Good morning,
Yesterday, we asked readers about Gov. Greg Abbott's push to require that data centers pay for their own electricity infrastructure. See what folks had to say below.
This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
Talarico: Islamic Mystics Shaped My Faith as Much as Christians
- In a 2024 podcast, State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) said Islamic mystics influenced his faith as much as Christian authors. Brandon Waltens has the story.
- Despite campaigning on a "Christian" faith, the Democrats' nominee for the U.S. Senate told the podcast hosts that his spiritual life had been shaped by writers outside the Christian tradition. Among other things, Talarico argued during the interview that requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms is “deeply unchristian.”
- Talarico has previously described himself as “a Christian who hates Christianity,” referred to God as “nonbinary,” and characterized Jesus as a “radical feminist.”
Islamic Academy Acquires Former Baptist Church Property
- As Hunter Burney reports, a Muslim organization has purchased a Baptist church in Richardson with plans to convert the campus into a school, seminary, and mosque. The property had been owned by the Korean World Mission Baptist Church since 1992.
- The Muslim group plans to open a Dawah Academy & Seminary, providing a “Bachelor’s Degree in Islamic Studies.”
- Adherents of Islam are currently estimated to make up 2 percent of Texas' population, but it is reportedly the fastest-growing religion in the world.
- Perhaps they are intending to indoctrinate a new generation of "Christian" Talaricos?
Paxton Investigates Popular Women’s Brands Over Alleged Toxic Chemicals
- As part of the Make America Healthy Again movement, Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching an investigation into women’s cosmetic and feminine products to determine if consumers are being deceived about the presence of toxic chemicals. Addie Hovland has the story.
- For example, measurable concentrations of heavy metals have reportedly been discovered in more than 30 tampon products across 14 brands.
- Paxton's office has issued Civil Investigative Demands to several companies, including Tampax, Kotex, L., and LOLA, seeking information about their products.
Smuggling Ring Charged With Death of Illegal Aliens Trapped in Boxcar
- Mary Berg reports that federal prosecutors have indicted 11 people in connection with the death of seven illegal aliens who were trapped for hours inside a shipping container while being transported from Del Rio to Laredo back in May. The victims include four Mexican nationals and three Honduran nationals; one of them was a 14-year-old child.
- The smugglers allegedly took the illegal aliens to Union Pacific train tracks in Del Rio, where they cut the lock of a boxcar, loaded the seven individuals inside, and then shut the door. The shipping container was unventilated, had no cooling system, and could not be opened from the inside.
- It appears the smugglers—who come from Texas, Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala—intended to release the aliens in San Antonio.
State Water Plan Receives Initial Approval Despite Missing Data Center Analysis
- The Texas Water Development Board gave initial approval last week to the 2027 State Water Plan, despite leaving out an analysis of water usage by data centers.
- The adopted water plan outlines the proposed actions Texas may take in the next 50 years to meet state water needs. It has a cost estimate of $174 billion, more than double the last plan approved in 2022. Despite the cost increase, the mix of proposed projects remains similar to previous state water plans. Most of the spending would occur at the local level through a mix of “bonds, utility revenues, state financial assistance programs, and, in some cases, federal funds.”
- Concerns have been raised that the water plan is missing a “key issue” in future planning: water usage by data centers. While the plan does note “growing interest” in the impact from data centers, TWDB said that “limited historical data” kept any analysis out of the 2027 plan.
Sanctioned Special Ed Teacher Gets to Stay in Classroom
- Erin Anderson reports that a special education teacher who failed to report aides abusing students in her classroom can keep teaching Texas school children after State Board for Educator Certification members agreed to probate a sanction against her credentials.
- The SBEC members' action comes after a judge found that the teacher, Dalois Leathaya Woodard, engaged in unsafe physical contact with her special needs students while working in the Aldine Independent School District. Among other things, Woodard herself admitted to carrying a non-verbal student across the classroom upside down by the feet.
- Woodard said she resigned from Aldine ISD after meeting with administrators about the incidents because she “didn’t want to go through all the malarkey.” She was hired by Spring ISD, where she works as a teacher and athletic coach.
- The Texas Education Agency had argued for the suspension of Woodard's teaching credentials. SBEC members, who are appointed by the governor, disagreed.
More Texas News
Number of the Day
50.6
The percentage of Texas' population that is female.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Today In History
On July 28, 1868, the 14th Amendment took effect. It was designed to settle questions raised by the Dred Scott decision of the Supreme Court about the legal status of former slaves. In a 1898 case before the Supreme Court, the 14th Amendment was cited as justification for granting citizenship to a child born in the U.S. to parents who were Chinese nationals.
Quote-Unquote
"The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight." – Theodore Roosevelt
Y'All Answered
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the Public Utility Commission and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to implement policies that will shield residential ratepayers from the costs associated with the power infrastructure costs of data centers. Yesterday, we asked readers what they thought of the policy.
While 95.1 percent believe ratepayers should be protected from the costs of data centers, 4.9 percent said those costs should be shared because of the public good.
Here's a sampling of the responses we received.
- “If data centers are profitable, taxpayers should not have to subsidize them or solar or wind power.” – Sam Bridges
- “‘Shared cost for the public good’ sounds a little too much like socialism to me.” —Cindy Armstrong
- “Yes, shield us all — we don't know the future growth of data centers. Then, start 'yesterday' building power plants for the rest of us!” – Tim Rhodes
- “That would be like me asking my neighbor to pay a percentage of my electric bill every time her daughter is at my house. It's absurd! My guests are not responsible for my bills; I am. Data centers are responsible for their bills.” — Cathy Blake
- “The question should be: why do we need AI data centers AT ALL?” – Keith Conn
- “If you can afford to build a data center, you can afford to build a power supply for it. Grids do not like data centers, and data centers do not like grids. Governor Abbott is right about the power supply. Now he should tell the data center projects to dump all their heat into the Gulf of America.” – Jim Moyer
- “If they can get you to pay their electric bill, would you consider paying mine? That sounds too much like communism.” – Grady King
- “It's all about making money, and the so-called ‘data centers’ are no different. Taxpayers should not have to fund them!” – Glenda Piacenti
- “We have been spoon-fed the idea that these are completely destructive to us, our livestock and water, and electric supplies. At the same time, a real threat looms in that China is creating more and more of these to dominate the AI craze. Governor Abbott seems to be late to the party again.” – Rick Goncher
- “I thought Texas was a pro-business state. Build baby Build!” – Armando Oropez
- “What are data centers good for? Ultimately aimed at controlling every aspect of your life. And you want to pay for that?” – Chris Corcoran
- “How would you quietly take over a country? Destroy their power grid? Take over their land? Starve them into compliance?” – Diane Galando
- “As far as who should pay for the data center power usage, one way or another, the consumer and the producer will and should share the cost, not the taxpayer who may or may not utilize the product provided.” – Billy Moog
- “Data Centers are important in the race to stay ahead of Chinese technology, but just like any other customer, Data Centers need to pay for all the energy and resources they are consuming. Their use should not impact regular customers or their rates/billing.” – Margie McAllister
- “I love having access to the ‘cloud’ for a variety of useful tools. But I already pay for that on a monthly basis. Why should I pay for their electricity and water plus the monthly fee?” – Steve Sullivan
- “I fail to understand why I should be asked to pay for the water usage of a data center. They use less water than a country club golf course. I do not pay for the water used by the golf course; the members do. Perhaps we should approach data centers the same way. Be a member and pay if you wish.” – Barbara L Bussey
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