Good morning,

In this week's One Click Survey, we're asking if readers are inclined to vote for their incumbent lawmakers in 2026.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, June 16, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Anti-Trump Protests Kick Off Across Texas

• In cities across Texas and the U.S. on Saturday, protestors took to the streets in opposition to President Donald Trump, particularly his deportation of illegal aliens. Sydnie Henry led the team coverage of the protests that took place in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin.
     
• Having seen the violence in California and Minnesota, Gov. Greg Abbott called up the Texas National Guard and deployed additional Department of Public Safety troopers across the state to maintain peace at the demonstrations.
     
• Throughout the state, protesters carried signs displaying "8647" – coded language for killing ("86") the (47th) president of the United States.
      
• Early afternoon on Saturday, law enforcement officials were warned that a leftwing activist from the Houston area was heading to Austin to do harm to lawmakers. He was stopped in La Grange.
      
• The Austin protest, held on the Capitol grounds thanks to a sponsorship by State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston), featured a variety of far-left speakers and a drag show performance. In San Antonio, the protest also turned into a pro-LGBT event, with at least one speaker demanding that Texas let them force gender confusion on children.
      
• Because, ultimately, the modern left defines itself through foisting degenerate sexual practices on children ...

‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Includes Reimbursement for Texas’ Border Spending

• In the U.S. Senate’s version of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” $13.5 billion has been set aside to reimburse states that spent large sums to protect their borders during the Biden administration. Luca Cacciatore has the details.
      
• In two letters earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott requested that the federal government reimburse Texas for around $11 billion spent on Operation Lone Star during the Biden administration. OLS is the state's border security program.
     
• "This is a win for Governor Abbott and the Texas Republican congressional delegation, who I worked with closely to ensure this reimbursement was made a priority and did not leave the people of Texas on the hook for the costs of Biden’s failed border policies," said U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R).
       
• "I am proud to stand with Governor Abbott and Senator Cornyn to ensure the Lone Star State is reimbursed, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill expeditiously." – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R)

New Law Assists Property Owners in Removing Squatters

• In the wake of a string of high-profile property rights violations that have occurred in recent years, McKael Kirwin reports that Texas lawmakers have responded to squatters by strengthening eviction laws. 
     
• The new law, which is awaiting action by Gov. Greg Abbott, protects property owners against bad-faith tenants and serial squatters. It also expedites the adjudication of eviction cases, even allowing for summary judgments to be filed without a trial. 

SCOTUS Affirms Conviction of Texas Sex Offender

• The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that child sex offender Danny Rivers is to remain in prison, affirming his original conviction. Addie Hovland has the story.
   
• Rivers was sentenced in 2012 on charges of continuous sexual abuse of his daughters, indecency with a child, and possession of child pornography. He has since made a series of procedural claims, despite at one point having admitted to sexually abusing the children.
     
• "In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court sided with Texas and ensured that dangerous convicted criminals will not be able to use procedural games to escape justice," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. "This is a great win for Texas and the rest of America because it makes it harder for prisoners to weaponize federal courts to attack their state convictions."

Houston ISD Extends Superintendent's Contract After Test Gains

• Superintendent Mike Miles is getting a five-year contract extension from the state-appointed trustees overseeing the Houston Independent School District. As Joseph Trimmer reports, the decision was made in response to gains in the district's STAAR results.
      
• High school students’ end-of-course assessment scores were above the statewide average in Algebra I, jumping from 38 to 51 percent who met or mastered grade level, and in Biology, rising from 40 to 63 percent who met or exceeded grade level. Preliminary results from grades 3 through 8 also showed improvement in most subjects.
     

• However, about 40 schools in the district remain rated as academically unacceptable. That’s one of the key conditions that must improve before the state will return power to an elected school board.

OTHER EDUCATION NEWS

• Bryson Lanier Newton was working as a substitute teacher in DeSoto Independent School District when he was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between educator and student.
      
• The alleged assault took place in November 2024, when Newton was teaching at Ruby Young Talented and Gifted Academy, where students range from kindergarten through 8th grade.
   
• Even though the arrest was made in March, nothing came to light until last week when a former Dallas County constable published a video on social media. Bryan Woodard said parents suspect school officials hushed up the sexual assault allegations because the district wanted to pass a bond on the May ballot.

Quote-Unquote

"News is something somebody doesn’t want printed; all else is advertising."

– William Randolph Hearst

One Click Survey

With the dust settling and results of the 89th Session of the Texas Legislature coming into view, Texans will have to decide how much credit or blame to assign to their individual lawmakers for what was—and was not—accomplished.

Do you plan on voting to re-elect your incumbent member of the Texas House?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!