AG Probing Group Funding Absent Democrats

Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into former El Paso congressman Beto O’Rourke’s Powered by People PAC for “unlawfully funding runaway Democrats.” O’Rourke’s organization has reportedly picked up much of the tab for the absent Democrats’ expenses.

Paxton also insisted Abbott didn’t have the authority to remove Texas House Democratic Chair Gene Wu from office for leaving the state. Abbott pushed back in a public letter, arguing Paxton was mistaken.

For its part, the Texas Supreme Court ordered Wu to file a response to Abbott’s lawsuit by Friday. “Denying the governor a quorum was not an abandonment of my office; it was a fulfillment of my oath,” Wu said in a statement.

Meanwhile, nine of 11 Texas Senate Democrats were absent from the Capitol yesterday—not enough to break quorum—after traveling to Massachusetts, where they were joined by several of their colleagues in the House. 

Texas Banning SNAP Purchases of Junk Food

Texas has received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to disallow the purchase of candy and sweetened drinks using SNAP benefits, or food stamps. Five other states also received waivers, bringing the total to 12 states that now ban SNAP purchases of junk food.

“The new SNAP guidelines will ensure taxpayer dollars are used to purchase foods that provide real nutritional value,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a Tuesday announcement. Around 3.5 million low-income Texans receive SNAP benefits via the Lone Star Card.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the objective is to get all 50 states to adopt similar SNAP restrictions as part of the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has argued sugary and processed foods “fuel America’s diabetes and chronic disease epidemics.”

The state will work with retailers to implement the restrictions, which go into effect next April.

Texas Team Headed to Little League World Series

A youth baseball team from Richmond is heading to the Little League World Series, which starts next Tuesday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It’s the fourth year in a row that a team from Texas has qualified for the two-week tournament.

Representing the Southwest Region, Lamar Little League won the regional championship in Waco on Tuesday, defeating the top team from Louisiana 5-2. Lamar lost to Louisiana earlier in the tournament but bounced back with wins over Oklahoma and Midway Little League from Hewitt, representing Texas West.

Since the first tournament in 1947, teams from Texas have won twice—in 1950 and 1966. Lamar qualified for the tournament in 2003 and 2004. Last year, a team from Boerne lost to Florida in the U.S. Championship.

A 16-and-under team from Victoria represented the Southwest Region in the recently concluded Senior League World Series in South Carolina, but was eliminated after two losses. A 14-and-under team from Needville plays tonight in the Junior League World Series quarterfinals, with a trip to the U.S. Championship on the line.

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➤ Fort Worth: The city council voted 7-4 Tuesday night to suspend its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, despite testimony from dozens of residents who objected to the move. Proponents of the measure argued that it would ensure the city remained eligible for up to $277 million in federal funding. (More)

➤ Waco: Protesters gathered outside the downtown Federal Building on Tuesday, calling for the release of Mexican national Noe Guerrero, who was detained last month by ICE during an immigration arrest. (More)

➤ Houston: The FBI rolled out its first-ever Houston Most Wanted fugitives list on Tuesday. One of the fugitives was arrested less than two hours later. (More)

➤ Keller: The city council unanimously approved a 287(g) partnership with ICE during a packed meeting Tuesday night, allowing jailers to check the immigration status of detainees when they are booked. A new state law requires sheriffs in counties with more than 100,000 residents to join the program. Keller is the largest city in Texas to do so voluntarily. (More)

➤ Lago Vista: Construction crews are making progress on a new bridge spanning Cow Creek on RM 1431. The old bridge was wiped out during last month’s flash floods, forcing drivers between Marble Falls and Lago Vista to take a 40-mile detour. (Watch Video)

➤ Amarillo: Claims related to last year’s Smokehouse Creek Fire, which burned over 1 million acres, have reached nearly $300 million, according to a report from Xcel Energy. The Texas A&M Forest Service concluded the fire was ignited when the company’s power lines fell. (More)

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➤ Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi threw eight scoreless innings during Tuesday’s 2-0 win over the Yankees to lower his ERA to 1.38—the fifth-lowest through 19 starts in MLB history, per team stats. (More)

➤ Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the media he’s unsure if pass rusher Micah Parsons will play against the Eagles in Week 1, saying a “big part of it” is Parsons’s decision. (More)

➤ UTSA men’s golf won their seventh consecutive All-Academic Team award, given to teams that maintain a team GPA of 3.0 or better. (More)

➤ Hakeem Olajuwon’s son Aziz has scheduled an official basketball visit to his father’s alma mater, the University of Houston. The four-star recruit is currently the 11th-ranked prospect in Texas. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA

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➤ Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have been sued in Austin by shareholders over allegations that the company concealed significant safety risks tied to its autonomous driving software and Robotaxi service. The proposed class action lawsuit seeks damages for losses incurred over a two-year period. (See Details)

➤ Texas leads the nation with 40,224 reshored manufacturing jobs this year, according to a new report from The Reshoring Initiative highlighted by Realtor.com. (See Details)

➤ B2U Storage Solutions of Los Angeles is using 500 repurposed electric vehicle batteries to build a power storage facility in Bexar County with a capacity of 24 megawatt hours. The company plans to build three additional facilities across Texas over the next year. (More)

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This odd method is so effective that scientists have deemed it to be 10 times better than retinol.

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➤ Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner opened a time capsule from 2000 on Tuesday with county staff, some of whom had donated items for the capsule 25 years ago. (See Photos)

➤ Franklin Barbecue in Austin was ranked the best barbecue restaurant in the nation by LoveFood.com. Tyler’s Barbecue in Amarillo and Spring’s CorkScrew BBQ also made the top 10. (More)

➤ Tickets for next year’s IndyCar street race in Arlington went on sale yesterday. The 2.73-mile course will loop around Globe Life Field and AT&T Stadium. (More)

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Have you ever made or opened a time capsule?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Can’t remember

Yesterday’s Results:

Should sports teams receive public funding for new stadiums or arenas?

1. Yes: 21%
2. No: 79%

What Dallas-Fort Worth meteorologist was known as “The World’s Greatest Weatherman”?

Show me the answer