. Because the federal government has been unable to establish the permanent storage site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, the industry is having to find a bridge solution for the storage of the waste produced by the 93 commercial nuclear reactors across the country. There are also many research reactors at university facilities across the U.S., including a prospective one recently approved for Abilene Christian University. Last but not least, a Galveston County District Court judge has granted a temporary restraining order requiring the city of Kima to reopen a popular entertainment district street in response

to an emergency request from property owners who are suing the city. Earlier this year, the Kima City Council unanimously voted to close a segment of 6th Street with little warning to residents and without obtaining permission from the owners of properties on the street that is home to several restaurants, bars, and other businesses. According to the Texas Transportation Code, a general law city such as Kima may close a street, quote, if a petition signed by all the owners of real property abutting the street or alley is submitted to the government body. Prior to the closure, 6th Street property owners such as Harry White of the Voodoo Hut Bar and Restaurant expressed

their opposition to it at city council meetings, but Mayor Robin Collins and council members argued that the city had merely restricted access but had not technically closed the street. At the end of July, city officials installed locked bollards to prevent all vehicular access from either end of 6th Street at the intersections of Kipp and Bradford Streets. Although business owners voiced concerns over safety, officials told owners the bollards could be removed within about 20 minutes and that fire trucks responding to an emergency could simply drive over the breakaway steel bollards. There are only three days left to earn a free come-and-take-it hat modeled after the famous Texas battle flag. The Texan is commemorating the 189th anniversary

of the Battle of Gonzales with this exclusive offer. Just sign up for an annual subscription to The Texan anytime between now and Sunday, October 6th. 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.