Good morning,

With the GOP primary just three months away, and early voting starting on Feb. 17, today's One Click Survey asks who you would support for the U.S. Senate nomination if the election were held today.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Biden Program Sent More Than $36 Million Into Texas For Afghan Relocation

• Brandon Waltens reports that more than $36 million in federal grants tied to Afghan refugee resettlement has flowed into Texas cities and counties since the 2021 military withdrawal from Afghanistan. New questions about the program and the money coincide with recent public safety concerns after two Afghan parolees brought to the U.S. under the same program were arrested in separate violent incidents.
     
• Many evacuees entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole after expedited or incomplete vetting due to a collapse of the Afghan government and limited screening capabilities. In Fort Worth, Mohammad Dawood Alokozay was arrested after allegedly posting a video in which he claimed to be making a bomb and threatened to target a local building. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Rahmanullah Lakanwal was arrested last week after allegedly shooting two National Guardsmen, killing one.
     
• Public grant data shows that Texas jurisdictions received significant funding tied to the Biden-era program. For example, Harris County received more than $13.7 million, followed by Dallas County at more than $5.7 million. Smaller jurisdictions such as Abilene, Amarillo, and Midland also received allocations ranging from hundreds of thousands to more than $1 million.
      
• The grants were administered through the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, which describes its mission as promoting “cultural pluralism” and encouraging immigrants to maintain their languages and cultures while participating in American life.

No Death Penalty For Illegal Alien Accused of Motel Beheading

• Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot is refusing to pursue the death penalty against an illegal alien who beheaded his employer at a Dallas motel. Travis Morgan has the details.
      
• The September 10 incident achieved national notoriety for its particularly gruesome nature. Graphic security footage showed the suspect—Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old Cuban illegal alien—kicking the victim’s head down the motel driveway in front of a family of onlookers. The victim was the motel's manager.
     
• Because of his extensive criminal record in multiple states, Cobos-Martinez had been set for deportation in early 2025 but was released by the Biden administration a week before Donald Trump took office.
      
• While Cobos-Martinez has been indicted for capital murder, Creuzot's office has announced that it does not intend to try this as a death penalty case. This leaves life imprisonment without parole as the maximum available punishment.
       
• The Dallas motel beheading is only the latest high-profile example of Creuzot’s conduct as the county's district attorney. He is infamous for being soft on crime, having been dubbed “Let-em-Go Creuzot” by critics.

A.G. Investigates China-Owned Fashion Brand Retailer

• Global fast-fashion brand Shein U.S. Services LLC and its affiliates are under investigation by Attorney General Ken Paxton for possible violations of Texas law regarding unethical labor practices and unsafe products, reports Addie Hovland.
     
• According to Paxton, concerns have been reported about its reliance on forced labor, use of unsafe products, and deceptive marketing practices. The investigation will also examine Shein’s data collection and privacy practices.

Censured Lawmaker Won’t Seek Re-Election

• With just a week left before the filing deadline, State Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston) announced yesterday he will not seek re-election in 2026. VanDeaver is leaving the Texas House after a session in which he clashed with the governor and was formally censured by the Republican Party of Texas in October.
      
• VanDeaver was one of only two Republican House members to vote against school choice legislation championed this year by Gov. Greg Abbott; the other was former Speaker Dade Phelan, who has also recently announced he won’t be returning to the chamber.
        
• The filing deadline for candidates is December 8.

Democrats Drop Challenge to Tarrant’s Republican Redistricting

• Erin Anderson reports that Democrats have dropped their challenge to Republicans’ redistricting of Tarrant County’s four commissioners court precincts.
     
• As a result, the new map remains in effect for the 2026 primary elections and beyond. The new lines increase the GOP's partisan advantage on the five-member governing body from 3-2 to 4-1.
     
• The dismissal is a big win for Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, who had campaigned in 2022 on drawing new commissioner precincts to better reflect the county’s partisan majority. The previous administration chose not to redraw the boundaries after the 2020 census.

Texas Locks in Final Rules for School Choice Program

• The Texas comptroller’s office has finalized the administrative rules governing the state’s new Education Freedom Accounts, the school choice program created earlier this year by the legislature with $1 billion in first-year funding.
     
• Online applications will open on February 4, 2026, ahead of the 2026–27 school year.
      
• Under the rules, students who want to attend accredited private schools participating in the program, as well as qualifying at-risk pre-K students, may receive more than $10,000 per year. Students with disabilities supported by an Individualized Education Program may be eligible for up to $30,000. All other participating students—including homeschool students—may receive $2,000 annually.
     
• Among other factors, a family’s adjusted gross income will be used to determine program eligibility prioritization. 

OTHER EDUCATION NEWS

• Preston Zimmerman, a former biomedical science teacher at KIPP Houston High School, pleaded guilty to indecency with a child by sexual contact. The conviction comes nearly a year after he was charged with eight felonies involving inappropriate contact with multiple students.
     
• One 16-year-old student said Zimmerman offered him money in exchange for sexual favors, while another described repeated incidents in which Zimmerman touched him inappropriately when handing him items. Other students also reported similar patterns of contact.

Today In History

On Dec. 2, 2001, Houston-based Enron filed for bankruptcy in what became one of the largest corporate scandals in U.S. history.

Quote-Unquote

"It's always so attractive to be able to do good at somebody else's expense."

– Milton Friedman

One Click Survey

No race on the 2026 ballot is currently as contentious as the Texas GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate, in which incumbent John Cornyn is being challenged by Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

If the Primary Election were to be held today, who would get your vote?
 

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

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