Texas has launched a partnership with Turning Point USA to create chapters of the right-wing organization on every high school campus in the state.  Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Turning Point USA Senior Director Josh Thifault revealed the initiative during a news conference at the Governor’s Mansion on Monday. They did not outline any plans that would require schools to initiate the clubs, but Abbott said that he expects “meaningful disciplinary action” to take place against “any stoppage of TPUSA in the great state of Texas.”  “Let me be clear: Any school that stands in the way of a Club America program in their school should be reported immediately to the Texas Education Agency,” the governor said, referring to the name of the high school clubs.  The announcement comes after Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, who stood behind Abbott at Monday’s gathering, privately met with Thifault in early November to discuss expanding the organization’s presence in the state’s schools, which was first reported by The Texas Tribune. Four days after that meeting, Patrick said he would commit $1 million in campaign funds to help bring the project to fruition.  Turning Point USA was founded by Charlie Kirk, the late right-wing…

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, on Saturday announced he would not seek re-election after the conclusion of his term. Nehls, a close ally of President Donald Trump who co-sponsored legislation proposing putting the president on the $100 bill and renaming Washington’s Dulles International Airport after Trump, said he came to his decision after consulting his family during the Thanksgiving holiday — and said he intends to “focus on my family and return home after this Congress.” Nehls said he called Trump to let him know of his plans. “President Trump has always been a strong ally for our district and a true friend, and I wanted him to hear it from me first,” Nehls wrote on X. “Serving this country in the military, serving our community in law enforcement, and serving this district in Congress has been the honor of my life. Thank you for your trust, your friendship, and your prayers,” Nehls added. Congress Nov 24 The ‘ShamWow guy' is running for Congress in Texas Trump administration…

Texas cannot use a new congressional map drawn by Republicans in hopes of securing the party additional U.S. House seats, a panel of three federal judges ruled Tuesday. The ruling was a blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to have GOP lawmakers in multiple states redraw their maps to help the party preserve its slim House majority in the potentially difficult 2026 midterm elections. “The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics. To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map,” the ruling states. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he plans to appeal and that the maps are legal. “The radical left is once again trying to undermine the will of the people. The Big Beautiful Map was entirely legal and passed for partisan purposes to better represent the political affiliations of Texas,” said Paxton. “I will be appealing this decision to the Supreme Court of the United States, and I fully expect the court to uphold Texas’s sovereign right to engage in partisan redistricting.” Texas this summer was the first state to meet Trump’s…

With a historic investment by the 89th Texas Legislature, Texas A&M Forest Service approved $164 million in funding for Texas volunteer fire departments. The funding will be awarded to local fire departments through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program, which will award 558 fire trucks and 321 slip-on units. The announcement came Tuesday, Oct. 14, after a meeting that marked the largest allocation of awards and the first phase in distributing over $192 million to Texas volunteer fire departments. According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas uses a tiered approach to wildfire response, establishing local fire departments and counties as the first on the scene. State response is activated as wildfires become more complex and grow beyond the capacity of local first responders. “Texas fire departments are the front line of local response, and their equipment capacity is vital to response time and effectiveness,” said Al Davis, Texas A&M Forest Service director. “This historic funding reflects the strong support of the Texas legislature and governor. Their investment allows us to continue supporting and equipping firefighters who protect Texas’s lives and property.” By using the funding through this program to purchase critical equipment, local fire departments increase their capacity to…

Police are still searching for the person or persons who murdered three members of a Mansfield family living in Georgetown, north of Austin. The victims identified by police are 34-year-old Alonzo Hawkins; his cousin, 39-year-old Doneisha Brooks; and her daughter, 8-year-old Olivia Brooks. Relatives told KXAN the three recently moved to Georgetown for a fresh start. When they did not hear from them over the weekend, a family friend went to do a welfare check. Friends, family and their pastor held a press conference Tuesday afternoon at a park in Mansfield. “If anybody has any information that can lead to the capture of the perpetrator, that’s what’s most important when it comes to the family,” said Pastor Michael Evans. According to the family, the move from Mansfield to Georgetown in May 2024 was supposed to be a fresh start for Doneisha and her daughter, Olivia. “Got her life together, got a car, apartment, got a job,” said cousin Nicholas Ford. “She was doing good. She was happy.” Ford’s brother Alonzo was Doneisha’s cousin. He followed her to Georgetown, seeking a safer place to live and a new start. Hopes were crushed Saturday evening when police in the Austin suburb said…