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Good morning,

With his cabinet appointments now mostly made, this week's One Click Survey gauges your thoughts on Donald Trump's incoming cabinet. 

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Phelan Ally Defects, Backs Cook for Speaker

• A former ally of House Speaker Dade Phelan has announced his support for Phelan’s challenger, David Cook, ahead of the GOP caucus' nominating vote on Saturday. Brandon Waltens has the story.
         
• State Rep. David Spiller (R–Jacksboro) released a statement yesterday declaring his backing for Cook ahead of this week’s House Republican Caucus meeting to select a nominee for speaker. Spiller stressed Phelan's ongoing commitment to appointing Democrats as committee chairs as a reason for his flip.
        
• Spiller is now the 47th Republican to publicly endorse Cook.
        
• The caucus vote is scheduled for Saturday, December 7, ahead of the legislative session. To secure the nomination, a candidate must receive two-thirds support in the first two rounds of the secret ballot vote. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the requirement drops to three-fifths.
        
• "As I’ve consistently stated, I don’t support Democrat chairs, I’ve never supported Democrat chairs, and I’ve never voted for Democrat chairs. Under David Cook’s leadership, we won’t have Democrat chairs in the next session. I will only support a Speaker candidate who shares that philosophy." – David Spiller

RELATED NEWS

• If he receives universal support from Democrats, Phelan would need at least 14 Republican votes to retain the speaker’s gavel. Only four House members were seen at the event: Drew Darby (R-San Angelo), Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi), Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa), and Morgan Meyer (R-Dallas) .

Legislation Would Block Universities From Accepting Donations From Hostile Governments

• A new measure has been filed in the Texas House that aims to block the state's universities from accepting funding from the Chinese, Russian, North Korean, and Iranian governments. Will Biagini has the details.
       
• The proposal by State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake) would also prohibit universities from soliciting grants from governments that have provided “material support” to foreign terrorist organizations.
        
• Texas Scorecard has reported extensively on the deep financial ties state universities have had with the Chinese Communist Party and governments providing aid and support to terrorist organizations.
            
• Gov. Greg Abbott recently directed state entities—including funds controlled by higher education institutions—to block new investments in China and simultaneously divest from any existing holdings tied to the Chinese Communist Party. 

Iranian Nationals Apprehended at Texas Border

• As massive caravans of migrants continue to push northward in Mexico, foreign nationals of “special interest” from Middle Eastern countries are infiltrating Texas.
       
• Over the weekend, two large groups—one with 289 people and the other with 166—crossed illegally into Texas. In the larger group, seven special interest aliens came from Iran. In the smaller group, five illegal aliens from Iran and Turkey were apprehended.
      
• “Special interest” aliens are noncitizens identified as potential threats to national security by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

ICE Deports Illegal Alien Wanted for Rape in El Salvador

• A 49-year-old man from El Salvador entered the U.S. illegally in 2019. Sydnie Henry reports the illegal alien was detained by the Border Patrol at the time but then released, and he eventually made his way to Houston.
      
• In September 2023, authorities in El Salvador issued an arrest warrant for Silas Otoniel Zamora-Hernandez on charges of rape and violent conduct against women.
     
• He was arrested in Houston in June and then deported at the end of November.

RELATED NEWS

• As Erin Anderson reports, the charges involve crimes against children ranging from solicitation and trafficking to indecency and assault.
       
• Earlier this year, the Illegal Alien Crimes found that in Dallas County alone, 14 suspected illegal aliens were arrested for sexually exploiting children in just one month.
       
• A recent report from Fox News revealed that ten percent of Harris County Jail inmates are illegal aliens under ICE detainers. Of the 1,170 inmates with ICE holds, 174 were connected to sexual assault cases—most involving children under 14 years old.

Texas Medical Board Hides Its Unethical Actions

• Just before Thanksgiving, the Texas Medical Board filed a confidential motion for summary judgment in its ongoing case against Dr. Mary Talley Bowden. Daniel Greer explores how the agency has been weaponized against whistleblowers.
         
• Dr. Bowden, a prominent figure in the ongoing debate over COVID-19 treatments, gained national attention after treating over 6,000 COVID-19 patients without a single death. Her approach included monoclonal antibodies until the federal government cut them off, at which point she switched to ivermectin.
       
• The TMB case against her stems from complaints filed by two hospitals. The agency is now focused primarily on her use of social media to voice disagreement with the lucrative procedures pushed by Big Pharma.

Houston Teacher Accused of Crimes Against Students

• A bio-medical science teacher at KIPP Houston High School was charged with multiple felony counts involving inappropriate contact with children. Michael Wilson reports that, according to court documents, at least six students reported Preston Edmond Zimmerman's inappropriate behavior toward them.
       
• In a statement released by KIPP to the media, Zimmerman was placed on administrative leave when the allegations first came to light and has since been terminated.

Today In History

On Dec. 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the Union.

Quote-Unquote

"No matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting."

– Ronald Reagan​

One Click Survey

Now that the cabinet appointments are mostly made, do you generally disapprove or approve of Donald Trump’s choices?
 

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