Tag: texas

Texas Lawmakers Pass Medical Marijuana Program Expansion Bill, Sending It To The Governor’s Desk

Texas lawmakers have passed a bill to significantly expand the state’s medical marijuana program, sending it to the governor.

Just days after the legislation from Rep. Ken King (R) advanced through the Senate, with amendments that watered down the original House proposal, bicameral negotiators worked out a compromise over the weekend and then each chamber gave final approval on Sunday.

The measure now heads to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to potentially be signed into law.

The final version of the bill—which cleared the House on a 138-1 vote and the Senate by a vote of 31-0—would expand the state’s list of medical cannabis qualifying conditions to include chronic pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases, while also allowing end-of-life patients in palliative or hospice care to use marijuana.

The measure would additionally allow patients to access a wider range of cannabis product types—including patches, lotions, suppositories, approved inhalers, nebulizers and vaping devices.

And, it would mandate that the Department of Public Safety (DPS) increase the number of medical cannabis business licenses from the current three to 15. It would further allow dispensaries to open satellite locations.

House lawmakers on Friday had rejected the Senate’s changes to the bill, which largely scaled back the scope of the proposed expansion to the medical marijuana program.

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Fifth Circuit Affirms Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in Cloud Storage in Dropbox Case

A federal appeals court has ruled that state officials violated the Fourth Amendment when they orchestrated the covert retrieval of documents from a nonprofit’s Dropbox folder, an outcome that significantly strengthens legal protections for digital privacy in cloud-based environments.

In a 25-page decision issued May 28, 2025, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that The Heidi Group, a Texas-based pro-life healthcare organization, had a reasonable expectation of privacy in its digital files and that a state investigator’s role in acquiring them without judicial authorization amounted to an unconstitutional search.

We obtained a copy of the decision for you here.

Writing for the court, Judge Andrew S. Oldham emphasized that the constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches extends to “the content of stored electronic communications,” including files housed in commercial cloud platforms.

“Heidi has a reasonable expectation of privacy in its documents and files uploaded to Dropbox,” the opinion stated. “Heidi’s records are analogous to letters, phone calls, emails, and social media messages: Each contains information content transmitted through or stored with an intermediary that is not intended to ‘be broadcast to the world.’”

The controversy arose after Phyllis Morgan, a former employee of The Heidi Group, exploited her lingering access to the organization’s Dropbox folder for nearly a year after being terminated.

Rather than reporting the breach or seeking lawful channels to obtain the data, a senior investigator from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), Gaylon Dacus, allegedly encouraged the ex-employee to continue accessing the nonprofit’s confidential materials and forward them to the state.

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Texas Gov. Abbott Signs Resolution Barring Non-Citizens From Voting in Texas

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a resolution on May 26 that would amend the state constitution to allow only U.S. citizens to vote.

“I just signed off on a joint resolution to make it crystal clear under the Texas Constitution that if you are not a citizen of the United States of America, you are not allowed to vote in Texas,” Abbott said in a Facebook video posted May 26.

The resolution is part of SJR 37, introduced by Republican State Sen. Brian Birdwell, which seeks to amend Section 1(a), Article VI, of the Texas Constitution to clarify that “persons who are not citizens of the United States” are not allowed to vote in the state. The bill passed the state Senate in April and the House in May.

The amendment will be put to a vote on Nov. 4, 2025, through a ballot for Texan citizens.

The resolution aligns with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on March 25, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” which establishes changes to the U.S. election system, addressing weaknesses such as mass mail-in voting and other insecure voting methods, as well as citizenship verification, and requiring greater state and federal oversight of elections.

The executive order mandates that the Election Assistance Commission include the citizenship requirement on the national registration form.

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Gun control activist fabricates story of surviving Dallas high school shooting that ‘never happened’

A former Texas student has been accused of fabricating a mass shooting during a speech advocating for stricter gun control measures at the Kentucky State Capitol earlier this year. Calvin Polacheck delivered a harrowing account of surviving a 2017 active shooter situation at Dallas High School that killed his brother, best friend, and nine others; however, authorities said it never happened and shamed Polacheck for his false claims.

“A week later, I had to go back to that school, and that was the worst part because you had to walk past that spot where I saw my best friend and pretend it was all normal. It was not normal,” Polacheck said in February at the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America rally. “Folks, that’s been eight years, and I’ve been talking about this every single day since then for eight years. Eight years of talking about this, and there’s been nothing that’s changed.”

Kentucky local news networks quoted Polacheck’s remarks in their articles regarding the rally. After the falsehoods surfaced on Wednesday, several of the outlets, such as WDKY and Kentucky Lantern, removed the story from their websites, Citizens Voice reported.

The Dallas school district issued a statement on Wednesday refuting Polacheck’s allegations, saying, “Thankfully, that never happened.”

“The discussion on the clip about Dallas and school violence is not factually accurate. Our district solicitor is supporting an investigation and communication regarding the circulating clip,” the statement continued.

Polacheck’s comments also garnered the attention of the Dallas Township police chief and the Luzerne County district attorney.

“The widespread sharing of a fabricated tragedy is not only reckless, it is harmful. It fuels unnecessary fear, disrespects the experiences of real victims of school violence, and misleads the public with a narrative that has no basis in truth,” said police chief Doug Higgins, who noted that there has never been a shooting at Dallas High School. “The false claims,” he continued, “are deeply troubling. They undermine the integrity of our school district, erode public trust, and cause real harm to a community that takes great pride in protecting its residents, especially its children.”

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Infowars Reporter Jamie White Was Killed in Racially Motivated Attack – Suspect Bragged About His Murder in Rap Lyrics

Infowars reporter Jamie White was killed in a racially motivated attack, police said.

Jamie White, 36, was murdered in Austin, Texas, in March.

InfoWars founder Alex Jones announced the murder of his reporter:

We are deeply saddened to inform you that InfoWars Reporter Jamie White was brutally murdered around midnight Sunday night due, in part, to the policies of the Soros Austin, TX D.A. Jose Garza.

We pledge that Jamie’s tragic death will not be in vain, and those responsible for this senseless violence will be brought to justice.

Jamie’s important work will be carried on through InfoWars, our readers, and our cherished listeners.

Alex Jones was in shock as he disclosed on his show that Jamie White was shot in the arm and through his carotid artery in his neck.

Jamie White was found lying on the ground in the parking lot of his apartment complex and passed away at the hospital at 12:19 am on Monday.

Earlier this month police arrested one of the four suspects involved in Jamie White’s murder.

Eloy Adrian Camarillo, 17, confessed to police that White, 36, was shot during an attempted vehicle burglary by him and three of his friends.

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Texas Ban On Social Media For Under 18s Fails To Pass Senate

Legislation that would have banned anyone under the age of 18 from using or creating social media accounts in Texas stalled in the Senate this week after lawmakers failed to vote on it.

House Bill 186, filed by state Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), would have prohibited minors from creating accounts on social media sites such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, and others by requiring the platforms to verify users’ age.

The measure previously passed the GOP-controlled state House with broad bipartisan support in April, but momentum behind the bill slowed at the eleventh hour in the state Senate this week as lawmakers face a weekend deadline to send bills to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.

The legislative session ends on Monday.

In a statement on the social media platform X late Thursday, Patterson said the bill’s failure to pass in the Senate was “the biggest disappointment of my career,” adding that no other bill filed this session “would have protected more kids in more ways than this one.”

The Republican lawmaker said he believed its failure to pass meant “I’ve failed these kids and their families.”

“I felt the weight of an entire generation of kids who’ve had their mental health severely handicapped as a result of the harms of social media,”  the lawmaker said. “And then there’s the others – the parents of Texas kids who’ve died as a result of a stupid social media ‘challenge’ or by suicide after being pulled down the dangerous rabbit holes social media uses to hook their users, addict them on their products, and drive them to depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.”

“Finally, there’s the perfectly happy and healthy teens in Texas today, who will find themselves slowly falling off the edge before the legislature meets again in 2027,” he stated.

Patterson suggested he would try and pass the measure again when the Texas Legislature meets in 2027.

House Bill 186 would have prohibited a child from entering into a contract with a social media platform to become an account holder and required platforms to verify that a person seeking to become an account holder is 18 years of age or older before allowing them to create an account.

The legislation would have also required social media platforms to delete accounts belonging to individuals under the age of 18 at a parent or guardian’s request.

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Texas Military Veterans Call On Governor To Veto Proposed Hemp THC Ban That Critics Say Would Harm Patients And Consumers

Veterans advocates in Texas are calling on Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to veto legislation that would outlaw all hemp-derived cannabinoid products containing any detectable THC, saying loss of access to the products would harm veterans, seniors, medical patients and everyday consumers.

“Banning legal hemp would cause irreversible harm to communities across the state,” the organization Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars said on social media on Wednesday, drawing attention to a petition urging Abbott to reject the measure that was sent to him early this week. “Stand up for your rights and livelihoods.”

The petition itself is from the Texas Hemp Business Council, a trade group representing the state’s roughly $8 billion hemp industry, which critics of the bill say would be decimated if the measure becomes law. Texas’s hemp industry employs 53,000 people, the group said.

“We, the undersigned citizens of Texas, call on Governor Abbott to reject SB 3 and any proposals banning products containing legal hemp,” the petition says. “Hemp is not a threat but a resource that helps countless Texans lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.”

“SB 3 would deprive Texans of natural alternatives for treating chronic pain, anxiety, and sleep disorders throughout the state,” it adds. “A hemp ban also threatens small businesses and farmers in Texas who depend on hemp production for their livelihoods.”

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FBI arrests two Pakistani men for operation of massive immigration fraud scheme in Texas

The FBI has arrested two men from Pakistan living in Texas who are accused of operating an immigration scheme that sold fraudulent visa applications.

Abdul Hadi Murshi and Muhammad Salman Nasir, originally from Pakistan, have been accused of submitting fraudulent applications for visas and for adjustments of status to unlawfully enter and remain in the country. Both men were arrested in Texas and face multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, visa fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The pair were also charged with unlawfully obtaining and attempting to obtain United States citizenship.

“Major arrests out of [Dallas],” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X. “Abdul Hadi Murshid and Muhammad Salman Nasir — two individuals out of Texas who allegedly oversaw and operated a criminal enterprise circumventing American immigration laws by selling fraudulent visa applications. Well done to our FBI teams and partners in the investigation.”

The indictment alleges the defendants exploited the EB-2, EB-3, and H-1B visa programs by placing classified ads in newspapers for jobs that did not exist. These ads were used to falsely satisfy Department of Labor requirements that employers must first offer positions to US citizens before sponsoring foreign workers. Once the fraudulent labor certifications were secured, the defendants allegedly submitted petitions to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) along with green card applications for the visa seekers.

To create the illusion that the positions were real, the defendants accepted payments from the visa seekers, then returned a portion as purported wages.

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Texas doctor who falsely diagnosed healthy patients to fund lavish lifestyle in $118M scheme is sentenced to 10 years in prison

A Texas doctor who falsely diagnosed his healthy patients to fund his lavish lifestyle with private jets and luxury sports cars as part of a $118 million health care scheme was sentenced to a decade behind bars.

Rheumatologist Jorge Zamora-Quezada defrauded patients and insurance companies by purposefully diagnosing people with rheumatoid arthritis despite them not having the life-long and incurable condition.

Zamora-Quezada, 68, masterminded the scheme out of his Mission, Texas office with the help of staffers who were abused and threatened by his status, the Department of Justice said.

The disgraced health care provider led patients to believe they were suffering from chronic illnesses and they would pay unnecessary and costly treatments and testing that included a variety of injections, infusions, x-rays, MRIs, and other procedures

The regimens included the administration of toxic medications that had potentially harmful and even deadly side effects.

Zamora-Quezada also falsified medical records of his patients to secure insurance funds from providers by falsifying medical.

He defrauded $28 million from Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Other doctors in the Rio Grande Valley testified against Zamora-Quezada during the 25-day trial, revealing the surprising findings when they treated hundreds of patients, believing they had RA.

“For most (patients) it was obvious that they did not have rheumatoid arthritis,” one rheumatologist testified.

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FBI raids Dallas-based immigration attorney’s office, sources say

The FBI conducted multiple raids across Dallas and Collin counties as part of a federal investigation into a visa fraud and money laundering scheme on Thursday, May 22, sources told WFAA. 

Attorney D. Robert Jones, is alleged to have collaborated with a network of individuals to unlawfully obtain U.S. visas for Pakistani nationals through fraudulent means.

The operation reportedly involved the creation of shell companies to funnel illicit funds and facilitating the issuance of visas under false pretenses. The scheme is believed to have been active for several years.

Jones and the other defendants are accused of conspiring to defraud United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to the arrest affidavit.

“It was the purpose of the conspiracy for defendants…to wrongfully enrich themselves by receiving payments from visa seekers, submitting false and fraudulent applications and other documents to USCIS as part of the visa seekers’ application to obtain visas and to remain in the United States,” the affidavit alleges.

The affidavit accuses the defendants of using the bank accounts of Jones’ law office and another business, Reliable Ventures, to receive payments from visa seekers and then return part of the money back to them as purported payroll.

The defendants are also accused of making false and fraudulent statements in immigration documents and of money laundering.

According to the affidavit, each defendant agreed a conspirator “would commit at least two acts of racketeering activity in the conduct of the Enterprise’s affairs.”

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