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BY: @MattMackowiak [ [link removed] ]
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MONDAY 2/2/2026 - WEDNESDAY 2/4/2026
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TOP NEWS
“Thousands of Texas Public School Students Participated in Anti-ICE Protests During School Hours” The Texan’s [ [link removed] ] Meridith Dyer – Thousands of Texas public school students participated in protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) actions across the country on Friday, January 30.
Austin Independent School District (ISD) students protesting alongside school officials and Austin ISD police officers sparked online backlash from elected officials.
(THE TEXAN [ [link removed] ])
“After El Paso’s Medical Examiner ruled migrant’s death a homicide, ICE sent the next body to an Army hospital” Texas Tribune’s [ [link removed] ] Colleen DeGuzman – The body of a migrant who died at an El Paso immigration detention center was sent to a military hospital rather than the county medical examiner who investigated two previous deaths at the facility — and concluded that one of them was a homicide rather than a suicide. Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan, died Jan. 14 at Camp East Montana, a massive tent facility the federal government built on the Fort Bliss Army base. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Diaz was found unconscious and unresponsive in his room and died of “a presumed suicide.”
Diaz’s autopsy is being performed at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in Fort Bliss, which doesn’t release autopsy reports to the public — only to family members and investigators, according to Jessia Rovero, a public affairs officer at Fort Bliss.
This comes after the El Paso Medical Examiner recently ruled a previous detainee’s death a homicide, contradicting ICE’s contention that he died by suicide.
(TX TRIB [ [link removed] ])
“Dallas has worst fatal car crash rate among large cities, study finds” via Dallas Morning News [ [link removed] ] – Dallas saw an average of nearly 14 fatal motor vehicle crashes annually per every 100,000 residents between 2014 and 2023, according to a recent analysis.
In a joint study released last week, Drafahl Law Firm, a St. Louis-based personal injury firm, and 1Point21, a San Diego-based marketing agency, found that the fatal crash rate was the highest among large American cities.
The grim data point also backs up a long-held perception that driving around Dallas is generally unpleasant — both because of the area’s bad roads, high traffic congestion, and a large contingent of motorists known for aggressive driving.
At the time, a report from Forbes Advisor concluded that Dallas was tied with Atlanta as the American city where “you’re most likely to get into a car accident,” with Dallas drivers 46% more likely to be involved in a wreck than drivers in other parts of the country.
A 2024 report from Forbes placed Dallas 6th on its “worst drivers” list, and Fort Worth in 9th place.
(DMN [ [link removed] ])
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
“DART officials review withdrawal city proposals as special election approaches” Community Impact Newspaper’s [ [link removed] ] Jacquelyn Burrer – DART officials review withdrawal city proposals as special election approaches
With several cities now considering withdrawal elections, DART and city officials are discussing city proposals that could lead cities to cancel their upcoming elections.
At their Jan. 27 meeting, DART officials reviewed proposals from Plano and other cities as part of ongoing talks over service levels, funding and governance. Plano officials have submitted two agreements that could lead the city to cancel its upcoming special election.
Since Plano City Council voted to call the special election, nearly half of DART’s 13 member cities have now scheduled withdrawal elections, including Highland Park, University Park, Irving, Farmers Branch and Addison.
Since calling the special election in November, Plano officials have submitted two formal proposals to DART that could lead the city to rescinding its withdrawal election if agreed upon.
Irving and Farmers Branch have also submitted written proposals to DART that are currently being evaluated. Carrollton, despite not calling a withdrawal election, submitted proposed changes to DART’s general mobility program interlocal agreement.
(COMMUNITY IMPACT [ [link removed] ])
“Dallas will remove rainbow, ‘Black Lives Matter’ crosswalks. Here’s what the community is saying” via Texas Public Radio [ [link removed] ] – Dallas will remove 30 decorative crosswalks, including LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter designs, within 90 days after unsuccessfully appealing an order by the Texas Department of Transportation.
The move comes after Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order in October directing TxDOT to enforce the removal of decorative crosswalks, calling them a distraction and political.
“I wish our governor would spend time on things that actually moves the needle for our state instead of picking on vulnerable populations and low hanging fruit for political gain,” Council Member Adam Bazaldua, who represents South Dallas, said in a statement to KERA.
TxDOT rejected Dallas’ exemption request on Jan. 15, giving the city until the end of the month to make a compliance plan or face losing state and federal funding.
“While the City maintains that existing crosswalk designs do not present measurable public safety issues, we appreciate TxDOT’s partnership in sustaining safe and efficient multimodal transportation within Dallas,” City Manager Kimberly Tolbert wrote.
(TPR [ [link removed] ])
2026
“Texas primary between Crockett, Talarico turns ugly” The Hill’s Caroline Vakil and Julia Mueller – The Senate Democratic primary in Texas has taken an ugly turn, with the increased infighting threatening to complicate the party’s chances of flipping the seat in November.
The most notable incident came this week when former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), the Democratic nominee for Senate last cycle, ripped state Rep. James Talarico (D) for allegedly calling him a “mediocre Black man.” Talarico said the allegation was a mischaracterization and that he had referred to Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre, not Allred personally.
Yet the escalating feud between Talarico and primary rival Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) — who quickly threw her support behind Allred in a statement without mentioning Talarico by name — is rattling some Democrats, who view it as an unhelpful distraction ahead of the March 3 primary.
“We’re taking our eye off the ball,” Texas Democratic consultant Joel Montfort said. “But that this is what Democrats are very good at doing. … We become distracted and we start infighting over things that aren’t particularly beneficial to winning races.”
The race for the Democratic nod for Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) seat has started to ramp up in recent weeks amid heated conversations around electability and polling suggesting the primary is getting tighter.
Crockett, a Black former Texas state lawmaker and civil rights attorney currently serving in the House, is seen by some as a controversial Senate candidate, given some of her online and viral exchanges, including referring to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is in a wheelchair, as “hot wheels,” and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) as having a “bleach-blonde, bad-built butch body.”
Last month, two comedians apologized after they said on a podcast not to support Crockett over Talarico, a white Presbyterian seminarian and former middle school teacher.
The discourse has irked some members of the party, who believe the conversation is aimed at discouraging voters from backing the Black candidate in the race.
“You’re running in the Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and there’s been a lot of discourse around her electability, and some would say that is code for they don’t think a Black woman can win statewide,” “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin told Talarico during his appearance [ [link removed] ] on the show Monday.
Talarico said during that appearance he would fully back her if she became the nominee and believed she could win statewide in Texas, calling her a “friend” and saying he had “deep love and respect for her.”
Meanwhile, Punchbowl News reported [ [link removed] ] last week, citing a top Crockett supporter, that the House member’s campaign is planning a rollout of attack ads targeting Talarico.
Although Crockett’s team has not confirmed the reporting, Talarico responded with a statement stressing that the primary “should be a positive race” focused on their records.
The back-and-forth came just days after the Democratic rivals squared off in their first debate [ [link removed] ], a largely cordial event that saw both sides emphasize points of agreement.
(The Hill [ [link removed] ])
“Latest U.S. Senate Campaign Finance Reports Show Cornyn Leading in Cash on Hand, Talarico and Crockett with Strong Hauls” The Texan’s [ [link removed] ] Mary Elise O’Bar – End-of-year financial reports for federal campaigns are in, showing Democratic candidates in Texas’ U.S. Senate race posting competitive fundraising hauls — while incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) remains in the lead in cash on hand (COH), followed by state Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30).
Reports for federal campaigns were due on January 31, although some candidates released and touted early fundraising and COH numbers — including Cornyn, whose campaign announced in early January that it had raised more than $7 million when including his re-election campaign numbers, the Cornyn Victory Committee, and Cornyn Lonestar Victory Fund.
(THE TEXAN [ [link removed] ])
“Republicans Blame Poor Turnout for Loss of Texas Senate Stronghold, Democrats Claim Win on Issues” The Texan’s [ [link removed] ] Kim Roberts – Republicans in Tarrant County and even across the state are reeling after a strong right-leaning Texas Senate district fell to a Democrat in a special election runoff.
Taylor Rehmet, a political newcomer who ran as a veteran and union leader who would “listen, show up, and get things done,” defeated the well-known and longtime conservative activist Republican Leigh Wambsganss to fill the seat for Senate District (SD) 9, vacated last year by former state Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills).
(THE TEXAN [ [link removed] ])
“Sakai makes fundraising comeback in Bexar County Judge race” San Antonio Report’s [ [link removed] ] Andrea Drusch – Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai made a comeback last month after being outraised by his Democratic primary challenger in the final quarter of 2025. Campaign finance data must be reported more frequently right before an election, and reports covering Jan. 1 through Jan. 22 were due Monday for state and county candidates.
Peter Sakai indicated that he’d raised $176,000 in that span — more than triple what former Mayor Ron Nirenberg raised over the same time period. Sakai spent about $200,000 and reported $483,000 on hand as of Jan. 22.
By comparison, Ron Nirenberg raised $52,000 between Jan. 1 and Jan. 22, spent $86,000 and reported $347,000 on hand.
Sakai’s haul includes $52,000 worth of in-kind advertising from Carmen and Joe Gamez, owners of Gamez Law Firm, to sponsor billboard ads on his behalf. He also received a $75,000 contribution from the Texas Association of Realtors PAC.
(SA REPORT [ [link removed] ])
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
“A ‘wall’ in the river: Trump’s new border barrier in the Rio Grande” via El Paso Times [ [link removed] ] – A string of orange buoys is growing in the Rio Grande, as the Trump administration builds a “river wall” to stop what is now a trickle of illegal migration.
Unlawful border crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have plunged over the past year, as the Trump administration ramped up deportations, deployed troops and military tanks to the borderline, and prohibited migrants from seeking asylum at the border.
Construction of 500 miles of buoy barrier began in January and is part of Homeland Security’s U.S. Coast Guard-led “Operation River Wall” to combat drug and human smuggling, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a Jan. 7 news conference.
From a stretch of tree-lined riverbank in Matamoros, Mexico, across the border from Brownsville, the traffic-barrel-orange barrier rests like a necklace on the wide neck of the Rio Grande. It appears to mimic Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial installation of a similar floating system upriver.
(EP TIMES)
“FBI Houston Investigation Leads to Canadian National’s Guilty Plea for Sexually Exploiting Over 100 Children” The Texan’s [ [link removed] ] Mary Elise O’Bar – A Canadian national pleaded guilty on Friday to sexually exploiting and coercing 100 minor girls by posing as an American teenage boy over social media — a case investigated by the Houston branch of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Ramanan Pathmanathan’s guilty plea was made in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where he admitted to coercing children through video chats and his false online persona. During the calls, he would convince the minors to perform various sexual acts, recording them all-the-while, and then use it as blackmail if the children refused to continue engaging in such sexual acts.
(THE TEXAN [ [link removed] ])
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> TX TRIB: “Texas Supreme Court primaries: Who is running and what to know“ TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: “Texas jails have more than 400 pregnant inmates monthly. The state is trying to understand what happens to them.“ TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TX TRIB: “TribCast: Did the winter storm show our grid is fixed?“ TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
> TPR: “Texas moving forward with Christian Bible-infused public education mandate“ TPR [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: “Christian Menefee sworn in to U.S. House ahead of key budget, immigration votes“ HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> KXAN: “‘Just Trying to Delay’: Lawyers react to paused naturalization ceremonies in Austin“ KXAN [ [link removed] ]
> KXAN: “Texas attorney general investigating Austin ISD policies after anti-ICE student walkouts“ KXAN [ [link removed] ]
> SA REPORT: “A look at the top fundraisers in San Antonio’s congressional races“ SA REPORT [ [link removed] ]
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: “DART officials review withdrawal city proposals as special election approaches“ COMMUNITY IMPACT [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: “UIL realignment winners and losers: 11-6A remains the ‘District of Doom’“ DMN [ [link removed] ]
> THE TEXAN: “FBI Houston Investigation Leads to Canadian National’s Guilty Plea for Sexually Exploiting Over 100 Children“ THE TEXAN [ [link removed] ]
> AP: “NASA fuels its moon rocket in a crucial test to decide when Artemis astronauts will launch“ AP [ [link removed] ]
> SAEN: “Doctors demand urgent action after measles outbreak at Texas ICE center“ SAEN [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: “Alejandra Matos named Houston Chronicle managing editor for news and strategy“ HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> SAEN: “Over 100 Texans laid off as auto parts giant faces legal, financial turmoil“ SAEN [ [link removed] ]
> TPR: “Texas moving forward with Christian Bible-infused public education mandate“ TPR [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: “Why increased fines haven’t stopped Houston’s problem with ‘bandit signs’ so far“ HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: “2026 UIL realignment: See which districts Fort Worth-area teams will play in“ FWST [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: “Child found unharmed at fatal shooting scene in north Houston complex, HCSO says“ HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> HOU CHRON: “Fresh off a victory, Menefee must now face Al Green in March primary“ HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: “Is a Democrat’s Tarrant County flip a midterm election bellwether?“ FWST [ [link removed] ]
> EP TIMES: “Rio Grande marked by new buoys on Texas-Mexico border“ EP TIMES [ [link removed] ]
> KXAN: “State of Texas: Crockett, Talarico debate ICE, electability in Democratic Senate primary debate“ KXAN [ [link removed] ]
> SA REPORT: “Texas Education Agency moves to correct 4,200 errors in Bible-infused curriculum“ SA REPORT [ [link removed] ]
> KXAN: “Killing of father, son a ‘robbery gone wrong,’ family says, ahead of trial“ KXAN [ [link removed] ]
> FWST: “Family of 3 killed, 1 injured in North Texas house fire, officials say“ FWST [ [link removed] ]
> DMN: “Leader of Highland Park United Methodist Church gives final sermon ahead of retirement“ DMN [ [link removed] ]
EXTRA POINTS
Recent Texas sports scores:
Mon
> NBA: Houston 118, Indiana 114
> NHL: Dallas 4, Winnipeg 3
> NCAAM: #11 Kansas 64, #13 Texas Tech 61
> NCAAM: Stephen F. Austin 67, McNeese 60
> NCAAM: UT-RGV 74, Houston Christian 57
Tues
> NBA: Boston 110, Dallas 100
> NCAAM: Texas 84, South Carolina 75
Today’s Texas sports schedule:
> 6pm: NCAAM: UCF at #8 Houston (FS1)
> 6pm: NCAAM: Texas A&M at Alabama (SECN)
> 6pm: NCAAM: Texas St. at Georgia Southern (ESPN+)
> 6pm: NCAAM: UTSA at South Florida (ESPN+)
> 6:30pm: NCAAM: UTEP at Sam Houston St. (ESPN+)
> 7pm: NBA: Boston at Houston (NBCS)
> 7pm: NCAAM: Colorado at Baylor (Peacock)
> 7pm: NCAAM: North Texas at Rice (ESPN+)
> 8:30pm: NBA: Oklahoma City at San Antonio (ESPN)
> 8:30pm: NHL: St. Louis at Dallas (ESPN+)
Tomorrow’s Texas sports schedule:
> 7pm: NBA: Charlotte at Houston
> 7pm: NCAAM: Abilene Christian at Utah Valley (ESPN+)
> 7:30pm: NBA: San Antonio at Dallas
> 8pm: NCAAM: UT-Arlington at Utah Tech (ESPN+)
> 9pm: NCAAM: Tarleton St. at California Baptist (ESPN+)
TEXAS SPORTS HEADLINES / LINKS:
DALLAS COWBOYS: “With Cowboys-George Pickens contract talks yet to begin, is the franchise tag an option?” DMN [ [link removed] ]
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: “Spurs’ Mitch Johnson clinches All-Star coaching duties” SAEN [ [link removed] ]
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: “Victor Wembanyama sets the record straight about his left calf soreness” SAEN [ [link removed] ]
DALLAS MAVERICKS: “Mavericks face uncertainty amid season-worst losing streak, looming NBA trade deadline” DMN [ [link removed] ]
HOUSTON ROCKETS: “Rockets’ Kevin Durant selected as NBA All-Star reserve, Alperen Şengün left off” HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
TEXAS / TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL: “Where Longhorns, Aggies, Red Raiders rank in Chronicle’s 2026 college football preseason top 25” HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]

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