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This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, May 30, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Driver Busted With 27 Illegal Aliens in Horse Trailer

• A human smuggler has been apprehended by the Texas Department of Public Safety after attempting to hide and transport 27 illegal aliens in a horse trailer storage compartment. Will Biagini has the details.
     
• The driver, Jose Guadalupe Salinas from Palmview, consented to have his vehicle inspected by the officer. Salinas even opened a side hatch on the trailer—revealing the entire group of illegal aliens crammed inside.
      
• According to a DPS spokesperson, three females needed medical attention due to severe dehydration resulting from a lack of ventilation in the compartment.
      
• In a separate incident, two Syrian male nationals were arrested heading to Houston. One told law enforcement they had traveled through Venezuela, Columbia, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala to reach Mexico before illegally entering Texas.
      
• But our borders are so secure, right? Thanks, Mr. Biden!

Oliverson Not Backing Down on Challenge to Phelan's Speakership

• Tom Oliverson says his race for Speaker of the House is moving “to the next level” after Dade Phelan narrowly avoided defeat in Tuesday’s runoff. Brandon Waltens has the story.
       
• In March, Oliverson announced his candidacy for Speaker, promising a series of reforms, including ending Phelan’s practice of awarding chairmanship positions to Democrats. For his part, Phelan has said he plans to continue giving Democrats leadership positions in the GOP-dominated chamber.
   
• In a statement issued yesterday, Oliverson promised to take the vote to the floor of the House when the Texas Legislature convenes in January.
      
• “The conservative Republican majority in Texas have spoken. They want the Texas House to move in a different direction. They are fed up with the status quo and are clamoring for change. The fact that 9 GOP members decided not to seek reelection and 14 members were replaced by the voters proves that point.” – Tom Oliverson 

Abbott Declares Victory for School Choice Following Electoral Gains

• Gov. Greg Abbott and pro-school choice organizations are celebrating the results of this week's Republican primary runoffs, reports Luca Cacciatore.
       

• Abbott was successful in five out of the 11 runoff races where he made an endorsement. Of those five races, three involved a pro-school choice candidate winning over an anti-school choice candidate. Yet even in races where his preferred candidate lost, the victors had all come out strongly in favor of school choice.

      
• “For the first time in history, we have the votes for school choice in Texas,” wrote school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis of the American Federation for Children.

Dallas ISD Organized ‘LGBTQ Youth’ Trainings for Staff

• Emily Medeiros reports that more internal communications have been released showing that Dallas Independent School District organized “LGBT” training for teachers at schools around the district.
      
• First obtained by The Dallas Express, the internal communications reveal that Dallas ISD organized the training events in collaboration with an employee of a local transgender clinic. 
     
• DISD's Mahoganie Gaston scheduled a series of pro-LGBT training events for teachers in the district's elementary, middle, and high schools.
       
• “DISD has sadly become but the latest in a long line of districts that are abandoning traditional academics and opting instead for a curriculum founded in Queer Theory. No K-12 student in Texas schools should be discussing LGBT matters.” – Brady Gray, Texas Family Project

Hagenbuch Wins Open Republican Senate Runoff

• Brent Hagenbuch won Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff election for the open Texas Senate District 30 seat over opponent Jace Yarborough. But as Erin Anderson reports, Yarborough is continuing his legal challenge against Hagenbuch's residency.
       
• Hagenbuch's campaign received a series of high-level endorsements, including from President Donald Trump, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and many others.
       
• Residency questions had plagued Hagenbuch's campaign but did not seem to concern voters. He received 56.7 percent of the vote.

Open Seat House Races Add to Establishment Woes

• A series of seats made vacant by the retirements of House members loyal to Speaker Dade Phelan will change the makeup of the chamber's GOP caucus.
   
• In House District 12, Trey Wharton overwhelmingly defeated Ben Bius—taking just over 72 percent of the vote.
      
• In House District 29, Jeffrey Barry defeated Alex Kamkar with more than 58 percent of the vote.
      
• In House District 30, AJ Louderback has secured just over 55 percent of the vote against Jeff Bauknight.
      
• In House District 97, John McQueeney narrowly beat Cheryl Bean, 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent.

Quote-Unquote

"There has now been created a world in which the success of others is a grievance, rather than an example."

– Thomas Sowell​

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