Good morning,
The right to liberty is unalienable, but getting it—and keeping it—is a different matter altogether. More on that thought below to close out the week.
This is the Texas Minute for Friday, April 4, 2025.
– Michael Quinn Sullivan
Dozens of Suspected Tren de Aragua Members Arrested Outside Austin
- Dozens of individuals—including suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua—have been arrested near Dripping Springs, a small town a half-hour west of Austin. Ian Camacho has the story.
- Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers reportedly seized narcotics during the raid and took nine minors into custody. Tren de Aragua is Venezuela’s largest criminal organization and has been designated a terrorist organization by both Gov. Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump.
- The 47 detainees—25 adult males, 13 adult females, and 9 children—were taken into ICE custody for processing; none are U.S. citizens or legally in the country.
Former Texas Lottery Director Missing? Lawyer Says No
- Sources in state government have said Gary Grief, the longtime former executive director of the scandal-plagued Texas Lottery Commission, is reportedly missing, with authorities unable to locate him. Brandon Waltens reports that an attorney representing Grief said the former lottery executive had not "fled."
- Grief abruptly retired in February 2024 after serving 14 years as executive director and decades in the agency. His tenure has recently come under scrutiny following an investigation that revealed that he authorized illicit lottery resellers to operate in Texas. Those online sales have been the target of legislation in the Senate as well as an investigation by the Texas Rangers.
- It was during Grief's time in charge that the commission aided a foreign gambling syndicate to game the lottery system and walk off with a $95 million jackpot. Members of the Texas Legislature have likened that situation to a “money laundering” operation.
- One attorney representing Grief did not return calls. After initial publication, a second attorney contacted Texas Scorecard to dispute the notion that the former lottery executive had "fled," saying he was “at home.” Texas Scorecard has not yet been able to independently verify Grief’s location.
EPIC City Developers Hire High-Profile Defense Attorney
- Erin Anderson reports that developers of a controversial master-planned Muslim community in North Texas—known as EPIC City—have hired high-profile defense attorney Dan Cogdell to represent them against multiple state investigations.
- The announcement on Thursday by the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) followed a barrage of bad publicity for the project, which is still in the early planning stages. Over the past week, Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced several legal probes into the activities surrounding EPIC City.
- Cogdell has defended several high-profile clients. Most recently, he was part of the defense team during Paxton’s 2023 impeachment trial.
Texas Senators Consider COVID-19 Treatment Measures
- Members of the Texas Senate are considering measures that would increase doctor and patient freedom when treating COVID-19 and protect them from state agencies’ pushback. Luca Cacciatore has the details.
- Legislation by State Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney) would allow doctors to prescribe drugs off-label to treat COVID-19. “Off-label use” refers to the utilization of pharmaceutical drugs for a condition, dosage, or patient population unapproved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
- The long-standing practice became increasingly common during the COVID-19 pandemic when thousands of Americans sought to use prescription drugs like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to treat their viral symptoms. While hydroxychloroquine is not approved by the FDA for COVID treatment, some studies have shown it to be at least moderately effective. Ivermectin, likewise, has not been approved by the agency but has some support in medical journals.
- Among those testifying was Dr. Mary Talley Bowden of Houston, who discussed being “completely shut down” over the issue by state agencies.
OTHER SENATE NEWS
One measure bans DEI from state agencies, while another prohibits changes to birth certificates based on “gender identity.”
House Education Committee Advances School Choice Legislation
- By a vote of 9 to 6, the House Public Education Committee advanced school choice legislation on Thursday toward the full chamber for debate. Sydnie Henry reports that the measure would create education savings accounts to the tune of $10,000 annually per pupil.
- The proposal is a key priority for Gov. Greg Abbott, who made school choice a central issue in last year’s Republican primaries, backing challengers against incumbent lawmakers who opposed similar efforts.
- Preliminary budget proposals allocate $1 billion toward the program for the 2026-2027 school year. With that amount, up to 100,000 children—out of more than five million enrolled in public schools—would qualify for the program's first year.
- Variations of school choice proposals have repeatedly passed out of the Texas Senate over the last decade; this marks only the second time it has even moved to the House floor in that same period.
OTHER HOUSE NEWS
Despite its national security framing, the bill is also drawing fire from some conservatives who argue it doesn’t go far enough.
Christian School CFO Accused of Grooming 16-Year-Old Stepdaughter
- A top administrator of a private Christian school in West Texas is accused of sexually grooming his 16-year-old stepdaughter. The Midland man has been arrested and charged with child grooming, a third-degree felony punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison.
- Rory James Waide is the chief financial officer of Midland Christian School. His wife reportedly contacted the Midland Police Department late last month about her husband’s behavior toward her daughter.
- Midland Christian School issued a statement saying Waide was being placed on administrative leave.
This Sunday on REAL TEXANS
Walter Wendler, PhD
In this Sunday's edition of REAL TEXANS, Walter Wendler talks about his journey from being a “damn yankee” to a “born-again Texan.” As the president of West Texas A&M University, Dr. Wendler has a unique perspective on the value of higher education—and it’s not what you might think.
New interviews with REAL TEXANS every Sunday!
Friday Reflection
Liberty Is Inalienable, But Isn’t Guaranteed
by Michael Quinn Sullivan
Liberty does not happen by accident. While we have an inalienable right to liberty, history demonstrates that securing it—and then holding on to it—are different matters entirely.
It would be nice to think "liberty" is the norm of the human experience and "tyranny" the exception. It would be nice, but it would not be true.
In the late 1940s, a businessman named Henning Prentis noticed a pattern in history. The pattern leads from bondage to liberty and back to bondage.
He developed the so-called "Prentis Cycle" over a series of speeches and essays. It goes like this, quoting Mr. Prentis:
"From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to courage; from courage to freedom; from freedom to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to fear; from fear to dependency; and from dependency back to bondage once more."
We like freedom and abundance, but in our selfishness and complacency, we reject faith. We convince ourselves that we have nothing to fear from the tyrants who speak softly to us, and we shackle ourselves under the promise of their protection. Anyone courageous enough to speak out is mocked and attacked.
Where are we now? Are you sure?
If we are to retain our liberty, we must renew our faith and shore up our courage. We must shake our friends out of their complacency and apathy.
Liberty can only grow in the soil of self-governance tended to daily by zealous patriots.
It isn’t someone else’s job. It is my job and your job. It is a job for which we must actively train our children. The cause of liberty never ends.
Quote-Unquote
"Liberty becomes a question of morals more than of politics."
– Lord Acton
