Tag: texas

‘Democrats aren’t wasting any time’: Muslim Texas rep files bills promoting Islam, ordering religion-compliant school food

Just a week after a blue wave hit the Lone Star State, a Muslim state representative has filed multiple bills ahead of the 90th legislative session that would implement Islamic practices and holidays.

Democrat state Rep. Suleman Lalani, an immigrant from Pakistan who represents Texas House District 76, which encompasses Fort Bend and Harris counties, filed several bills ranging from establishing a “Muslim Heritage Day” to ensuring halal food is provided in schools.

Bill filing opened for Texas legislators on Monday.

Lalani filed House Bill 236, which amends Chapter 662 of the Texas Government Code to recognize Feb. 4 as Muslim Heritage Day in the state. The bill states that the day would recognize the historical, cultural, and social contributions of Muslim Americans to Texas.

In addition to filing HB 236, he also filed House Resolution 16, which would formally recognize the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in 2027.

The ceremonial resolution would honor Muslims who observe Ramadan in the state and would “extend to Muslims across the Lone Star State sincere, best wishes for a joyous and meaningful observance.”

Lalani also filed two bills that relate to ensuring public schools provide halal food for students.

He filed HB 401, which would require Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to provide halal meal options when a parent or student requests one. The proposal would apply to both the school breakfast and lunch programs.

Lalani subsequently filed HB 426, which creates a similar halal-meal requirement in schools but would apply to a smaller number of school districts and charter schools. Under this legislation, school districts in counties with a population of at least 2.1 million and counties adjacent to those counties would have to provide halal food in schools.

In response to the Muslim Heritage Day bill, Republican state Rep. Mike Olcott wrote on X that he already knows how he will vote.

“The Democrats aren’t wasting any time. On the first day of filing, they have already introduced a bill establishing ‘Muslim Heritage Day’ in Texas!” Olcott wrote. “Pretty sure I know how I’m voting on this bill—what say you?!”

Keep reading

HERE WE GO! Texas Democrats Launch MASSIVE Assault on Second Amendment Just DAYS After Historic Election Sweep — Nearly 20 Gun Control Bills Filed on FIRST DAY, Including Firearm Bans, Red Flag Orders, and Private Sale Restrictions!

Just days after Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrats seized control of the Texas House for the first time since 2002, the party wasted no time launching a full-scale assault on the Second Amendment.

On Monday, November 9, 2026, the very first day lawmakers could prefile bills for the 90th Legislature, Democrats introduced a package of roughly 20 (NRA-ILA counts roughly 35 total firearm-related bills, the vast majority anti-gun) sweeping new restrictions.

The 2027 session does not even convene until January 12, yet the gun-control agenda is already on full display.

Here are some of the other major firearm restrictions Democrats filed Monday:

SB 80 (Sen. Judith Zaffirini): A ban on so-called “assault weapons,” including possession. The bill targets commonly owned semiautomatic centerfire rifles that accept detachable magazines and feature features such as pistol grips. Bill text: capitol.texas.gov SB 80.

HB 218 (Rep. Ann Johnson of Houston): Repeals the 2025 Texas law (SB 1362, signed by Gov. Abbott) that banned red-flag orders and blocked localities from enforcing them. It creates extreme risk protective orders allowing family members, household members, or law enforcement to petition a court. A judge can issue a temporary ex parte order without notifying the gun owner or holding a hearing, forcing surrender of firearms to police within 24 hours. A full hearing comes later (within 14 days), after which the order can last a year and be renewed. Possession in violation is a Class A misdemeanor. Bill text: capitol.texas.gov HB 218.

HB 173 (Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso) and related bills (HB 606, HB 610, HB 771, HB 806, HB 857): Make it a state jail felony to transfer many semiautomatic rifles (those accepting detachable magazines and chambered larger than .22) to adults under 21. Exceptions exist for law enforcement, military, and some temporary loans, but the core restriction targets military-age adults.

HB 613: Imposes so-called universal background checks on private firearm transfers.

Keep reading

Texas County Accused of Election Fraud Now Failing to Enforce Federal Voter Law

A Texas county at the center of a 2020 election controversy and previously run by a serially accused potential fraudster overseeing machines for 90 Texas counties is lacking the necessary legal compliance.

There is, of course, a great deal of debate surrounding how one of the most solid Republican bastions suddenly switched blue in one election cycle. Some people pointed out the 20 million votes that materialized for Democrats across the country as fraud, and others argued that Democrats changed or exploited voting rules to register many U.S.-hating migrants.

Whatever the explanation, it certainly does not help that Texas, while requiring ID to register for voting, does not verify all registrants’ citizenship, relying on their honesty to affirm they are citizens. And there were nearly 3 million new voter registrations in Texas just between 2022 and 2024.

Another piece of the puzzle is Heider Garcia, a Venezuelan Hart InterCivic vice president who helps oversee the election machines for 90 Texas counties, as mentioned above. He previously also worked for Smartmatic when officials in the Philippines accused him and his machines of dangerous and egregious fraud. Garcia subsequently served as an election official in California and more than one Texas county, including Tarrant County, which is the one I am looking at in this article.

Keep reading

‘A perfectly normal 2 million NEW votes?’ Questions mount over Texas election data as GOP demands answers

After Democrats took hold of Texas on Election Day, many Texans are raising questions of whether the election was fair and if fraud took place.

Numerous irregularities in Texas’ voter totals are causing many across the state to wonder if illegal votes were cast in the Texas election.

Election observers have noted some highly unusual facts about this year’s midterm results in Texas. First, Gina Hinojosa, the state’s new governor-elect, received a whopping 1.7 million more votes than Democrat gubernatorial candidates Beto O’Rourke in 2022 and Lupe Valdez did in 2018. James Talarico, the state’s new Democrat senator-elect, received nearly as many votes as President Donald Trump did in 2024.

In 2018, Gov. Greg Abbott received 4.6 million votes, while his Democrat challenger, Valdez, received 3.5 million. In 2022, Abbott received 4.4 million, while O’Rourke won 3.5 million. However, in 2026, it appears that Democrats gained 1.7 million votes, as Abbott received nearly the same number of votes, 4.5 million, while Hinojosa received 5.2 million.

Additionally, in the U.S. Senate race, Talarico received 5.45 million votes, compared to Republican Ken Paxton’s 4.25 million. Trump received a total of 6.39 million votes from Texas during the 2024 presidential race, and Talarico was only 940,000 short of that entire number during a midterm election—when voters are less likely to turn out.

Former Texas state Senate candidate Joseph Trahan is among those pointing out the odd circumstances of the midterm election, sharing that 2 million new votes “only came from 5 counties.”

“Mayes Middleton was ahead by 647,903 votes in the 249 of the 254 Texas counties. Then BOOM…2 Million NEW VOTERS showed up Democrat Nathan Johnson in Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Travis & Bexar counties that had NEVER voted before,” Trahan wrote on X, citing unofficial secretary of state numbers.

Trahan then broke down the statewide numbers in the Texas attorney general race, where Republican Mayes Middleton received 4.5 million votes, and Democrat Nathan Johnson received 5.1 million.

Keep reading

Democrats File a Flood of Gun Restriction Bills Days After Republicans Lose the Texas House and Governor’s Office

After Republicans lost control of the Texas House and the governor’s office, Democrats have moved quickly to file a large set of bills that would restrict firearm transfers, possession, and use across the state. The proposals, introduced for the upcoming legislative session, range from temporary confiscation orders issued without a prior hearing to age limits on rifles, private-sale background checks, and expanded criminal penalties. With Democrats now holding the House majority and the governorship, these measures face a clearer path than they did under previous Republican majorities. The Senate remains under Republican control.

The bills filed so far include:

  • HB 218 (Johnson): would create extreme-risk protective orders, including temporary orders issued without notice. A family or household member or a peace officer could apply if they allege the person has a serious mental illness and poses an immediate danger because of access to firearms. The person would have to turn over their guns within 24 hours; a full order would last up to a year and could be renewed. Possessing a gun in violation would be a Class A misdemeanor.
  • HB 173 (Moody): would make it a state jail felony to transfer a semiautomatic rifle that takes a detachable magazine and is larger than .22 caliber to anyone under 21, with exceptions for peace officers, current or honorably discharged military, and some temporary loans at a range or hunt.
  • HB 576 (Lalani): would bar registered sex offenders from buying a firearm, but only for registration based on an offense committed on or after Sept. 1, 2027.
  • HB 103 (Martinez): would expand the state crime of reckless discharge of a firearm so it also covers counties of 500,000 or more people, not just cities of 100,000 or more.
  • SB 80 (Zaffirini): would prohibit certain transfers, purchases, and possession of assault weapons and would create criminal offenses.
  • HB 606 (Lalani): would prohibit transferring firearms to, or the purchase or possession of firearms by, people under 21, and would create a criminal offense.
  • HB 610 (Lalani): would prohibit transferring firearms to certain recipients under 21.
  • HB 857 (Anchía): would prohibit transferring certain semiautomatic rifles to certain recipients under 21, and would create a criminal offense and increase a penalty.
  • HB 771 (Sethi): would prohibit transferring certain semiautomatic rifles to certain recipients, and would create a criminal offense and increase a penalty.
  • HB 806 (Reynolds): would prohibit transferring semiautomatic rifles to certain recipients and would increase a criminal penalty.
  • HB 613 (Lalani): would require a national instant criminal background check on private firearm transfers and would create a criminal offense.
  • HB 612 (Lalani): would prohibit a sex offender from possessing a firearm.
  • HB 609 (Lalani): would increase the criminal penalty for making a firearm accessible to a child.
  • HB 658 (Moody): would change the prosecution and punishment of making a firearm accessible to a child and would increase a criminal penalty.
  • HB 618 (Moody): would restrict transferring firearm magazines to people who are prohibited from possessing the type of firearm the magazine is made for, and would create a criminal offense.
  • HB 659 (Moody): would require licensed firearms dealers to report certain sales or transfers of multiple firearms or magazines to law enforcement, and would create a criminal offense.
  • HB 660 (Moody): would require certain people already prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm to dispose of firearms they own, possess, or control.
  • HB 712 (Gámez): would address a city or county’s authority to regulate or prohibit carrying a firearm in certain libraries.
  • HB 776 (Sethi): would address expulsion-related offenses involving possessing, carrying, exhibiting, or using a firearm on or within 1,000 feet of school property.
  • HB 859 (Anchía): would increase the criminal penalty for discharging a firearm in certain municipalities.

The volume of filings marks a clear shift following the recent election results that ended years of Republican majorities in the House and the executive branch. Whether any of the proposals advance will depend on the Republican-controlled Senate and the priorities of the new governor once the session begins.

Keep reading

Texas Democrat Vows Taxpayer Voucher Money for Islamic Schools, Including One Funded by Iran-Linked Bank

Democrat Sarah Eckhardt, who defeated incumbent Republican Don Huffines in the Nov. 3 race for Texas comptroller, said at her first news conference on Nov. 4 that she would ensure Islamic and other religious schools are not blocked from receiving money through the state’s $1 billion Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) school voucher program, according to the Houston Chronicle. As comptroller, Eckhardt will oversee the program, which Islamic schools sued to enter this year.

In February, Eckhardt said in a statement that the comptroller “has been instructed by the GOP to illegally discriminate based on religion” by keeping Islamic schools out of the program.

At the Nov. 4 news conference, she said, “I am not a fan of this policy. However, it is a policy that has passed the Texas Legislature, and it is the law. So as the comptroller, I will implement it, because it is the law.” She also said she would review the program’s spending and the data collected by the vendor that runs it.

Brighter Horizons Academy in Garland, one of the Islamic schools now in the program, describes itself on its own website as “a model Islamic educational institute” whose mission is to develop “practicing Muslim Leaders.” The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington think tank, reported that the school received $995,000 from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).

The bank is based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and is affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a bloc of 57 Muslim-majority countries. Iran is the bank’s third-largest shareholder, while Qatar and Turkey are also among its top 10 shareholders, according to an Oct. 21 FDD report. The U.S. government has designated Iran a state sponsor of terrorism.

The Oct. 21 report found that IsDB has given more than $17 million to at least 50 private Islamic schools in the United States.

Keep reading

Federal Judge Rules Houston Violated First Amendment Rights of Food Not Bombs Activists

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the city of Houston violated the First Amendment when it tried to stop activists from giving away free food outside a downtown library and issued more than 100 tickets to them.

U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas Andrew S. Hanen found that Houston’s enforcement of an ordinance prohibiting charitable food giveaways in public was unconstitutional as applied to the Houston chapter of Food Not Bombs (FNBH), a volunteer group that distributes free food in cities worldwide.

The ruling is the latest in a series of legal battles between Food Not Bombs chapters across the country—who argue that feeding the needy is expressive conduct under the First Amendment—and city officials, who say that unpermitted food distribution creates safety, liability, and litter problems.

“This week’s ruling confirms what we have known all along: feeding our neighbors should not be a crime,” Randy Hiroshige, a staff attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project, said in a press release. “In the face of the City’s cruel crackdown on charitable feeding, Food Not Bombs Houston had the courage to continue sharing its message and sharing meals, and we are proud to see that courage vindicated today.”

The Texas Civil Rights Project filed a First Amendment lawsuit on behalf of the FNBH in 2024, a year after Houston police started issuing citations to FNBH members for violating a 2012 ordinance that outlaws providing free food to more than five people “in need” at outdoor locations without permission. The suit argued that Houston’s anti–food sharing ordinance was unconstitutional both on its face and as applied to the FNBH by imposing an invalid prior restraint on the activists’ First Amendment rights.

FNBH activists had operated at a downtown public park for more than a decade without incident—until 2023, when Houston officials wanted the FNBH to move to a city-approved parking lot for all homeless services. The activists insisted they had a First Amendment right to give out free food in public, with or without the city’s permission. Houston police ultimately issued 111 citations for violating the ordinance.

Keep reading

Texas Republican Cites Little-Known Rule That Could Stop DSA Radicals From Being Sworn Into Congress

Texas Republican Rep. Keith Self believes he knows a way to keep DSA radicals from being sworn in to Congress, if they win their races. He should reach out to Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, who is also looking into this.

Rep. Self believes these candidates cannot swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution because their own platform describes their desire to destroy it.

How can they swear to protect something that they want to destroy?

FOX News reports:

Little-known rule could stop socialists from being sworn into Congress

A little-known congressional maneuver could block members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) from being sworn in as members of the House of Representatives next year, even if they win their elections on Tuesday.

Members-elect must swear an oath to uphold the Constitution before they can become full members of the House. At the beginning of a new Congress, that oath is typically taken en masse by all 435 members, led by the House speaker.

But an argument circulating in conservative circles posits that any member-elect can challenge another member-elect’s right to be sworn in, provided they have compiled evidence that that person would not uphold their oath. That would then lead to House-wide deliberations followed by a vote on whether that member-elect has a right to be sworn in.

In the case of DSA members, one potential argument could be the group’s platform calling to scrap the current U.S. Constitution and draft a new one. Several DSA members and self-proclaimed democratic socialists have already won primaries across the country.

Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, suggested to Fox News Digital that he could invoke the maneuver.

“You cannot swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution while actively working to destroy it. The oath of office is not just words you say at a ceremony. It is a belief. It is an oath to our country and our fellow countrymen,” Self told Fox News Digital.

Keep reading

Arrested Assistant Principal Resigns After 12-Year-Olds’ Softball Brawl That Left A Dad Unconscious

A youth softball game in Sugar Land, Texas, turned violent Saturday, and a father is still in the hospital with a broken jaw, a fractured skull and three brain bleeds, according to his attorney. Police arrested Kiarious Marshun Hall and his wife, Jazmine Hall, after the fight at Imperial Park during a game between two 12-year-old select teams, ABC13 reported.

Charging documents say the dispute began over Hall’s behavior while the opposing team was at bat. Hall told officers another man from the Timbergrove Thunder approached him and said he “couldn’t cheer before the players pitched the ball.” Hall’s daughter plays for Illusions Gold 2033.

Investigators say witness video shows what happened next. Court records state Hall struck another father in the face with a metal water bottle, knocking him unconscious, then swung the bottle at a second man before the confrontation turned into a brawl. Hall claimed the men had “elbowed and poked his chest” and that he acted in self-defense, but court documents say the video does not show that.

The second man, grandfather Gary Greaser, told ABC13 he stepped in to disarm Hall after seeing the first man struck. “I said ‘You can’t do this.’ I took him, I wanted to disarm the guy, because he’s going to do it to somebody else,” Greaser said. Court records say video allegedly shows Jazmine Hall then running into the fight and pushing Greaser, and both falling into nearby bushes before bystanders separated everyone. Greaser needed seven stitches in his chin, suffered extensive scrapes and has a broken hip. “It’s medieval times like we’re going to smash each other in the head with something,” he said.

Keep reading

Investigation Launched Into Federal Judge Who Hurled Racial Insults at Lawyer Over His “White Mediocrity” – Said He Was Intimidated by “Black Excellence”

A Texas-based federal judge’s abuse and racial insults toward a lawyer have sparked a judicial investigation.

A lawyer filed a misconduct complaint against US District Judge Ada Brown, a Trump appointee, for berating him with racial insults during an April 2026 hearing in Dallas.

Bloomberg Law reviewed court transcripts that revealed Judge Brown directed shockingly abusive racial insults toward attorney Ezra Young.

Ezra Young represented a black female professor who was suing over the denial of tenure.

During the hearing, Judge Brown, a black and Native American woman, berated Young and repeatedly referred to him as a white man even though he is Latino.

“I think what’s happening here, quite candidly, is you are very intimidated for some reason, Mr. Young, with Black excellence, in light of your White mediocrity. Yeah. Right?,” Brown said, according to the transcript obtained by Bloomberg Law. “You should write that down. I mean, you — I’m — you look like a White man, right?”

“I’m not White, Your Honor,” Young replied, explaining that he is Latino.

“Well, you are White-presenting; is that fair to say?” Judge Brown said.

Young told the judge that he is a “fair-skinned” Latino. Judge Brown insisted that Young had “White privilege.”

“You’re the White savior, come to save all the stupid Black lawyers in Texas who need your help, from New York,” Judge Brown later said, according to Bloomberg.

Ezra Young said he believes Judge Brown could be suffering from a mental health condition. Judge Brown was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Judge Brown responded to Ezra Young’s complaint in a 76-page response and defended her racial attacks.

Keep reading