Good morning, 

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, October 29, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Early Voting Continues Through Friday

• As a reminder, early voting continues through Friday ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 4, General Election. On your ballot are 17 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. You can find out what various conservative organizations are saying about those in our Texas Scorecard roundup.

Texas Sues Big Pharma for Deceptively Marketing Pain Relievers to Pregnant Mothers

• In a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is accusing the pharmaceutical giants of deceptively marketing Tylenol to pregnant women. Sydnie Henry has the details.
   
• According to Paxton, there has been long-standing evidence that the drug’s active ingredient, acetaminophen, may increase the risk of autism and other developmental disorders in unborn children. The suit further claims Johnson & Johnson violated state law by moving liabilities associated with Tylenol to its spinoff company, Kenvue, so as to avoid litigation dealing with any harms allegedly inflicted on children exposed to acetaminophen before birth.
    
• Kenvue strongly disputed the lawsuit’s claims and defended the safety of acetaminophen. The company pledged to “vigorously defend” itself against the lawsuit.
    
• Paxton’s action comes on the heels of President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services having announced last month new research initiatives and federal funding to investigate the potential risks of using acetaminophen during pregnancy.
       
• “By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.” – Ken Paxton

Permian Basin Power Fix Becomes $33 Billion Statewide Project

• As energy prices continue to increase, Paige Feild explores how Texas lawmakers’ solution for the Permian Basin’s energy shortage has morphed—thanks to a state agency's maneuvering—into a $33 billion statewide transmission plan. As you might guess, this will mean big costs for ratepayers statewide.
     
• At issue is legislation passed in 2023 to bypass renewable energy requirements and extend transmission service in the Permian Basin, where it was projected that electrical loads would be underserved. The region has heavy oil and gas development, cryptocurrency mining operations, data centers, and hydrogen electrolysis facilities.
          
• State Rep. Charlie Geren (R–Fort Worth) was adamant that the Permian Basin Reliability Plan be kept separate from a larger statewide push. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas had other ideas. It and the Public Utilities Commission of Texas moved forward with a program going far beyond what the legislature had authorized.
      
• Transmission service providers already have the authority to seize land under eminent domain, but this ERCOT/PUCT push is raising new concerns about the impact on conservation, production, and property value.

ICE Raid in Pasadena Draws Protests

• Michael Wilson reports that agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained three men in a Pasadena neighborhood this week following an hours-long operation that drew protests from residents and activist groups.
   
• After following several men from a nearby gas station, ICE agents surrounded a home where the men were staying. Video posted online showed officers from multiple agencies establishing a perimeter while protesters gathered outside and shouted at law enforcement agents. The men were eventually arrested without incident.
     
• This comes as immigration agents across the country face growing hostility from activist groups and violent attacks on ICE facilities. According to the Department of Homeland Security, there has been an 830 percent increase in attacks on ICE officers compared with the same period last year.

Federal Appeals Court to Reconsider West Texas A&M Drag Show Ban

• The legal battle over West Texas A&M University’s drag show ban has taken a new turn after the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to rehear the case en banc—that is, before all 17 active judges of the appellate court. 
   
• In August, a three-judge panel temporarily blocked the university’s drag show ban in a lawsuit brought by an LGBT group. The lawsuit originated in 2023 when West Texas A&M President Walter Wendler canceled a drag show that was scheduled to be held on campus. He said at the time that drag shows are “derisive, divisive, and demoralizing” toward womanhood.
     
• Regents of the Texas A&M System banned drag performances on all the campuses following a similar controversy on the College Station campus. That systemwide ban is also on hold, following a ruling by U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal.
     
• Oral arguments in the West Texas A&M case are expected to be held in early 2026.

Audit Reveals Millions Missing From Small Town's Coffers

• After an annual financial audit revealed a $6 million deficit in the City of Elgin’s account, one city council member is accusing the mayor—Democrat Theresa McShan—of trying to keep the results off the agenda.
      
• "We have a right as constituents and a right as residents to know where our money was spent and how it was spent." – Elgin City Councilmember Tiffany St. Pierre 

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Quote-Unquote

"The only way that has ever been discovered to have a lot of people cooperate together voluntarily is through the free market."

– Milton Friedman​

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