Pratt on Texas

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: The panicked media has provided much on the issue of the court rulings related to abortion drug mifepristone but, most reports create a false narrative over the issue and leave out the key elements of the case against the FDA. Julie Marie Blake points out this fight, and FDA stonewalling, has been going on since 2000.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 oil and gas drilling rig count down this week. Texas House passes it's version of property tax relief setting up a fight with the Senate which has a very different approach. I address one main weakness with the House plan.WuFlu: International research suggests masks better at causing 'long COVID' than stopping virus.Biden expanding Obamacare coverage to DACA recipients. More politics using your money.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: New developments in the Austin conviction of Army Sgt. Daniel Perry rejecting his clear self-defense situation. As the Leftist press continues to try and make it appear that the age-old pardon process is somehow a new and novel way to pervert justice, we have learned of what appears to be jury misconduct. We have also learned that the judge prevented items from being introduced into evidence in the case that should have been seen by jurors including the full police investigation report.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.Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish sued personally by private investigative firm alleging he has not paid their bill. The important question is why was Parrish personally hiring private eyes this last October while serving as county judge? It could certainly be something innocent, the bill paying a separate matter. But, could it be why several county office holders seem to be intimidated by him? In general, it’s not a great reflection on Mr. Parrish as even a bill dispute for only about a thousand dollars should be able to be handled short of a lawsuit.News from the legislature including “Border Security Legislation Creating New ‘Illegal Entry’ Offense Advances in Texas Senate” and Lt. Gov. Patrick again saying the House appraisal cap ideas will not advance in the Senate. Also there is good movement on how the state pays community college systems; it’s more like the success we’ve had with the TSTC system.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: A Texas Tech student from California, who is campus NAACP president, demonstrates willful ignorance in testimony before the legislature getting “Jim Crow” reversed as she pleads for “safe” space and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion on campus. Also from the legislature, there a slew of gun related bills to be heard in committee this week that need to be opposed. See more here.I also address a bill filed to place the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. 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.Local sales tax numbers released. Look up your city here.Federal judge places preliminary injunction on Biden’s Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule which is a massive attempt by the federal government, already defeated once under Obama, to claim federal control over a massive amount of private land and regulate the usage of such.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: A not so amazing dirt in your face move from Texas House legislators as they try to re-establish a bad crony tax giveaway program and in so doing, make it worse than the version that we got rid of last session. It seems Democrats want to give your money away to masses of voters and some Republicans are just as eager to give away our money to big companies. Chairman Hunter may not like people saying “Chapter 313” about his HB5 but frankly it is Chapter 313 all over again but worse as is detailed in a fine bit of reporting.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.On handling the conviction of Army Sgt. Daniel Perry in Austin, liberals, which includes the state press and editorial boards, are trying to lead the public to believe that Governor Abbott is somehow acting outside the system and attacking our judiciary on the matter. Of course Abbott’s action requesting the Board of Pardons and Paroles to look into the matter immediately is a bit “unusual” but it is so because it is unusual to have a District Attorney indict, prosecute, and convict a person for murder about whom the police who investigated the case did not even arrest him because the evidence showed it was justifiable self-defense. The lead detective in the case testified at trial for the defendant, not the D.A. That is what is unusual. It’s utter hyperbole to claim, as did the editorial board at the Austin paper, that “Abbott’s plan to pardon convicted killer is a threat to the judiciary” [their original headline.] We’ve always had a pardon process, at both the federal and state level, and usually it is liberals like those at the Statesman press for pardons. And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

A Pratt on Texas Podcast Extra with our old friend and guest host Michael Quinn Sullivan about his new, very good, science fiction book Finding the Void.From the author: “After discovering an unexplainable void in the fabric of space at the edge of the solar system, Ian MacGregor secretly spent his life unraveling the finding. He did not know his discovery would reshape humanity’s understanding of its past and future.“So when his son, Peter, left Earth aboard the explorer-class vessel Shackleton on an ambitious mapping of the solar system’s furthest reaches, they did not expect to be confronted with a 13,000-year-old mystery.“Now millions of miles from Earth, Peter MacGregor and his crew must reach into the void to save the survivors of an extinct civilization.”ORDER YOUR COPY: https://amzn.to/3Mw3SYB

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Sgt. Daniel Perry was convicted of murder on Friday, wrongly in my opinion, by an Austin jury seemingly convinced that his self-defense was only necessary because he dared turn onto Congress Avenue while driving for Uber when BLM and other radical protesters had illegally taken over the street in a riot. The Austin police detective, their top guy at the time, who investigated it was a witness not for the state but for the defense in the trial. He claims the local Soros-backed Leftist D.A. wouldn’t present the full picture to the jury and hints that such may been witness tampering. Meanwhile, Governor Greg Abbott is asking the Board of Pardons and Paroles to look into it and is talking issuing a pardon for Sgt. Perry. It looks as if we need a true investigation into the District Attorney give that the top cop in the matter is alleging witness tampering. We also need people to learn from Sgt. Perry that it is not wise to post certain things to social media.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.Biden plays the public on border policy, again: Biden’s Northern Border Deal With Trudeau Has Major Loophole. And more in the border news stack.Follow-up on the sordid Capitol rumor mill: State Rep. Bryan Slaton retains criminal defense lawyer for ethics probe.Rep. Carl Tepper, others have good bills addressing the abuse of debt instruments by local governments.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: False Republicans in the Texas House, 24 of them, voted with Democrats on a budget amendment to oppose the very concept of school choice – not a specific program, but the concept of having anything but government controlled schools for public education. These people, including many from northwest Texas, are liars when it comes to being Republicans as school choice has been a part of even the nation GOP platform for decades. These liars often claim to be “Reagan Republicans” so take a look at the 1980 and 1984 GOP platforms upon which Reagan ran and you’ll find school choice in both. While House members were voting wrong, the Senate voted for parental empowerment and school choice.The House budget is a loser in other ways at the esteemed Texas Public Policy Foundation says that it is no long a conservative budget as passed. One good thing: The Democrats failed to strike the anti-D.E.I. part of the budget.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.I talk about the legislative session with our old friend and former guest host, now publisher of the Texas Scorecard, Michael Quinn Sullivan.Texas oil and gas drilling rig count up again this week.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: TX19’s Jodey Arrington under attack in DC; said to be called “incompetent” by U.S. House Speaker McCarthy. Caucus divisions explored in a New York Times piece that shows Arrington to be outside of the trust or respect of senior leadership.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.The Texas House debates its version of the budget today along with many amendments, some of which are test votes on things like school choice. Additionally, why does the do little early House have to put huge bill debates on Maundy Thursday of Holy Week spilling into Good Friday? I find it offensive especially give how much time they have not spent debating bills before now.And much more from the legislature including: Why should we repeal the 1973 sodomy laws to appease the Left? Is a big scandal about to be made known involving a vocal Texas House conservative Republican? I’ll not name names until there is more detail known beyond the rumors swirling everywhere today.Our old friend Trey Trainor, now a commissioner on the Federal Elections Commission, points out that the FEC has already decided that Trump’s issues upon which he has been indicted in NY are “…not a campaign finance violation. It’s not a reporting violation of any kind.“I comment on the false narrative present in a new media attack on Justice Clarence Thomas.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Some House leadership team with Democrats to try to use a budge amendment to stop school choice. Given that Speaker Phelan owes his power to Democrats, and thereby his key chairmen too, why not? That and more from the 88th Texas Legislature.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.The Texas Medical Board back pedals in it’s political persecution of a doctor and reinstates his license to practice – but his lawsuit against the TMB continues.The Trump indictment and how it happened before in Texas.Texas Supreme Court rules universities can take back diplomas but I think the dissenting opinion is the right line of thought.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Senate committee moves bill to help Texas Tech and University of Houston systems get more funding but it’s just another drop in the bucket effort. The issue will never be resolved until enough legislators set aside pride, envy, and a host of other sins and agree to let the Permanent University Fund (PUF) fund more than A&M and UT.Also, Senator Charles Perry has made future water resources in Texas a big priority of his service and the Senate has passed his SB 28 / SJR 75. However, legislators are making a big long (or short?) term mistake in continuing to add to the clout of the Texas Water Development Board – they are funding, growing, and empowering a Leftist Leviathon that will, at some point, turn on us and do so with little direct political accountability.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.Sales tax collections up but retail is in the dumps.Trump’s indictment by a local prosecutor isn’t unique – the same was done in Texas to Rick Perry to kill his presidential campaign: Trump Isn’t The First GOP Candidate Indicted By Local Democrats.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com