The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - September 16, 2025

Episode Date: September 16, 2025

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Howdy, folks. Today is Tuesday, September 16th, and you're 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, a Dallas motel manager was killed in a gruesome fashion last week, allegedly by a criminal illegal alien from Cuba who is now being held on murder charges. Yordani's Kobos Martinez, according to the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly beheaded Shandra Muli Nagamalia with a machete following an argument that occurred in the presence of Nagamalia's wife and child. The report details, quote,

Kobos Martinez then kicked the head of the victim around like a soccer ball. An arrest affidavit states that after the beheading, quote, the suspect then kicked the head twice into the parking lot and proceeded to pick it up and carry it to the dumpster and put it inside. The Dallas Police Department currently has Kobos Martinez in custody. Kobos Martinez has been arrested or convicted for a number of prior offenses in both Texas and other states, including carjacking and false imprisonment in California and auto theft in Florida. In other news, Territ County has successfully had one claim dismissed

and escape the imposition of a preliminary injunction against its recent redistricting plan in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Lead plaintiff Winnie Jackson and her fellow plaintiffs are residents of Tarrant County who claim that their opportunity to vote in the November 26 Commissioner's Court elections has been impeded by the new redistricting map adopted in June. They alleged that the new map violates the Voting Rights Act, the first and 14th amendments by disenfranchising voters based on race, and the 14th and 15th amendments by intentional racial vote dilution. The county filed a motion to dismiss on the basis that the matter is a non-justiciable political question and not appropriate for review by the judicial process.

In order to obtain a preliminary injunction, the plaintiffs must demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits. Judge Reed O'Connor denied the plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction, quote, given the dearth of evidence on this record to support a finding of discriminatory intent, end quote, in the redistricting plan. Last but not least, there will be 17 constitutional amendments on the November ballot for Texans to consider following the jam-packed 89th regular legislative session and two special sessions, with issues varying from parental rights and bail reform to less prominent. fiscal items. Some of the amendments have enabling legislation passed earlier this year that will go into effect if the amendment receives voter approval, while others grant the Texas legislature authority to create future legislation under constitutional protections. The most high profile of these amendments

is Senate Joint Resolution 5, or Proposition 3 on the ballot, which requires judges to deny bail to certain criminal offenders, including those charged with murder or capital murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated sexual assault, indecency with a child, trafficking of persons, and continuous trafficking of persons. S.J.R. 5 was authored by State Senator Joan Huffman and successfully passed through the legislature after years of attempting to pass such bail reform in response to cases of repeat offenders committing additional violent crimes while out on bail across the state, particularly in Harris County. On the ballot, Proposition 3 will read, quote,

The constitutional amendment requiring the denial of bail under certain circumstances to persons accused of certain offenses punishable as a felony. Visit the texan.News for the full list of proposed constitutional amendments. 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. Thank you.