Pratt on Texas

By Pratt on TexasNews News Commentary Politics

Pratt on Texas episodes

April 14, 2025Episode 3708: Nvidia’s huge Texas investment | Bill to stop local gov’t from breaking state law | A&M and Qatar – Pratt on Texas 4/14/2025
The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Punishing local governments that violate Texas law is the subject of a bill, HB 4283, from Rep. Marc LaHood of San Antonio. His comments to TPPF on the bill tie in with a recent column of mine on the subject of “local control.”

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

America and Texas winning: Nvidia investing heavily in Texas to build AI chips in the USA and supercomputer manufacturing. Total investment could be as much as $500 billion!

Border and illegal immigration news:
Texas and New York Judges Broaden Temporary Protection for Venezuelan Migrants Facing Removal
Newly Captured Los Zetas Cartel Lieutenant Spent Time Hiding in Texas
Federal Agents Deport Imprisoned Mexican Former Governor Working for Cartels, Protected by Mexico’s Government
Qatar’s Billion-Dollar Influence At Texas A&M Under Scrutiny.

Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.
www.PrattonTexas.com
44 min
April 11, 2025Episode 3707: Tx House passes budget | Is SB38 tough enough on property squatters? | Campaign news – Pratt on Texas 4/11/2025
The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas House passed it’s version of the biennial budget in the middle of the night. Republicans denied most proposed Democrat spending amendments but included many of their own. Like the Senate budget it grows state spending at the expense of bigger property tax cuts through school property tax buy downs.
Texas House passes budget bill, defunds lottery. – anything can be put back in reconciliation with the Senate.
Texas House Approves $70 Million Biennium Funding Amendment for Abortion Alternatives Program
Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Is the Texas attack on property squatters, SB 38 & HB 32, strong enough? This victim says “no.”

John Bash running to succeed Paxton as Texas attorney general.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announces 2026 re-election campaign.

Oil and gas drilling rig count falls.

Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.
www.PrattonTexas.com
45 min
April 10, 2025 Episode 3706: SB15, “housing” bills need a relook, Carole Spencer explains | Boyd to retire from Tx Supreme Court – Pratt on Texas 4/10/2025
The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Several “cost of housing” bills are being worked through the legislature and each deserves scrutiny. One, SB15 that has already passed the Senate, prompted this frightening headline: Why Do I Feel Like I’m Back in New Jersey? Yep, that got my attention too and it was written by a friend of the show who is an active Republican leader just outside of Austin in Bastrop. Carole Spencer joins us to give very informed opinion on SB15 and other related bills.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd to retire this summer.

U.S. House passes a budget resolution with a 2-vote margin. Trump is pleased. Note that Trump touts a big tax cut but in reality the tariffs, whether ultimately good or bad, are a huge tax increase on Americans. Despite the rhetoric, tariffs are paid by buyers/consumers, not countries or companies.

118 international students’ immigration statuses revoked across Texas universities. Media is going nuts over many college students losing their Student and Exchange Visitor status – they should be praising the fact that we finally have a government that is actually looking into who these people are. And stop it with the “due process” stuff, there is no such thing related to being let in the country to study. And, I’ll bet you that all of the countries from which these people came have much stricter immigration rules, including for study, than our USA.

Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.
www.PrattonTexas.com

44 min
April 09, 2025 Episode 3705: Rep. Ken King trying to protect get-high THC from full ban | Paxton will challenge Cornyn | Tariff change – Pratt on Texas 4/9/2025
The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas House and Rep. Ken King, RINO from Canadian, are trying to gut the Senate’s much needed full ban on THC (the part of marijuana that gets you high) to protect the liquor lobby and ban everything else but keep THC-infused beverages. It’s almost, well not in the case of Ken King, unbelievable!

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Ken Paxton makes it official that he will challenge John Cornyn for U.S. Senate in the 2026 Texas Republican Primary. Cornyn immediately engages in the Democrat tactic of projection by calling Paxton “a fraud” while himself engaging in an image makeover of being pro-Trump. The Turtle would be proud of his former right-hand man.

Bill to keep primaries in the spring but move most local elections to November passes the Texas Senate.

Local city sales tax receipts lower this April than April of 2025. Look up your city here.

Judges to Bar US From Using Alien Enemies Act to Deport Some Venezuelans Held in Texas and New York – more of the same and the Texas judge is a Trump appointee.

President Trump adjusts his tariff regime – for now. Punishes communist China even more.

Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.
www.PrattonTexas.com

44 min
April 08, 2025Episode 3704: Dems were lying in wait for naive GOP on abortion “clarification” bill | Jasmine Crocked goes off again – Pratt on Texas 4/8/2025
The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The pro-abortion Democrats were lying in wait for the naive Republicans on the so-called Texas abortion “clarification” bill. It seems they got everyone aboard the “bi-partisan” bill, which is not needed by the way, and then launched their surprise plan to get an amendment to cancel out an 1857 law overturned that allows the person seeking an abortion to be charged. I’ve said from the beginning that this bill is about creating a legislative vehicle for them to chip away at pro-life protections in coming years.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Jasmine Crocked goes off again seemingly saying we need illegal aliens to “pick cotton” because black people are “done” doing so! Another part of this story that people miss is the full political activity at a church – how come it’s never decried as mixing church and state when it is Dems doing so at liberal churches?

Key legal rulings:
Judge blocks Biden rule requiring more staff at nursing homes
Supreme Court blocks ruling requiring Trump administration to reinstate fired federal employees
Supreme Court slapdown of Judge Boasberg sends message to federal judges on overreach
Immigration enforcement at an Eagle Pass park scaled back, Gov. Abbott’s office says. – Right, so why are legislators budgeting the huge emergency level budget for Texas border enforcement? They could still leave DPS, etc. with billions and take 6 billion of the money and double the size of the proposed property tax break.

Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.
www.PrattonTexas.com
43 min
April 07, 2025Episode 3703: Why proper bail reform must pass the legislature | Tariff update | Arrington attacks Senate’s budget – Pratt on Texas 4/7/2025
The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A terrible example, one of too many, of why proper bail reform must pass the 89th Texas Legislature and not be stopped, once again, in the Texas House: Houston Convicted Murderer Released While Awaiting Sentencing Now Suspect in Murder-Suicide.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas Defense Attorney System for Illegal Aliens to End May 1.

TX19’s Rep. Jodey Arrington hits Senate GOP over ‘unserious’ budget resolution.

Tariff fight:
Ted Cruz outlines risks of tariffs and trade war
Ag Sec. Rollins: 50 Countries Already Coming to the Table on Tariffs
Taiwan Proposes No Tariffs With US In Effort To Deescalate Trade-Tariff War
EU Offers Trump ‘Zero-for-Zero Tariffs’ on Industrial Goods with U.S.
China Cuts Off Rare Earth Mineral Exports to U.S. in Trade War with Trump
Trump Threatens China with Additional 50% Tariffs for Imposing Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S.
7 GOP senators sign on to bill to check Trump’s trade authority
Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.
www.PrattonTexas.com
44 min
April 04, 2025 Episode 3702: Why the Tx House must be pushed into action | Raids, indictments make my point on “game rooms” – Pratt on Texas 4/4/2025
The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Big federal (DOJ) investigation, indictments, and raids of so-called “game room” across the Harris County region demonstrate what I have been saying about these places. Interestingly it was the feds doing the work. Why, in so many other places across Texas, are local law enforcement, including district attorneys, so uninterested in these places? Who, if anyone, is on the take from the illegal game room gambling racket in your town?

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tells Texas House leadership it is “time to get into action.” I give you the main reasons the House routinely runs out the clock instead of getting busy with bill debate early.

Texas Senate passes bill to stop people from changing their sex on their Texas birth certificates.

House education committee advances School Choice legislation. Texas’ carefully crafted School Choice program from the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.
www.PrattonTexas.com

44 min
April 03, 2025Episode 3701: Biden’s DOJ dropped the political hit case against Paxton, there was no legit case | Anti-Wimp update – Pratt on Texas 4/3/2025
The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Trump did have to do it, the political hit case against Ken Paxton was dropped by Biden’s Dept. of Justice. As I said they never had a case just as the House impeachers never did. And rightly so, Paxton isn’t letting Senator John Cornyn off the hook for his presumed guilty until proven innocent heresy in the matter.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Has the former Texas Lottery executive director gone missing?

Anti-Wimp update: Cell phone repair shop employee slain, his killer shot dead by armed associate.

From the 89th Texas Legislature:
Lawmaker’s Real Estate Ties Raise Eyebrows in Texas House Deal. Tepper should not have joined Dems to vote for this. To have a better understanding on this, read this story I covered briefly yesterday: Over 100 Texas Lawmakers Back Affordable Housing Reform Bill, Competing Legislation Moves Forward.
Senate passes Perry’s giant water bill, SB 7
Senate passes SB 27, a so-called Teachers’ Bill of Rights
Senate Passes SB 988 to Crack Down on Fuel Pump Tampering and Fuel Theft
Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.
www.PrattonTexas.com
44 min
April 02, 2025Episode 3700: Tax relief, Housing reform, Prove citizenship to vote & more from the Capitol | Sales tax receipts down – Pratt on Texas 4/2/2025
The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: From the 89th Texas Legislature:
Tax relief for business owners passes Texas House
Texas Senate OKs bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE
Over 100 Texas Lawmakers Back Affordable Housing Reform Bill, Competing Legislation Moves Forward – Gates’ bill needs passing.
Texas Senators Approve Religious Freedom, Transparency Measure
Senate passes SB 16 – Stopping Non-Citizens from Voting
State emergency communication system advances in Texas House (wildfire bill package)
Women’s Privacy Hearing in Senate committee tomorrow
Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

State Sales Tax Revenue totaled $3.7 billion in March which is DOWN from March of 2024.

Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.
www.PrattonTexas.com
44 min
April 01, 2025Episode 3699: Half-a-billion per year: Tx Senate to vote on sending your money to movie moguls in “values” fantasy – Pratt on Texas 4/1/2025
The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Why should Texas taxpayers subsidize movie industry producers and investors? It’s a fantasy that somehow handing over taxpayer money to these people will change the values of Hollywood to Texas values. That and more from the legislature including:
Ex-Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis honored by Silver-Haired Legislature – there is a nugget in this story echoing what I have said for decades about the first job of House Speakers.
Texas Senators Consider $2.5 Billion Over Next Decade for Film Industry
Texas Lawmaker Proposes Sending Illegal Alien Inmates to El Salvador Prison
Texas Senate passes bill to ban junk food in food stamp program
Formerly indicted Austin cop’s state Senate confirmation in jeopardy
Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas Land Commissioner Buckingham Calls for Federal Action To Secure Border Islands.

San Benito sues Texas Regional Bank over ‘fraudulent’ $3.4M lien.

Growth decelerates in Texas service sector as company outlooks worse; retail sales fall.

Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.
www.PrattonTexas.com
44 min