The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - September 24, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy, folks. Today is Wednesday, September 24th, 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-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility was the target of a shooting Wednesday morning that left two detainees dead, one person injured, and the suspect committing suicide at the scene. According to the Dallas Police Department, law enforcement responded to a call at a Dallas ICE facility after reports that someone had opened fire

Starting point is 00:00:40 from an adjacent building. Two detainees were pronounced dead, with another being rushed to the hospital in critical condition with a gunshot injury. ICE acting director Todd Lyons spoke to CNN about the shooting as the event unfolded, saying that the scene was secure

Starting point is 00:00:56 and that the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot. shot wound. During an FBI press conference, law enforcement said the shooting was an act of targeted violence. FBI director Cash Patel posted early evidence on social media of an unspent bullet casing found at the scene that had the words anti-ice written on it. Next, a Harris County judge granted the Houston Federation of Teachers a temporary injunction in its lawsuit against the Houston Independent School District over the use of state funding for teacher raises under House Bill 2. In a September 17th press release, the HFT announced that Judge Cheryl

Starting point is 00:01:36 Elliott agreed that the, quote, Texas Education Code required Houston ISD to use monies received from the state to fund across the board salary increases. The Teachers Union quoted Elliott's order, saying that HISD is prohibited, quote, from using monies allocated for the academic year of 2025, 26 for any other than its stated purpose. The HFT filed a lawsuit in July for a temporary restraining order and injunction against HISD Superintendent Mike Miles and the district's state appointed board of managers over funds allocated for teacher raises in House Bill 2, which allotted around $4 billion for the teacher retention allotment to be distributed via an experience-based tier system. For districts with more than 5,000 students enrolled, teachers with three to four years of

Starting point is 00:02:30 experience will receive a $2,500 raise, and those with five or more years of experience will receive $5,000. The bill also permits districts to apply for the state's enhanced teacher incentive allotment system, which permits them to distribute teacher raises based on performance. In other news, Governor Greg Abbott announced a $5.5 million grant from Texas for the construction of a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Harris County, one of multiple projects approved under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation, or Jedi program over the past year. Abbott joined Eli Lilly and Company executives for a press conference on Tuesday afternoon in Houston to announce its creation of a nearly 1 million square foot. active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing facility. The company estimated that it'll produce around 600 new jobs and will invest more than $6.5 billion within the state. The grant of $5.5 million toward Lilly's new project was made possible through the Jedi approval process. A property tax

Starting point is 00:03:41 abatement program established through contentious legislation passed during the 88th regular legislative session. House Bill 5, which was signed into law by Abbott in June 2023, replaced a 20-year-old initiative with a new economic incentive program. It created a pathway for school districts to grant companies a decade-long break in their property tax payments in exchange for relocation to their area. It limited the kinds of companies eligible to receive abatements and grants for projects in Texas, excluding renewable energy projects after negotiations proved its removal to be necessary for passage in the legislature. Renewable project debatements proved to be one of the top criticisms of Jedi's predecessor, Chapter 313. Last but not least, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller

Starting point is 00:04:32 joined reporter Cameron Abrams for a detailed discussion on various pressing issues, including the ongoing debate around hemp-derived THC regulation and the challenges faced by hemp farmers, the New World Screw Worms threat to the livestock industry, Texas efforts to make school lunches healthier through locally sourced products, and Miller's own achievements, ongoing initiatives, and upcoming re-election campaign against GOP challenger Nate Sheets. Visit the texan.news or wherever you get podcasts to listen now. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News and subscribe to get full access to

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The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - September 24, 2025

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