Good morning,

Donald Trump has said he'd send teams to target and kill the leadership of Mexican cartels. Tell us what you think about this idea in today's One Click Survey.

Here is the Texas Minute for Monday, May 13, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Political Consultants Enter Plea Deals in Democrat's Bribery Case

• Two former consultants to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar have agreed to plead guilty to assisting the lawmaker in laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Mexican bank. Luca Cacciatore reports that the plea deals expose an elaborate scheme to conceal Cuellar’s finances.
     
• Colin Strother and Florencio “Lencho” Rendon agreed to cooperate with the Department of Justice investigation. Both still face up to 20 years in prison and fines for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
      
• Reportedly, Rendon met with Banco Azteca executives in 2016 at Cuellar’s behest to discuss supposed regulatory issues facing the bank. 
     

• Rendon allegedly signed a contract paying him upwards of $15,000 monthly to provide consulting for an unnamed “U.S.-based media and television company” connected to Banco Azteca. Reportedly, Rendon kept $4,000 for his consulting firm, while $1,000 went to Strother, and the remaining $10,000 went to a company owned by Rep. Cuellar's wife.

Katy ISD’s Pro-Parent Policy Under Investigation by Biden Administration

• Just months after Katy Independent School District trustees adopted a pro-parent gender policy, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation into it. Emily Medeiros has the story.
        
• At the start of the current academic year, the Katy ISD board of trustees adopted a policy that allows parents full authority over their child’s health and well-being, separates locker rooms and restrooms by biological sex, and ensures pronouns are based on the child’s biological sex. The policy also prohibits the faculty and staff from teaching or providing instructional materials on gender ideology in classrooms.
     
• Last week, the Biden administration officially opened an investigation to determine if the policy discriminates against gender-confused students.
      
• The school board president, Victor Perez, said implementation of the policy has gone smoothly and professionally. “We don’t acknowledge any wrongdoing, but we remain fully cooperative with any requests related to this.”
      
• The Biden administration recently rewrote the federal education rules to include “gender identity” as a protected class. The Office of the Attorney General of Texas has sued the administration to block enforcement of the new rules, which are set to take effect August 1.

Could Tax Exemption Be a Winning School Choice Plan?

• A new school choice plan by a former state education board member could be a winner when the Texas Legislature considers the hot-button topic next year. Erin Anderson has the details.
       
• A former member of the State Board of Education, Cynthia Dunbar is proposing the "Education Emancipation Act." A chief feature of the plan would be to allow families to claim an exemption to their school property taxes. She believes the proposal should unite conservatives because it avoids state appropriations of funds, thus the threat of government regulations tied to such funds.
      
• “A tax exemption is not government dollars… it’s your money,” said Dunbar. 

ANALYSIS: DOJ Is Trying to Protect Pfizer

• A high-profile healthcare lawsuit in Beaumont, Texas, is flying under the radar, just as the federal government and Pfizer prefer. Daniel Greer explains why the Department of Justice is working to block a whistleblower lawsuit against the pharmaceutical giant... and what it means for Americans.
      
• Brook Jackson had been a 20-year veteran in clinical trial administration when she worked on Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trials in 2020. Alarmed by what she witnessed, Jackson raised concerns to her superiors, Pfizer, and the Food and Drug Administration.
     

• She claimed the trial was being run, documented, and reported in a manner that violated federal law and was potentially dangerous. Hours after contacting the FDA in September 2020, Jackson was fired. 

Democrat Precinct Chairs Outpacing Republicans in Voter Turnout

• Despite the Republican Party of Texas filling all county chair positions and having four precinct chairs for every three Democrat precinct chairs, Democrats averaged nearly 60 more votes per precinct chair than Republicans in the last general election. Ian Camacho breaks down the numbers and what that trend could portend.
       
• Precincts with Democrat chairs have outperformed Republicans in voter turnout. 
       
• The Democrats’ main advantage is their presence in the cities. Democrats not only have significantly more precinct chairs than Republicans in the major cities, but those precincts are denser. That, in turn, makes voter outreach easier and more cost-effective.
        
• “The issue is contacting people, we are rural, often with locked gates and minimal contact information.” — Austin County GOP Chairman Charles Beers

Quote-Unquote

"The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas—a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated."

– Ronald Reagan​

Today In History

On May 13, 1865, weeks after Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, the last battle of the Civil War was fought near Brownsville, Texas at Palmito Ranch. Confederates are recognized as having "won" the battle, despite the war having already been lost.

ONE CLICK SURVEY

If he is re-elected as president later this year, Donald Trump has reportedly said he would hire kill teams to enter Mexico and target cartel leaders.

Do you agree with this policy?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!