Tag: texas

Texas Democrat Candidate Flips Out During Hearing, Winds Up Getting Arrested

Remember when politicians could disagree without acting like toddlers? Yeah, me neither. But what’s happening in our country right now makes even the worst political tantrums of the past look dignified. We’re watching the complete breakdown of basic civility. And I’m not talking about heated debates or passionate speeches. I’m talking about grown adults throwing the rules out the window whenever they don’t get their way.

Here’s what really gets me: These same people scream about “saving democracy” while they’re actively destroying it. They show up to official government meetings and act like it’s their personal stage. They demand to be heard but refuse to listen. And when someone finally says “enough is enough,” they play the victim card faster than you can say “double standard.”

At a Texas redistricting hearing Thursday night, Democratic congressional candidate Isaiah Martin gave us a perfect example of this madness. Martin, who’s running for Houston’s 18th Congressional District, didn’t just break the rules—he basically set them on fire. When his speaking time was up, he refused to stop talking. When officials asked him to yield, he got louder. And when security tried to remove him? Well, that’s when things got really crazy.

From ‘BizPac Review’:

A congressional candidate is the subject of a wild arrest video out of Texas, after being forcibly removed from a hearing.

Isaiah Martin’s attempt to filibuster the redistricting hearing ended in cuffs as he was dragged away from the microphone by a capitol security official…

“America will rise up against you!” he screamed.

This comes after President Donald Trump encouraged states to redistrict in a way that would add more Republicans to Congress, especially in red states that have received a large influx of voters moving away from blue states like New York and California.

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Texas Dem Has ‘Oh Sh*t’ Moment After ‘Felony’ Bathroom Call

A Texas Democratic lawmaker who fled the state earlier this month abruptly hung up on a call with Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin and other top party leaders on Wednesday, after she says she was warned that she was committing a felony.

“Sorry, I have to leave,” state Rep. Nicole Collier (D) said during the call – interrupting Martin. “They said it’s a felony for me to do this. Apparently I can’t be on the floor or in a bathroom.”

“You told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom,” she told someone off camera. “No, hold on — bye everybody, I’ve got to go.”

Collier snuck off to the Texas Capitol’s bathroom to participate in the call as the state House moved forward with a vote on a GOP-friendly House map (that the Dems fled the state to try and block, only to return after their their paychecks were changed to in-person pickup). 

Democrats who wanted to leave and come back to the Capitol in between House meetings could only do so after “agreeing to be released into the custody of a designated DPS officer appointment under the rules of the House,” according to Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R). They also have to sign a form saying they will come back to the state Legislature.

Collier declined to agree to the terms and instead has slept inside the state House in protest. –The Hill

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) called the incident “outrageous,” adding “Rep. Collier in the bathroom has more dignity than Donald Trump in the Oval Office.”

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For Uvalde families, long-awaited records release leads to more questions

Public records related to the Robb Elementary School massacre that occurred on May 24, 2022, were released last week by Uvalde County and the school district, revealing details about the events of that day, and the actions and communication between officials and local leaders.

After yearslong contention between officials and the media outlets that sued them for the records three years ago, they were finally released.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is fighting a separate lawsuit for the release of that agency’s records.

Uvalde officials have been under sustained scrutiny for the widely reported delayed response that occurred that day when 19 children and two teachers were killed by a gunman.

Video from officers’ body camera footage and thousands of documents were released. They included angry emails sent to the sheriff about his inaction.

There are also accounts from teachers—some of whom were injured—who survived and said that school leaders did not check in on them after the traumatic events.

The documents indicated that the 18-year-old shooter had behavioral issues. There were also reports from sheriff’s deputies that his mother had reported being afraid of her son.

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Texas Senate Again Votes To Ban THC Hemp Products Despite Governor’s Push For Regulations

As the second special session of the Texas legislature commences, the state Senate has again approved a bill to that would ban hemp THC products.

Despite Gov. Greg Abbott (R) renewing his call for a regulatory model for intoxicating cannabinoids and an age limit of 21 to purchase such products, the Senate on Tuesday passed legislation from Sen. Charles Perry (R) to recriminalize the market in a 22-8 vote on third reading consideration. A day earlier the body had given initial approval to the measure on second reading.

This comes days after the Senate State Affairs Committee unanimously approved the proposal, which followed the full Senate’s passage of an identical bill in the first regular session this year.

“Nothing’s changed, other than the fact that more and more information comes out every week regarding the impact and effects of THC on the brain the body and long term use, and the impacts of that,” Perry said ahead of the initial vote on Monday. “This stuff is not good and it’s harmful for those that use it, specifically on a long-term basis.”

Before Tuesday’s final vote, Perry claimed that “every state that has legalized recreational pot may have less people in prison, but they have more people laying on the street—and definitely, from a business community, less people working because of lost productivity.”

“With that, I hope that the ban goes through…and sends a strong message: We don’t need to be another California, Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico, New York City,” he said.

Democratic House lawmakers staged a walkout during the first special session Abbott convened—denying the chamber a quorum in protest of a proposed redistricting plan for the state’s congressional map. Now as those members have ended their protest and head back to the legislature, hemp legislation is advancing again.

The bill approved by the Senate would continue to outright ban cannabis products with “any amount” of cannabinoids other the CBD and CBG. Even mere possession of a prohibited cannabis item would be punishable as a Class B misdemeanor, carrying up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

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The Much-Hyped Texas Measles Outbreak Is Over.

Texas health officials have officially declared the end of a much-hyped measles outbreak. While the virus did infect 762 people statewide, the situation was ultimately controlled, with the last case reported on July 1. No new infections have emerged in the affected areas for over six weeks, surpassing the standard threshold to declare an outbreak contained.

Initial headlines painted a dire picture, as cases tied to measles outbreaks in Canada and Mexico began to pop up across U.S. states, including Texas. Much of the epidemic was limited to local Mennonite communities in Texas.

The reaction was swift and widespread, with public warnings, emergency measures, and a renewed push for vaccinations. Around 100 hospitalizations were recorded—but only two deaths, for a fatality rate of just 0.26 percent out of the 762 recorded infections.

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Far-Left Anarchist Group Formed During BLM Riots Behind Texas ICE Shooting Ambush

Suspects arrested in connection with a brazen attack on a Texas ICE detention facility have been linked to a secretive far-left Antifa anarchist group that emerged after meeting during the violent Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

The group, which included transgender activists, allegedly orchestrated a military-style ambush that left one police officer wounded on July 4 at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.

During the attack, which authorities have called a coordinated ambush, a group of assailants dressed in black military-style clothing opened fire on ICE agents. One officer was shot in the neck.

Following an intensive investigation, 11 individuals were arrested, facing serious charges including attempted murder of federal officers, discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, and obstruction of justice for trying to conceal evidence, according to a report from the New York Post.

Leading the suspects is Benjamin Hanil Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, who was charged with three counts of attempted murder and three counts of discharging a firearm. Song is accused of purchasing four firearms used in the attack and hosting weekly training sessions focused on close-quarters combat and large-scale gunfights. He was apprehended in Dallas after a weeklong manhunt.

Among the other suspects are Autumn Hill and Meagan Morris, both identified as transgender.

The group initially focused on “social justice” demonstrations, the far-left extremists later shifted their attention to targeting ICE enforcement operations. It’s unclear exactly how many of the attackers were core members, but the group operated out of Dallas and attracted young, impressionable leftists.

Corey Lyon, a libertarian who attended some of the sessions but later cut ties with Song, told The Post, “The people that were showing up to learn from him — a lot were very young, naïve leftists.”

“They were scared. And Ben was offering them a solution for their fear.”

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Is She Drunk? Kamala Harris Sounds Sloshed as She Weighs in on Texas Redistricting Efforts

Kamala Harris sounded drunk as she weighed in on the GOP’s redistricting efforts in Texas.

Harris met with young Latino leaders earlier this month to discuss the redistricting efforts by Republican legislators in Texas.

The video of the meeting was posted to Kamala Harris’ social media this weekend.

“It’s going to take all of us to fight back against Republican redistricting efforts in Texas. I’m so proud of the Democrats in the state legislature. They have shown immense courage and are putting up one hell of a fight,” Harris said.

As usual, Kamala Harris made no sense whatsoever. There was no enthusiasm during the meeting and the young Latino leaders were not impressed with Harris.

“When things don’t go the way Republicans want, they cheat and lie,” Harris said.

Of course, this is projection.

“This is not a census year but this is a year with the Big Beautiful Bill! And the unpopularity of it and so [the Republicans] want to bend the rules!” Harris said.

Harris praised the AWOL Texas Democrats as the video ended.

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Texas Is Preparing To Cut Off Power To Data Centers During Grid Emergencies

Over the Fourth of July, deadly floods swept across central Texas, disrupting infrastructure and causing widespread outages. Meanwhile, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has already seen multiple price spikes and conservation alerts — not because there wasn’t enough power, but because we couldn’t move it where it was needed.

These aren’t isolated events. It’s not just a Texas problem.

Just days after the shutoff planning was announced, the U.S. Department of Energy warned that blackout risks across the country could rise 100-fold by 2030.

All of this points to a deeper vulnerability: We’re still running the grid with tools and assumptions built for a different era — one with fewer storms, slower load growth and no massive data centers. 

Texas’s new normal demands smarter, faster and more adaptive grid operations. Long-term infrastructure investments are critical, but they won’t arrive in time to manage the next three summers.

Texas has made real progress in building new generation capacity, especially in solar, storage and wind. But the wires that carry that power haven’t changed. More importantly, the way we operate the grid hasn’t evolved to match the demands of either changing weather patterns or electrical load growth.

Now, surging demand from industrial expansion, electrification and AI data centers is doubling the strain. ERCOT’s own projections show that power demand in Texas may nearly double by 2030. And, other regions aren’t immune.

  • The Midcontinent Independent System Operator recently green-lit a $22 billion transmission buildout to relieve rising congestion.
  • The California Independent System Operator saw renewable curtailments surge nearly 30% last year.
  • The PJM Interconnection anticipates 3% to 4% annual peak load growth through 2035 driven by data centers and expects up to 70 GW of demand over the next 15 years.
  • Nationally, U.S. demand is projected to climb about 16% in five years — a pace not seen since the 1980s. 

That means more stress on an already-congested transmission system — one still being managed with decades-old assumptions about heat, wind and demand.

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Texas Crime Labs Say They Don’t Have Enough Resources To Test Hemp Products For THC As Lawmakers Consider Ban

As Texas lawmakers debate whether to regulate or ban THC products, officials with the state’s crime labs say they don’t have the resources currently to enforce whatever law is passed.

“From a crime lab perspective, mercifully, we don’t have a dog in that fight. I really don’t care. Just tell me what I need to test, and then I need resources to be able to provide that result,” Peter Stout, president and chief executive officer for the Houston Forensic Science Center, told The Texas Tribune after he testified before the House Public Health Committee on Wednesday. “Otherwise, I become the reason the wheel falls off this wagon, which has basically been the last six years now.”

Wednesday’s committee hearing centered on House Bill 5, which would create a blanket ban on products containing any “detectable amount of any cannabinoid” other than cannabidiol and cannabigerol, better known as CBD and CBG, non-intoxicating components of cannabis. This bill would eliminate the majority of hemp products, including those that are legal under the federal definition.

”There’s been countless reports of artificial and synthetic cannabinoids and their effects on the consumer, and these products have become readily available,” said Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, the committee’s chair and HB 5’s author. “Some of these products are marketed in a way that is attractive to children, for example common food products, like candy.”

The Senate’s version of the bill also calls for a ban, but since Gov. Greg Abbott (R) earlier this year vetoed similar legislation that would have banned THC, some lawmakers have signaled they’d support more regulations over a ban.

Kim Carmichael, spokesperson for House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, told The Texas Tribune that the House hasn’t committed to a ban.

“HB 5 was filed as a similar bill to what the House passed in the regular session, because that’s the most logical starting point for negotiations,” Carmichael said. “Since it passed in that form, members believed they should resume debate where it ended up. It would still go through the process of a public hearing and floor debate, so where it ends up is unknown at this time.”

Experts invited by lawmakers on Wednesday to talk about THC largely focused on the health dangers of THC, the possible criminal networks that underlie the industry, and the impossible task of enforcement.

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AWOL Texas Democrats Unveil New Plan to Strongarm GOP Amid Redistricting Fight

AWOL Texas Democrats unveiled a new plan to strongarm Republicans amid a redistricting fight.

The Democrats fled to Illinois last week to block the Republicans from voting on a new congressional redistricting map.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened the derelict Democrats with arrest and removal from office if they didn’t return to the Capitol.

Texas Democrats will reportedly return to the Capitol for Governor Abbott’s 2nd special session to vote on the GOP’s redistricting effort, however, the timing is unclear because now they are making new demands.

According to the Associated Press, Texas Democrats won’t return home unless “Texas Republicans end a special session and California releases its own redrawn map proposal.”

The Associated Press reported:

Texas Democrats on Thursday moved closer to ending a nearly two-week walkout that has blocked the GOP’s redrawing of U.S. House maps before the 2026 election and put them under escalating threats by Republicans back home.

The Democrats announced they will return so long as Texas Republicans end a special session and California releases its own redrawn map proposal, both of which were expected to happen Friday.

Democrats did not say what day they might return.

On Wednesday, an Illinois judge denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to enforce arrest warrants against derelict state House Democrats.

Judge Scott Larson said Paxton failed to “present a legal basis for the court to obtain subject matter jurisdiction over this cause of action…”

Governor Abbott laughed at the Democrats as they made all kinds of demands for a second special session from Chicago.

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