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BY: @MattMackowiak | Subscribe to the daily email here | | WEDNESDAY || 1/15/25 | | Good Wednesday morning.
Thank you for reading as a FREE subscriber. | » Become a PAID subscriber here for $7/mo or $70/yr and SAVE TIME and be BETTER INFORMED. | | “If something of importance is known in Texas, Matt knows it. With a decline in the number of credible news organizations, the Must Read Texas morning email is indispensable for anyone that wants to continue to be informed.” – Former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) | | AUSTIN NEWSLETTER LAUNCHED | Are you one of the 100,000+ subscribers to ATX Pulse, a newsletter that delivers EVERYTHING you NEED TO KNOW about Austin? | | Subscriptions are $5/mo, $50/yr or $199/lifetime here: ATXpulsepremium.com. | » Read this morning's (free) edition here. | >> SUBSCRIBE HERE: ATXpulsepremium.com. ($5/mo or $50/yr or $199 lifetime) | | PRESENTING SPONSOR: TX Flyover | Texas News, Quick Reads, Always Free – The Texas Flyover | | Discover why over 200,000 Texans start their day with The Texas Flyover. We deliver all the news that matters to Texans in a quick, 5-minute read, ensuring you stay informed without the hassle. Our content is crafted by Texans, for Texans, capturing the unique spirit of the Lone Star State. Plus, it's always free! Don't miss out on the fastest-growing daily newsletter in Texas – join a thriving community that values accurate, relevant news delivered straight to your inbox every morning. | Subscribe with one Click HERE! | | | “Rep. Dustin Burrows voted Texas House speaker in blow to insurgent GOP movement,” Texas Tribune's James Barragan, Jasper Scherer, Renzo Downey and Robert Downen — “Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, was elected speaker of the Texas House on Tuesday, concluding a bitter and intense power struggle within the Republican Party that came down to an extraordinary floor vote to decide who would fill one of the most powerful positions in state government.
In his acceptance speech, Burrows focused on his desire to keep the House an independent institution, where lawmakers could feel free to disagree with one another without fear of repercussion.
“This is the people’s House,” said Burrows, who was joined by his wife Elisabeth and three sons for his swearing-in ceremony.
He promised to work with every member of the Legislature, leaving his door open even to those who opposed him.
“I commit to you today, every member will have a voice,” he said. “Every district will have a seat at the table.”
Burrows’ win marks a disappointing defeat for the insurgent wing of the party, which has spent years working to wrest control of the lower chamber away from establishment Republicans. That faction, which aims to push the House further to the right, ousted more than a dozen GOP members in last year’s primaries who were aligned with Burrows and his predecessor, Rep. Dade Phelan of Beaumont, riding a wave of conservative backlash over the House’s impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton and failure to pass a private school voucher bill. | » BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER: $7/mo | After the record turnover, hardline conservatives saw this year’s speaker race as perhaps their best chance ever to depose the current House leadership. They selected as their standard-bearer Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, who vowed to follow through on insurgent demands to strip power from Democrats — including barring them from chairing committees — and weaken the speaker’s means of controlling the chamber.
But while the insurgent crowd succeeded in forcing Phelan to give up the gavel, the elevation of his close ally signals a similar power structure will likely remain in place. | » BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER: $70/yr | Burrows won the speaker’s race after two rounds of voting, edging out Cook by a vote of 85-55. During the first round, Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez-Ramos, a Richardson Democrat, received 23 votes from fellow Democratic members — enough to keep Burrows and Cook from reaching the majority threshold of 76.
In the ensuing runoff round, twelve Democrats who had voted for Rodríguez-Ramos switched to Burrows. He also netted two more GOP votes from members who defected from Cook. Nine members marked themselves present without voting for either option, and one member, Yvonne Davis of Dallas, was marked as absent. | Burrows’ winning coalition was made up of 49 Democrats and 36 Republicans, drawing instant backlash from hardline members and activists who vowed revenge in next year’s primaries.
“Today, the RINO (anti-MAGA) Establishment laughed in the faces of our Republican grassroots. They chose Democrat chairs and Lobbyist buddies over their voters,” Rep. Shelley Luther, a freshman Republican from Tom Bean who had vowed to oppose the Phelan-Burrows leadership team, wrote on social media. “I look forward to seeing if they’re still laughing after the next round of primaries. The fight starts today.”
Burrows’ support from Democrats will likely become major ammunition for his Republican critics aligned with the party’s right wing who warned that the new speaker should be chosen by a majority of GOP votes. On Tuesday, conservative activists sent buses full of Cook supporters to the Capitol to urge their lawmakers to support their preferred candidate.
Activists wearing red shirts that read “Ban Democrat Chairs” and “Betrayed by Dade” referencing Phelan filled the halls of the Capitol.
Paxton, a top state Republican leader who had traveled the state urging people to pressure their lawmakers to vote for Cook, criticized Burrows for winning the speaker’s gavel with Democrat support and for going against Cook who had been the House Republican Caucus’ endorsed nominee. He called on Burrows to prove his conservative bona fides and warned that he would keep fighting to “reform the Texas House.”
“It is now important that Speaker Burrows and his leadership team pass every conservative legislative priority in a timely manner to make our state more secure and more prosperous,” he said. “That is what Texas Republicans expect.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, an archconservative who presides over the Senate, was also critical of Burrows’ reliance on Democrat votes to win the speaker’s race. He said he expected Burrows to help the House pass legislation supported by social conservatives including: school vouchers, banning cities and counties from hiring lobbyists to advocate for them in Austin, bail reform, election integrity bills, putting the Ten Commandments in school classrooms, banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory in the state’s colleges and universities and banning people from countries that are adversaries of the United States from owning land in Texas.
“Each of these bills will be passed again by the Texas Senate,” Patrick said in a statement. “The voters will hold our new speaker accountable to keep his promise of being the most conservative speaker in Texas history.”" Texas Tribune | | FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS HAVE ENDED: As of July 11, 2022, we have moved to a paywall for free subscribers. Free subscribers will only receive the top story in their morning email. Free subscribers will need to become paid subscribers to receive full story summaries. | | | AAS: “Former Austin developer Nate Paul pleads guilty to federal financial crime” AAS ($) | | DMN: “GOP will watch Dustin Burrows' actions as new House speaker” DMN ($) | AP: “Supreme Court will hear Texas anti-pornography law that challengers say violates free-speech rights” AP | | HOU CHRON: “Abbott takes shot at Houston judges as legislative session kicks off” Houston Chronicle ($) | | DMN: Editorial: “In messy city manager search, Dallas council failed in its fundamental job” DMN ($) | HOU CHRON: “Harris County will study idea of putting small parks over Katy Freeway” Houston Chronicle ($) | SA REPORT: “San Antonio ISD leaders scrutinize budget, aim to reduce deficit” SA Report | FW REPORT: “Fort Worth puts $26M toward road improvements, land additions” FW Report | | HOU CHRON: “Houston City Council denies CenterPoint's latest rate hike” Houston Chronicle ($) | | SAEN: “'Full of common sense': John Courage endorses Adriana Rocha Garcia for San Antonio mayor” SAEN ($) | SAEN: “Real estate developer Robert Melvin enters race for San Antonio mayor” SAEN ($) | | | > TX TRIB: "Gov. Greg Abbott threatens Texas A&M president’s job over claim that university broke DEI ban" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "EPA report says “forever chemicals” in sewage-based fertilizer pose cancer risk" TX TRIB
> TX MONTHLY: "The Texas Legislature Is a Mess. Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Look Away." TX MONTHLY
> TX TRIB: "Gonzalez, Cuellar only Democrats in Congress to vote for bill restricting trans athletes" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "See how Texas House members voted in the speaker race" TX TRIB
> TX MONTHLY: "Oui-Haw! Let’s Frenchify the Texas Economy" TX MONTHLY
> AP: "Border crossings in December trend low as Biden administration wraps up" AP
> DMN: "Abbott threatens Texas A&M president over DEI controversy" DMN
> DMN: "What to know about Dustin Burrows, the next speaker of the Texas House" DMN
> TX TRIB: "Texas GOP chair denies church-state separation as lawmakers, pastors prep for ‘spiritual battle’" TX TRIB
> DMN: "Fermín Castillo Gómez from Linares was killed in Dallas" DMN
> FWST: "Tensions erupt at Tarrant Commissioners Court during jail deaths briefing" FWST
> AP: "John Ratcliffe, tapped by Trump to lead the CIA, will face questioning in the Senate" AP
> HOU CHRON: "Abbott threatens to force out A&M president over alleged DEI actions" HOU CHRON
> HOU CHRON: "Southwest pausing some hirings, internships as the airline looks to reduce costs" HOU CHRON
> TX TRIB: "The air in 12 Texas counties exceeded federal soot standards. Only four may face consequences." TX TRIB
> FWST: "Property owned by one of the first female ranch owners in Texas is for sale. See it" FWST
> DMN: "California wildfires destroy home of Dallas developer" DMN
> HOU CHRON: "Bangladesh Supreme Court acquits ex-Prime Minister Zia, clearing the way for her to run in elections" HOU CHRON
> FWST: "Fort Worth tire shop made latest ‘Landman’ episode. See all the North Texas references" FWST
> FWST: "Mice droppings found in Tarrant County health inspections. 3 restaurants temporarily close" FWST
> FWST: "Two-time Olympic medalist to be honored in Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo parade" FWST
> HOU CHRON: "The tax deadline for some small businesses affected by disasters in 2024 is drawing near" HOU CHRON | | | Last weekend's Texas sports scores:
> NBA: Denver 118, Dallas 99
> NHL: Dallas 4, Toronto 1
> NCAAM: #8 Kentucky 81, #11 Texas A&M 69
> NCAAM: Arizona 81, #25 Baylor 70
> NCAAM: Texas Tech 61, Kansas State 57
> NCAAM: North Texas 69, East Carolina 60
> NCAAM: UTSA 90, Rice 84
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 7pm: NBA: Dallas at New Orleans
> 7pm: NBA: Memphis at San Antonio
> 7pm: NCAAM: West Virginia at #10 Houston (ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: Georgia State at Texas State (ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: Utah at TCU (ESPN+)
> 8pm: NBA: Houston at Denver
> 8pm: NCAAM: SMU at Virginia (ACCN)
> 9pm: NCAAM: Texas at Oklahoma (SEC Network)
HOUSTON TEXANS: "Why the KC Chiefs are the best matchup for the Houston Texans" Houston Chronicle ($)
DALLAS COWBOYS: "Here's the main reason Deion Sanders couldn't be Cowboys head coach" DMN ($)
DALLAS COWBOYS: "Eagles OC Kellen Moore addresses Dallas Cowboys head coach opening" DMN ($)
HOUSTON TEXANS: "Houston Texans release veteran receiver Diontae Johnson after 2 games" Houston Chronicle ($)
TEXAS FOOTBALL: "Texas football: 5 key questions facing the defense ahead of 2025" AAS ($)
TEXAS FOOTBALL: "Texas football safety Michael Taaffe returns for senior season" AAS ($)
DALLAS MAVERICKS: "Jamal Murray scores 32 of his season-high 45 points in the 1st half as Nuggets beat Mavs 118-99" AP
TEXAS A&M MEN'S BASKETBALL: "Texas A&M men's basketball faltets in second half loss at Kentucky" Bryan Eagle
BAYLOR MEN'S BASKETBALL: "Veesaar scores 19 as Arizona knocks off No. 25 Baylor 81-70 for 7th straight win" AP
TEXAS RANGERS / DALLAS STARS: "Texas Rangers to join Dallas Stars on VIctory+, but it'll cost you" DMN ($) | |
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