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FRIDAY || 2/7/25
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“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)
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TOP NEWS
“Galveston biolabs disclose mishaps that potentially exposed workers to infectious diseases,” Houston Chronicle's Brian Rausch — “The mistake happened in an instant.
Inside one of the biosafety level 4 labs at the Galveston National Laboratory – where scientists wear full-body moonsuit-like gear as they study some of the world’s most dangerous microbes – a lab worker was uncapping a needle.
The worker had just been handling a guinea pig that was infected with Chapare virus, which has caused deadly outbreaks [ [link removed] ] of a hemorrhagic fever disease in Bolivia [ [link removed] ] and for which there is no treatment [ [link removed] ] other than fluids and supportive care.
As the lab worker uncapped the new needle, it accidentally plunged through their layered gloves and into their finger.
The mishap last August is one of three incidents last year where workers were potentially exposed to infectious pathogens inside research labs at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, according to an annual biosafety incident summary lab officials released this week.
UTMB officials said none of the lab workers were infected in the 2024 safety breaches, which also involved an incident in October in with anthrax bacteria [ [link removed] ], which can cause serious disease but is not contagious, and in December with Mayaro virus [ [link removed] ], which is spread by mosquitos and tends to cause a mild disease that includes fever, aches and a rash.
Although lab officials classified each incident as a potential exposure to the workers, they said the risks in each case were very low because of the many layers of precautions used in the labs.
“Because of the practices we have, we’ve never had a person become ill working in a lab,” Gene Olinger, director of the Galveston National Laboratory, told Houston Landing.
The Galveston National Lab and the UTMB-Galveston campus’ Robert E. Shope, MD, Laboratory are among only about 15 lab facilities in North America [ [link removed] ] that have labs operating at biosafety level 4 (BSL-4), the highest level of containment used for studying the most dangerous pathogens.
For many years, UTMB has posted a list with synopsis information about incidents involving potential worker exposures at these two BSL-4 lab facilities and also the campus’ lower level research labs that study less dangerous pathogens. UTMB officials updated the list late Tuesday, adding the three 2024 incidents to their previous disclosure [ [link removed] ] of 66 other incidents dating back to 2002.
The list does not include research lab incidents where UTMB officials determined there was no potential exposure. Over the years, the disclosed potential exposures [ [link removed] ] have included needlesticks, cuts, animal bites, spilled specimens and a wide range of pathogens including Marburg virus, Nipah virus, Dengue virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, West Nile virus and SARS-CoV-2. But none have resulted in any worker becoming infected, lab officials emphasized.
“I always talk about trust and transparency,” Olinger said. “Trust is we tell you that we have measures in place to protect the community. Transparency is saying this is what’s happening and sharing it.”
Each of the three incidents disclosed for 2024 had a low likelihood for the worker becoming infected, lab officials told the Landing. But each was treated as a potential exposure out of “an abundance of caution,” they said.
During the Chapare virus experiment where the needlestick incident occurred on Aug. 13, the lab worker had disinfected their gloved hands after handling the infected guinea pig. But not enough time had passed to ensure the chemical had fully inactivated any virus on the surface of the worker’s gloves, officials said. This created the potential for virus to be carried by the unused needle when it passed through the glove and into the person’s finger.
“The likelihood of any true exposure that could result in infection was profoundly low,” said Dr. Susan McLellan, a physician and the labs’ biosafety director for research-related infectious pathogens, who was consulted on the worker’s case." Houston Landing [ [link removed] ]
“Will Texas see more Stargate data centers? OpenAI says it's likely,” Austin American-Statesman's Karoline Leonard — “Abilene will likely not be the only site in Texas to see a Stargate data center campus — a representative for the joint venture will visit sites across the Lone Star State throughout next week.
OpenAI held a briefing Thursday to discuss the site selection process and provide updates on the Stargate project, a joint venture [ [link removed] ] between the AI company, Softbank and Austin-based Oracle that looks to invest $500 billion in private sector artificial intelligence infrastructure.
President Donald Trump announced Stargate alongside OpenAI CEO and Co-founder Sam Altman, Oracle’s Chief Technology Officer Larry Ellison and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son at the White House on Jan. 22 announcement. Altman said at the time he thinks Stargate will be "the most important project of this era."
Stargate's first site is an 875-acre data center campus in Abilene [ [link removed] ] that is already under construction, and is being led primarily by Oracle, who is headquartered are in Austin though the company more recently has discussed a moved to Tennessee [ [link removed] ].
Keith Heyde, a member of OpenAI's infrastructure team leading Stargate site selection and execution, said Thursday that the Abilene site expects to have the first set of the buildings on the campus online and processing some AI workload by the end of this year.
Heyde said the only site that OpenAI is currently engaged with as part of the Stargate effort is the Abilene data center campus.
During Thursday's call, OpenAI representatives said states have started reaching out and proposing sites for the Stargate project. Stargate is actively considering future sites in 16 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
Stargate's team has been traveling across the country visiting potential sites to build data center campuses. Heyde will be in Texas next week to look at potential sites, but did not give further information on where these sites will be.
Texas, OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane said during the briefing, has been at the forefront of the Stargate project since its inception.
"When we made that announcement, a day or so later I flew down to Texas, spent time with the governor's office, lieutenant governor's office, agencies, leadership in the state house, and could not have been really more blown away by how Texas is thinking about it," Lehane said. "Texas is already seeking to think about and lead on building out AI data centers to support an AI ecosystem in Texas. But a state that is certainly thinking big, acting big, and looking to build big, Texas is going to be the flagship of where the Stargate project will do a lot of its work."
Lehane said Texas has especially had "many" site proposals.
OpenAI Chief Economist Ronnie Chatterji said during the briefing that Stargate expects to create "thousands of jobs" in local communities through its data center and AI infrastructure projects. These jobs will include positions directly at the data centers, as well as construction and maintenance roles.
The expansive data center project underway in Abilene is expected to create about 57 full-time jobs, with an average annual wage of $57,600. The final tally could be higher.
Chatterji said he expects the economic impact to be "significant," as the data center campuses will spark additional sales and property tax dollars in local communities.
Chatterji also stated during the meetings that Stargate doesn't want to build "campuses and nothing else around them," saying the project plans to build additional ecosystems and communities around its data center campuses.
"These aren't just going to be campuses and nothing else around them," Chatterji said. "We're going to build ecosystems here that are going to allow universities and hospitals and community colleges to connect in and that's going to be a big part of the story as well. So I'm optimistic that both the direct jobs, but also sort of all the downstream effects are going to be significant too."
Chatterji did not provide further details on what these ecosystem developments could look like but mentioned that part of the AI infrastructure Stargate is building includes supporting and enhancing the power grid.
"You think about investments in the grid, the infrastructure, that's also a big part of the re-industrialization piece of this to make this all work," Chatterji said. "And I think whether it's in Texas or around the country, those kind of complimentary infrastructure projects are part of the economic multiplier here."
Several grid experts have questioned whether Texas can support additional numbers of data centers. Data centers require expansive amounts of power, transmission and generation.
The Stargate data center campuses will be designed to be roughly 1GW — which can power about 750,000 homes [ [link removed] ] — or greater range and will "all be connected to one another," OpenAI representatives said.
Pablo Vegas, CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) [ [link removed] ], which manages Texas' power grid, told lawmakers back in June that grid capacity needs to grow from 85,000 to 150,000 megawatts in the next six years. He noted that bitcoin mining and data centers will account for more than half of the added growth on the Texas grid.
When asked about water usage at these campuses, especially in Texas where portions of the state remain under drought conditions [ [link removed] ], Heyde said Stargate aims to create more energy- and water-efficient facilities.
"We're really trying to develop and use designs that are very, very efficient when it comes to a water-use perspective," Heyde said. "This taps into a lot of different design principles around closed loop water cooling systems and not necessarily the same water approaches that were used for data centers say in the early 2010s that were a bit more water intensive. This is critical, not only in places where there's ongoing drought conditions, but also critical in others where we just want to be conscious of general impacts to the to the water and sort of the communities in which these campuses are situated."
Heyde did not give specifics on how much water is expected to be consumed daily at the Abilene campus." AAS [ [link removed] ] ($)
#TXLEGE
“Club for Growth launches Texas campaign to boost school choice,” Dallas Morning News' Nolan D. McCaskill — “The conservative advocacy group Club for Growth launched a statewide TV, print and digital advertising campaign Thursday to pressure lawmakers in the Texas House to support a “school choice” bill that would put taxpayer dollars toward private school education.
The Texas Senate passed its version of the legislation [ [link removed] ], Senate Bill 2, Wednesday night.
“Now, the onus falls on the Texas State House to pass this legislation without compromise,” David McIntosh, president of Club for Growth, said in a statement. “House lawmakers must unite to pass SB 2 without compromising or reducing its universal nature. School freedom should be for every Texas student, not just some.”
Club for Growth declined to reveal how much it was spending on the campaign, calling it a six-figure effort that could top $1 million, depending on its impact.
The campaign began Thursday with a full-page ad in the Austin American-Statesman encouraging constituents to tell state lawmakers to support Gov. Greg Abbott’s school choice plan. Additional ads will run Friday and Sunday, Club for Growth said.
Television ads will begin airing during Sunday national political talk shows in the Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Waco markets.
The 30-second spot [ [link removed] ] begins with a narrator praising Texas as No. 1 in oil and gas production, job creation and innovation. Next up?
“Texas must be No. 1 in educating our children,” Abbott says in a clip taken from his State of the State address Sunday. “Parents should be empowered to choose the school that’s best for their child.”
The ad concludes with Abbott saying, “We must pass school choice this session,” as text appears encouraging viewers to phone their legislators.
Wednesday’s passage of SB 2, creating a $1 billion voucher-style program in Texas, marked the sixth time the Senate has passed a school choice bill, only to see the efforts fail in the House under opposition from Democrats and rural Republicans.
All 11 Democratic senators voted against SB 2, saying it could jeopardize spending on public schools and wasn’t fair to rural communities that lack access to private schools.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, vowed Wednesday senators “will pass school choice over and over again until the House passes this bill.”
The Club for Growth’s digital campaign will feature a grassroots effort to mobilize voters in the districts of 29 Republican state representatives.
Club for Growth Action — the organization’s super PAC — and its allied super PAC School Freedom Fund spent nearly $8.5 million in last year’s primaries to target House Republicans who opposed school choice.
McIntosh said the political action committees are ready to spend more on future primaries.
“If any Republican opposes Gov. Abbott and spurns their constituents,” he wrote in a Texas Scorecard op-ed [ [link removed] ], “Club for Growth Action and School Freedom Fund are ready to engage.”" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
STATE GOVERNMENT
“Texas attorney general to join efforts to enforce state standards at Harris County Jail,” Texas Tribune's Matthew Choi — "The Texas Commission on Jail Standards, the statewide regulatory body that oversees county jails, will request that the Texas Attorney General intervene in its longstanding efforts to force the Harris County Jail into compliance with minimum jail standards, according to a motion raised and approved at a commission meeting Thursday.
The move represents a significant escalation in the state’s efforts to improve conditions in Harris County’s troubled jail system, which has struggled to comply with a remedial order since 2023.
“They’ve been out of compliance for an extended period of time and under remedial order for (over) a year now,” said Brandon Wood, director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, in an interview with the Landing. “I need to have them comply with minimum jail standards… to enforce the safety and security of the staff that work there and the inmates that are housed there.”
In a written statement, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the jail, attributed the jail’s ongoing challenges to systemic failures outside of its control.
“The Harris County Sheriff’s Office continues to work with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards to address overcrowding challenges created by the backlog of local cases awaiting trial,” Jason Spencer, senior policy and communications advisor for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, wrote in an email. “Because of this backlog, the average length of stay in the Harris County Jail exceeds 180 days, which is about six times longer than the average Texas jail. The Harris County Jail also houses 350 inmates who are on a waiting list for the state’s overwhelmed mental hospitals.
“In spite of these challenges, the Harris County Jail has made significant progress toward addressing understaffing challenges, and there are currently only 38 job vacancies for detention officers,” Spencer wrote.
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards first issued the remedial order [ [link removed] ] in May 2023 following several inspections of the Harris County Jail that found persistent areas of noncompliance with state jail standards, particularly a failure to meet the required staffing ratio of one detention officer per 48 inmates.
In response, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office accelerated hiring and outsourced hundreds of inmates awaiting trial from its overburdened downtown facility to privately operated jails in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Harris County’s efforts led to a certification of compliance [ [link removed] ] in August 2024. However, in January, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards issued Harris County a new notice of noncompliance [ [link removed] ] after officials acknowledged they had failed to meet state standards on face-to-face inmate observation.
The acknowledgment followed three deaths at the Harris County Jail [ [link removed] ] in December 2024, at least one of which was related to the lapse.
“Some of the data that we’ve been able to review indicates that (Harris County has) been working on the staffing, but we still have face-to-face observations and other areas of noncompliance occurring,” Wood told the Landing, adding that he plans to make a formal request to engage the attorney general on Friday.
On Thursday, the total Harris County Jail population was over 9,800, according to public data [ [link removed] ] maintained by the sheriff’s office. The jail is only equipped to hold about 9,400 inmates, according to jail officials [ [link removed] ]." Houston Landing [ [link removed] ]
“Texas Education Agency investigates 60 more teachers for cheating,” Houston Chronicle's Nusaiba Mizan and Anastsia Goodwin — "The Texas Education Agency is investigating 60 more teachers across 33 school districts who allegedly obtained fraudulent certifications through a cheating ring spearheaded by a popular Houston ISD basketball coach [ [link removed] ].
Five people, including three HISD educators [ [link removed] ], face criminal charges for allegedly running a $1 million cheating ring [ [link removed] ] for more than 200 teachers, spanning Dallas, Houston and dozens of other school districts. Harris County District Attorney officials alleged certification candidates swapped with a test-taking proxy after signing in at testing locations.
HISD's Vincent Grayson, Booker T. Washington High School basketball coach; LaShonda Roberts, Jack Yates High School assistant principal; and Nicholas Newton, Booker T. Washington assistant principal were accused of running the ring.
On Tuesday, the Texas Education Agency opened cases for nine teachers whose most recent affiliation was Houston ISD, according to state records. Teachers recently affiliated with Aldine, Alief, Cypress-Fairbanks, Fort Bend and Spring ISDs also had their certifications flagged for investigation.
About 100 educators' certifications were tagged for pending investigations in December [ [link removed] ], totaling 163 cases across 59 school districts. The listed districts reflect the most recent places of employment reported for each educator at the end of either the 2022-23 school year or 2023-24 school year.
"In accordance with State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) rules, TEA will review any and all information shared by law enforcement and pursue appropriate action against any educator involved in this scheme. The SBEC will make a final determination on possible sanctions," the state agency said on Oct. 29.
Additional investigations may be opened as the agency receives more information.
Houston ISD commented in December [ [link removed] ], "HISD has a rigorous approach to recruiting, hiring, training, and supporting educators so that all our students get the education they deserve. It is a shame that a small handful of individuals, out of HISD's more than ten thousand dedicated teachers, allegedly tried to cheat the system and Houston’s students. All of the individuals have been relieved of their duties and reassigned pending the outcome of the state’s investigation."" Houston Chronicle [ [link removed] ] ($)
“Nearly 900 Texas children are waitlisted for a mental health program billed as an alternative to foster care,” Texas Tribune's Stephen Simpson — "Nidia Heston always had a plan for her son Quin but nothing could have prepared her when her son’s school wouldn’t enroll him in the eighth grade until his mental health was thoroughly evaluated.
At Dell’s Children’s Medical Center, doctors told Heston that Quin’s suicidal ideations were so severe that he would need to be admitted into a state hospital or a residential treatment center. To add to the heart-wrench, entering those facilities would require her to give up parental custody and care to the state for an extended amount of time.
Not wanting to say goodbye to her son, Heston quickly applied for an intensive state mental health program that would allow Quin to receive outpatient treatment at home or in offices. After a month of waiting and sleeping on the couch with Quin to make sure he didn’t hurt himself, she was approved for the program.
“I could finally surrender myself to help,” Heston said.
Heston and her son, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, autism and ADHD, is among thousands of families who have received treatment from the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver, an intensive mental health service program for families who cannot afford long-term psychiatric inpatient care or who would rather see their child receive treatment in their own community.
The program, which serves about 2,200 children, is currently in desperate need of additional funding as providers leave the program due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates. The waitlist for this mental health service is nearly 900 families on a given day.
Started in 2015, the program provides a family with a team of specialists within the community who provide various behavioral health services and nontraditional services, such as adaptive support, specialized therapies, and minor home modifications. The program is in high demand because it allows kids to go to school, play on their sports teams, and stay with their families. Often, families who cannot access acute mental health services give full or partial custody to the state to obtain treatment, which taxes the state’s already overburdened foster care system.
In 2023, 3,109 children inquired about being assessed for YES, a 53% increase from 2019. Despite the increased inquiries over the last five years, the number of youth served has steadily declined, with 2,227 youth enrolled in 2023 compared to 2,826 in 2019 — a 21% decrease.
Because of stagnant Medicaid reimbursement rates that are at times one-half of what providers are paid in the private sector, the program lost 386 YES providers between 2020 and 2023, according to a Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council report on youth health [ [link removed] ].
This has led to wait times for the YES program that vary by county, with rural parts of the state most affected.
“HHSC continues to work … to expand the provider base and maximize utilization of existing YES Waiver slots as a statewide service,” said Jennifer Ruffcorn, Texas Health and Human Services Commission spokesperson." Texas Tribune [ [link removed] ]
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
“Meet the architects behind San Antonio’s newest airport terminal, set to open in 2028,” San Antonio Report's Shari Biediger — "More than a year has passed since San Antonio got a preview of a planned new airport terminal and two months since officials broke ground.
Now those early design concepts [ [link removed] ] have been set in motion as the two architecture firms hired by the city in 2022, through a $3.8 million contract, work toward the expected 2028 completion date of a new terminal for the San Antonio International Airport (SAT).
Dallas-based Corgan, a firm with offices in San Antonio and 18 cities around the world, is teamed up with the nationally recognized firm [ [link removed] ] Lake Flato to design a modern $1 billion concourse.
At $1.68 billion, the airport’s expansion is the largest capital project in the city’s history.
City officials broke ground on the project [ [link removed] ] in early December and site work began the following day.
While the design development documents are due in February in keeping with the construction timeline, the architects are in it for the long haul, working hand-in-hand with the general contractor, Hensel Phelps [ [link removed] ], until it opens three years from now.
From an office building just outside the airport gates, both firms are huddling with airport officials over the drawings and specifications required to build a terminal that will expand the airport by 17 gates.
Among the occupants in the Airport Center office space are the planning engineers and Deputy Aviation Director Tim O’Krongley.
O’Krongley has a long history with building airports. He was on the team that built the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in the 1990s, the Boeing facility at Port SA and Terminal B at the San Antonio airport.
He said the new SAT terminal is the best project he’s worked on and different from the others in that the city has employed a construction manager at risk method to build the terminal, a program that brings the contractor in early on a project." SA Report [ [link removed] ]
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
“Border Patrol chief calls report that agents will board buses to check students’ citizenship “absurd”,” Texas Tribune's Uriel J. Garcia and Ayden Runnels — “The Alice Independent School District in South Texas warned parents in a letter Wednesday that U.S. Border Patrol agents may be checking the immigration status of students on school buses traveling for extracurricular activities — then pulled the letter down. The Border Patrol's chief on Thursday said agents would not board school buses to check papers.
“We want to bring to your attention an important matter regarding student travel for extracurricular activities, including sports, band, and other co-curricular events,” Superintendent Anysia Trevino wrote in the letter. "We have received information that U.S. Border Patrol agents may be boarding school buses at highway checkpoints in and out of the Valley to question students about their citizenship status.”
Trevino added that if a student does not have identification or other documents that show a pupil is in the country legally, “they may be removed from the bus, detained, and possibly deported.” It also warns that if students lie about their immigration status, they may not get U.S. citizenship in the future. Under current federal immigration law, someone who lies about being a U.S. citizen may be disqualified from receiving a green card or U.S. citizenship.
The school district later removed the letter from its Facebook page and its website, and Thursday evening posted another statement calling the letter a proactive move “out of an abundance of caution.”
“Student safety, which has always been and will continue to be our priority, was the only motivation,” Trevino said in the Thursday statement.
The letter also clarifies that no U.S. Custom and border Protections agents had boarded any buses at Alice ISD, and district officials had no knowledge of the agency doing so in any other district.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks on Thursday morning told a Fox & Friends host that Border Patrol agents are not going to "target school buses and children ... It's absurd." The district’s Thursday statement seemingly acknowledged Banks’ remarks, stating the district understood members of U.S. Border Patrol indicated school buses “will not be targeted.”
Banks added that he is considering not communicating to journalists about Border Patrol operations because he believes there has been a lot of incorrect information reported.
In an emailed statement late Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees Border Patrol, said immigration officers don't target school buses. But the statement says that if a bus travels through an immigration checkpoint, immigration officers may verify the immigration status of its passengers, including students.
Under federal law, immigration agents may enter vehicles to check for immigration papers of passengers without a warrant if that vehicle is traveling within 100 miles of the border. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, two out of three Americans live within 100 miles of the country's borders [ [link removed] ], including its coastlines.
Recently, the Trump administration scrapped a longstanding practice that immigration agents do not enter public schools, health care facilities and places of worship to arrest undocumented immigrants. Spokespeople for the school district and Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley, near Alice, didn’t respond to after-business hours requests for comment from The Texas Tribune.
The letter also states the school district is considering having a chaperone travel in a separate vehicle if a student is detained; the chaperone would be able to stay with the student while the rest of the group continues their journey.”
According to the Texas Education Agency, the district has six schools and teaches about 4,500 students; 92% are Hispanic." Texas Tribune [ [link removed] ]
“Trump nominates Melinda Hildebrand as US ambassador to Costa Rica”,” Texas Tribune's Uriel J. Garcia and Ayden Runnels — “President Donald Trump has nominated Houston philanthropist Melinda "Mindy" Hildebrand to be the U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica.
"I am pleased to announce that Melinda Hildebrand will serve as the next United States Ambassador to Costa Rica," Trump posted Thursday night on Truth Social [ [link removed] ]. "Melinda is an incredibly successful businesswoman and philanthropist, who serves as the Vice Chair of the Hildebrand Foundation, and Vice President of Hilcorp Ventures Inc. She is also the president and owner of the popular River Oaks Donuts. She will fight tirelessly to protect America’s interests abroad, especially in trade and immigration."
Hildebrand is the second Houstonian to be nominated for an ambassadorship [ [link removed] ] by Trump for his second term after Houston Rockets owner and Landry's CEO Tilman Fertitta.
“I am honored to be nominated by President Trump to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica," Hildebrand said in a message to the Chronicle. "I look forward to engaging with the Senate throughout the confirmation process.”
She is married to billionaire Jeffery Hildebrand, who founded Hilcorp Energy Company. Jeffery Hildebrand and Fertitta are the two richest people in Houston [ [link removed] ], according to Forbes.
The two hosted fundraising events [ [link removed] ] for Trump during the election.
Cynthia A. Telles was the previous U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica. She served in the role under former President Joe Biden. The ambassador to Costa Rica during Donald Trump's first term was Sharon Day, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
The Senate must approve all ambassador nominees.
Hildebrand was one of the top donors in Harris County during the 2024 election cycle [ [link removed] ], according to analysis from the Chronicle." Houston Chronicle [ [link removed] ] ($)
TEXANS IN DC
“Sen. John Cornyn wants to play hardball as Texas seeks $11 billion for border costs,” Dallas Morning News' Gromer Jeffers, Jr. — “U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Friday the Texas delegation to Congress should play political hardball to persuade federal lawmakers to reimburse Texas $11 billion spent on border security efforts.
Cornyn said Texans should leverage their numbers by offering to support issues important to other states in exchange for backing the reimbursement. Texas has the largest GOP congressional delegation, and Cornyn said his fellow Republicans agree the federal government should defray border-related expenses.
“We all agreed to lock arms and to say that this is the price to be paid for Texas’ delegation votes on other important issues,” Cornyn said in an interview for Sunday’s edition of Lone Star Politics, produced by KXAS (NBC 5) and The Dallas Morning News.
Cornyn said he has talked to Gov. Greg Abbott about the reimbursement. Abbott last month sent letters to congressional leaders asking for the reimbursement and is traveling to Washington next week to make his case on Capitol Hill. The governor also discussed the request in Wednesday’s meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
Cornyn, the state’s senior senator, said the issue also came up in this week’s Texas GOP delegation lunch. There are 25 Republicans and 13 Democrats in the House.
He said there are examples of other delegations flexing their political muscle, including lawmakers from New York calling for an end to the $10,000 cap on deductions, often called SALT, that can be made on taxes paid to state and local governments. Trump is supportive of abolishing the cap.
“You see some other delegations, like the New York delegation, saying they want to lift the SALT cap,” Cornyn said. “They’re demonstrating their ability to influence the shaping of these pieces of legislation, so I think the Texas delegation, which is of course one of the largest in the country, should use our clout to give relief to Texas taxpayers who shouldn’t have had to foot that bill in the first place.”
Texas Republicans had an antagonistic relationship with President Joe Biden over border security and the rise of illegal crossings during his administration. Abbott established Operation Lone Star four years ago, sending state troopers and National Guard soldiers to the border, busing migrants to Democratic-run cities and stringing razor wire and erecting other barriers along the Rio Grande. The border security effort has cost Texas taxpayers about $11 billion.
Along with requesting reimbursement, Abbott offered Trump state-controlled land for building more border wall sections, military bases to house federal authorities and thousands of prison cells for use as detention facilities.
Last month, Abbott also ordered state troopers to assist federal efforts to arrest undocumented migrants. He also ordered 400 soldiers to the Rio Grande Valley.
Cornyn said he didn’t mind Texas law enforcement officials helping with Trump’s plan for mass deportations but stressed the job belongs to the federal government.
“There’s nothing wrong with the support and cooperation, but again, this is primarily federal responsibility,” Cornyn said. “I don’t see assisting the federal authorities and enforcing the law is a problem at all.”" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
BUSINESS NEWS
“USAA walloped by Las Vegas jury with more than $100M verdict,” San Antonio Express-News' Patrick Danner — “A Las Vegas jury slammed San Antonio-based USAA [ [link removed] ] with a more than $100 million verdict over its treatment of a customer who had been injured in an auto accident.
USAA member Timothy Kuhn had stopped for traffic while on a Las Vegas freeway in 2018 when he was rear-ended by a driver in a Ford F-150. The force of the crash drove Kuhn’s vehicle into the car in front of him.
Kuhn, now 50, was later diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome by a neurologist after complaining of confusion and cognitive deficits.
Late last week, jurors decided the driver who was deemed to be at fault should pay $7 million in compensatory damages to Kuhn for causing the accident.
They also found that USAA Casualty Insurance Co. [ [link removed] ], Kuhn’s auto insurer, had delayed paying his claim and lowballed his damages. The jury ordered the company to pay $7 million in compensatory damages for the emotional distress and financial hardship it caused him.
After further deliberations into Friday evening, though, jurors decided USAA should also pay $100 million in punitive damages to Kuhn after his counsel urged them to send a message to the company about the way it treated Kuhn.
“We talked (with jurors) about the kind of harm that was caused, the reprehensibility of the behavior,” Kimball Jones, a lawyer for Kuhn, said in a phone interview this week. “It was really a system issue. The way that USAA had undervalued the claim was not because of some despicable adjuster that wanted to hurt Tim. It was that USAA has put into place a system that busts down bills to their own insured and says, you’re going to be on the hook for part of your own bills through some goofy algorithm that is very arbitrary.”
USAA issued a statement in response to the verdict.
“We respectfully disagree with the trial outcome, which we believe was not supported by the evidence,” the company said. “We will evaluate our legal options and continue to focus on our century-long commitment to serving our members.”
The verdict was first reported by Courtroom View Network [ [link removed] ], which broadcast the trial." SAEN [ [link removed] ] ($)
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> TX TRIB: "Foster child death linked to state-contracted home prompts criminal investigation" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Health care access and economic insecurity top a list of challenges for Texas children" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Nearly 900 Texas children are waitlisted for a mental health program billed as an alternative to foster care" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Why oil and gas companies want state oversight for carbon dioxide injection" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX MONTHLY: "The Texan Taking the Trump Administration to Court" TX MONTHLY [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Texas deer breeder convicted in white-tailed deer smuggling operation" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Most Texans back abortion ban exceptions for rape, fetal anomaly: poll" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Thousands notified of McKinney data breach. Here’s how to stay safe" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Donald Trump’s immigration executive orders: Tracking the most impactful changes" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: "Soft drinks used as disguise for 120 pounds of cocaine, Texas border cops say" FWST [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "60 more Texas teachers under investigation for statewide cheating scandal. See the full list." HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> AP: "OpenAI looks across US for sites to build its Trump-backed Stargate AI data centers" AP [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: "Houston man pardoned by Trump arrested on child sex charge" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> AP: "House lawmakers push to ban AI app DeepSeek from US government devices" AP [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "AG Paxton probes schools on transgender athlete policies" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Footage shows man shot by police while walking away and holding gun" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Federal judge clears Mattress Firm's $4B sale to Tempur Sealy" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "The problem with shoe-salesman-turned-GM Nico Harrison’s new Mavs" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "‘Deny, defend, depose’: Elon Musk mural in Texas is vandalized" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Spencer Dinwiddie empathizes with Mavs fans after Luka Doncic trade" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Dallas Cowboys great Darren Woodson misses out on Hall of Fame, again" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Mavs concerned about safety in return to Dallas, per TNT broadcast" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: "Man arrested in connection with fatal shooting in Far East Dallas" DMN [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Interstate 45 at Crosstimbers reopened after deadly wrong-way crash" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "30,000 tons of food stuck in Houston after Trump halts foreign aid" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Houston Jan. 6 pardonee wanted for online solicitation of child arrested" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Texas Senate passes $1B education savings account proposal" COMMUNITY IMPACT [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: "CKH Group Appoints Their First Female CEO, Kateryna Kudrenko" FWST [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Rockets get Cody Zeller, draft pick from Hawks before NBA trade deadline " HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "Trae tha Truth and Fiel plan rally supporting Houston's immigrant community" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: "HISD high school stages mass walkout in protest of immigration crackdown" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> LUBBOCK A-J: "NiJaree Canady's decision to join Texas Tech softball goes much deeper than NIL money" LUBBOCK A-J [ [link removed] ]
> SAEN: "Suspected robber shot, killed by beauty salon employee, San Antonio police say" SAEN [ [link removed] ]
> SAEN: "Out-of-state homebuilders buy into the market amid Texas construction boom" SAEN [ [link removed] ]
> SAEN: "Trump and Jay Monahan meet at White House as PGA Tour deal with Saudis gets closer" SAEN [ [link removed] ]
EXTRA POINTS
Last night's Texas sports score:
> NBA: Dallas 127, Boston 120
> NBA: Minnesota 127, Houston 114
> NCAAM: Utah Valley 94, UT-Arlington 73
> NCAAM: Abilene Christian 86, Utah Tech 72
> NCAAM: Seattle 91, Tarleton State 54
This weekend''s Texas sports schedule:
Fri
> 6pm: NBA: San Antonio at Charlotte
> 9:30pm: NHL: Dallas at Los Angeles (ESPN+)
Sat
> 11am: NCAAM: TCU at #8 Iowa State (ESPN+)
> 12pm: NCAAM: Texas at Vanderbilt (SEC Network)
> 1pm: NCAAM: UCF at Baylor (ESPN+)
> 2pm: NBA: Houston at Dallas
> 2pm: NCAAM: Tulane at North Texas (ESPN+)
> 2:30pm: NCAAM: #10 Texas A&M at #15 Missouri (SEC Network)
> 2:30pm: NCAAM: Rice at Charlotte (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: #5 Houston at Colorado (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: Sam Houston State at Liberty (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: East Texas A&M at Nicholls (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: Tarleton State at Utah Valley (ESPN+)
> 3:30pm: NCAAM: New Orleans at Houston Christian (ESPN+)
> 4pm: NCAAM: Texas State at Central Michigan (ESPN+)
> 4:30pm: NCAAM: Bethune-Cookman at Prairie View A&M (SWAC)
> 5pm: NCAAM: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Stephen F. Austin (ESPN+)
> 5pm: NCAAM: Florida A&M at Texas Southern (SWAC)
> 5pm: NCAAM: SE Louisiana at Incarnate Word (ESPN+)
> 6pm: NBA: San Antonio at Orlando
> 6pm: NCAAM: UT-RGV at Lamar (ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: UT-Arlington at Seattle (ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: East Carolina at UTSA (ESPNU)
> 7:30pm: NCAAM: Abilene Christian at Southern Utah (ESPN+)
> 8pm: NCAAM: UTEP at New Mexico State (ESPN+)
> 9pm: NHL: Dallas at San Jose (ESPN+)
> 9:30pm: NCAAM: #13 Texas Tech at #20 Arizona (ESPN)
Sun
> 12pm: NBA: Toronto at Houston
DALLAS COWBOYS: "Jerry Jones: Cowboys still in ‘win now’ mode as Super Bowl passes by" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
DALLAS MAVERICKS: "Mavericks coach Kidd expects fans to be unhappy when team returns to Dallas after Doncic trade" AP [ [link removed] ]
HOUSTON ROCKETS: "Edwards scores 41 to lift Timberwolves over Houston 127-114" AP [ [link removed] ]
TEXAS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: "Booker, Holle lead No. 4 Texas to 87-66 win over No. 24 Vanderbilt" AP [ [link removed] ]
TEXAS RANGERS: "5 Rangers spring training storylines: Rediscover World Series ways?" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
SMU ATHLETICS: "SMU athletic director Rick Hart stepping down" DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)

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