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Good morning,

At noon today, the 89th Session of the Texas Legislature begins—and with it, the selection of the Speaker of the Texas House. Yesterday, we asked readers what consequences—if any—should be meted out to Republicans who help Democrats elect a speaker not chosen by GOP caucus. You'll find the results below.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

• Join Brandon Waltens and me on our new show, The Advance, live at 9 a.m. today—and every Tuesday—for a preview of the week ahead in the Lone Star State. This morning, we'll be coming to you live from the Texas Capitol.
      
• You can find The Advance live on 𝕏, Facebook, and YouTube. Can't join live? The archive will be immediately available on those platforms.

Gov. Abbott Orders Flags Raised for Donald Trump’s Inauguration

• Gov. Greg Abbott has directed all flags at the Texas Capitol and state buildings to be raised to full-staff on January 20, 2025, in honor of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Brandon Waltens has the details.
   
• The Biden administration ordered flags to be flown at half-staff nationwide for 30 days to honor the late President Jimmy Carter’s legacy. The overlap of this mourning period with Inauguration Day—the occasion marking the swearing-in of Donald J. Trump as the 47th president—sparked debate over whether flags should remain lowered or be raised for the historic event.
       
• "As we unite our country and usher in this new era of leadership, I ordered all flags to be raised to full-staff at the Texas Capitol and all state buildings for the inauguration of President Trump. While we honor the service of a former President, we must also celebrate the service of an incoming President and the bright future ahead for the United States of America." – Greg Abbott

Lawmakers Want Action on Communist China's Infiltration of Texas' K-12 Schools

• Members of a Texas House select committee report that “adversary-controlled entities” have infiltrated our school districts. As Robert Montoya explains, these lawmakers now want action during the 2025 legislative session.
       
• Committee members divided the foreign threats to Texas school districts into three categories, starting with foreign-owned tutoring services. Most notable are The Princeton Review and its affiliate, Tutor.com, both owned by the Hong Kong-based Primavera Capital Group. Primavera is also invested in Byte Dance, the parent company of TikTok.
        
• The second category committee members identify is cultural and educational "exchanges." In recent years, these took the form of Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, but the Chinese Communist Party has begun rebranding them.
      
• Lastly, the committee identified the risk of data exploitation. CCP-affiliated entities have been able to access and manage "sensitive student data" that could be harvested and used for non-educational purposes.

RELATED NEWS

• “This is a wake-up call. The CCP isn’t just investing; they’re infiltrating. They’re buying up our land, our resources, and now our legislature.” – Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French

Thousands Urge Abbott to Prioritize ‘Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids’

• Conservative activist Bonnie Wallace’s letter urging Gov. Greg Abbott to fast-track legislation to protect children from sexually explicit material has more than 6,200 signatories from across the state. Luca Cacciatore reports the letter has been signed by individuals in 238 of the state's 254 counties.
       
• It has been signed by a broad spectrum of GOP luminaries and community activists. The letter was delivered to Gov. Abbott, and copies were sent to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
       
• “People care about this issue and want protections for Texas children.” – Bonnie Wallace

Texas Supreme Court Considers Paxton v. Annunciation House

• Yesterday, the Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Attorney General Ken Paxton v. Annunciation House—a Catholic nonprofit in El Paso accused of intentionally facilitating illegal immigration.
       
• Annunciation House describes itself as aiding illegal aliens through the provision of hospitality, advocacy, and education.
      
• Paxton argues the organization has gone far beyond that to include harboring illegal aliens. The attorney general is trying to get records demonstrating that the organization has acted outside the law.
     

• Annunciation House is attempting to claim that, as a Catholic ministry, religious protections shield it from Paxton’s pressure.

Klein ISD Substitute Teacher Charged After Watching Pornography in Class

• Michael Wilson reports that a substitute teacher at Klein Oak High School has been charged after being caught on video watching pornography at his desk during class, shocking students and prompting swift action from school officials.
      
• Kenneth Wayne Hartley, 81, has been charged with displaying harmful material to a minor. The incident allegedly took place on Friday.
       
• Students notified campus administrators, who removed the man from the classroom, and then Klein ISD Police took him into custody. Hartley holds lifetime teaching certifications issued by the state in 1966 and 1979.

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Quote-Unquote

"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session."

– Gideon Tucker​

Y'All Answered

When the 89th Session of the Texas Legislature convenes at noon today, members of the House will select a new speaker. There is an official nominee from the GOP caucus, but some Republicans have said they will instead support someone favored by the Democrats.

Yesterday, we asked if Republicans who oppose the GOP caucus nominee should be punished. More than 95 percent of readers believe those lawmakers should be censured by the party and denied access to a place on the 2026 primary ballot, while 4.7 percent do not.

Here is a sampling of the replies we received from folks who participated in the survey...

• “All Republicans should stand shoulder to shoulder and vote together or you should remove yourself from the party... period!” – John Morrison
      

• “Censure them! They should not be allowed to run on the Republican Party Primary ballot after years of scheming to tank the Republican Party priorities!” – Lori Gallagher
      

• “Time to start removing Donkeys from the herd of Elephants! Permanently.” – Tom Gavin
      

• “It’s very simple. REPUBLICANS should follow their own rules! If they don’t, they should WITHDRAW from our party. There now - that didn’t hurt a bit, did it?” – Dana Kay
      

• “The real question is: why do voters continue to support RINOs?” – Randy Schroder
      

• “This is Texas, not California. I am sick to death of political manipulation for the personal enrichment of politicians.” – Diana Firestone
      

• “We have a partisan, Two-Party System; 99.9% of D's understand this. It is about time that the R's got this same message.” – Rowland Greenwade
      

• “Yes, Republicans need to act like Republicans. If I wanted a Democrat, I  would have voted for one.” – Pat Hoffman
      

• “My message to Republican House members: What you do affects ALL Texans. I do not live in your district, but trust me, I will do everything possible to help a worthy challenger if you do not stand up to your responsibilities as a Republican. That goes for the Speaker vote and every action during the 89th Session. We'll be watching!” – Fran Rhodes
      

• “Republican lawmakers should support the Republican speaker voice as an act of representing the people that voted them in.” – Diana Koen
      

• “We desperately need to get a conservative REPUBLICAN to lead the Texas House. There are millions of us who are sick and tired of allowing Democrats to wield the power they have been allowed to wield when they have been soundly defeated at the ballot box.  Let's do what we can to ensure a successful conservative House session.” – Charles Busbey
       

• “The RINO Bonnen/Phelan fiasco MUST BE STOPPED and NEVER BE ALLOWED AGAIN.” – Karen Stinnett
       

• “If you're a Republican, you should vote like a Republican. If you don't, then you are not a Republican.” – Chuck Breedlove
       

• “I would love to see my RINO representative denied access to the ballot should she choose to run again.  She continues to support the Phelan cabal and she ran unopposed in the primary this last election.  I didn't vote for her.” – Kimery McKaskle