Good morning,

A little sunlight can do a lot of good. After Texas Scorecard and others reported that Baylor University had accepted a grant to promote a radical leftwing agenda in churches, the institution announced it was returning the money (more details below).

It is thanks to the generous support of donors from all around Texas that we can bring such stories to light.

This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, July 10, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Abbott Announces Special Session Agenda

• Yesterday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott officially released the agenda for the upcoming special legislative session. As Brandon Waltens reports, the governor wants lawmakers to tackle 18 items when they return to Austin on Monday, July 21.
      
• Included in the call are several flood-related items aimed at improving early warning systems, emergency communications, and local relief funding. The agenda also includes a sweeping review of rules related to disaster preparation and recovery.
     
• Abbott is also calling for legislation to eliminate the STAAR test, ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, and cut property taxes. The governor wants lawmakers to implement new restrictions on THC potency and synthetic compounds without “banning a lawful agricultural commodity.”
       
• As expected, redistricting is officially on the agenda, following pressure from President Donald Trump’s team to secure additional Republican seats in Congress.
       
• Now that the agenda is set, the process of drafting and filing legislation can officially begin. While Republicans control both chambers, questions remain about potential roadblocks. Among them, whether House Democrats will participate in the session or stage a quorum break as they did in 2021.

Houston Research Centers Among Targets in Chinese Espionage Scheme

• According to federal indictments unsealed this week, two Chinese nationals allegedly hacked into U.S. research centers—including multiple facilities in Houston—during the early months of the pandemic, aiming to extract sensitive COVID-19 data for the Chinese government. Michael Wilson has the story.
       
• The two men are accused of carrying out U.S.-based computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021 at the direction of the Shanghai State Security Bureau, a division of China’s Ministry of State Security.
      
• Xu Zewei and Zhang Yu allegedly began breaching computer systems before widespread outbreaks of the virus in the U.S. and while the Chinese government was downplaying its severity. Their intrusions were part of a much larger global campaign known as HAFNIUM, which compromised thousands of systems worldwide.
      
• Xu was arrested last week in Italy, while Zhang is at large and believed to be in China.

After Fire Chief Delays Help For Flood Victims, Firefighters Hold No-Confidence Vote

• The Austin Firefighters Association is set to hold a no-confidence vote in Austin Fire Department Chief Joel Baker for alleged delinquency in deploying firefighters to assist in water rescue efforts in Kerr County. Addie Hovland has the details.
       
• The AFA accuses the chief of delaying the deployment of rescue swimmers from the department’s special operations teams, who are specifically trained for swift water rescue in the Hill Country.
      
• In a statement to Texas Scorecard, Baker said the decision on the allotment of resources amid such a crisis is not a simple one. He asserts he had to balance prioritizing sufficient resources for the local community because of the storm’s unpredictability.
       
• The Austin Fire Department eventually sent three of its five swimmers to the Kerr County area on the afternoon of July 4.

Texas Universities Assist Flood Relief Efforts

• As Texans move from rescue to recovery efforts following the catastrophic floods in the Hill Country, Adam Cahn reports several universities across the state have joined the effort.
     
• The Texas A&M system, which houses eight state agencies in addition to its educational institutions, is deeply involved in recovery efforts. Most notably, the Texas Division of Emergency Management falls under A&M's oversight. A&M’s Engineering Extension Service deployed Swiftwater Rescue Boat Squads to facilitate rescue and evacuation operations, the A&M Forest Service is helping clear roadways, and A&M’s AgriLife Extension Service is supporting veterinary and livestock needs.
       
• Meanwhile, the University of North Texas’ Health Science Center has provided rapid DNA testing to help identify flood victims.
      
• Groups at both Baylor and the University of Texas at Austin have organized disaster aid relief kits and prayer vigils.

UPDATE: Baylor Backtracks on LGBTQ Program

• Updating a story Texas Scorecard reported yesterday... Baylor University has announced it will return a controversial $643,000 grant aimed at promoting "LGBTQ+" inclusion in churches after backlash from alumni, donors, and Christian commentators.
       
• In a message addressed to the "Baylor Family," President Linda Livingstone explained the decision to return the money because the project had evolved into activities "inconsistent with Baylor’s institutional policies."

Harris County Jail Hit With Third Noncompliance Notice of 2025

• State regulators have again cited the Harris County Jail for failing to meet Texas' jail standards. As Joseph Trimmer reports, this marks the third noncompliance notice this year. 
      
• The latest notice underscores the jail’s chronic compliance problems. It comes amid a rise in in-custody deaths that has prompted county officials to debate jail conditions and possible fixes. The citation came just days after three inmates died within 48 hours in county custody, bringing 2025’s in-custody death toll to 10, matching the total for all of 2024.
       
• Many of the jail’s problems stem from severe overcrowding.

Quote-Unquote

"Many of our rich men have not been content with equal protection and equal benefits, but have besought us to make them richer by act of Congress. By attempting to gratify their desires we have in the results of our legislation arrayed section against section, interest against interest, and man against man, in a fearful commotion which threatens to shake the foundations of our Union."

– Andrew Jackson
Bank Veto Message ​

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