U.S. Congressman Brian Babin (R-TX), Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced the I-47 Future Interstate Act of 2026, to designate U.S. Route 287 as Interstate Route I-47. "Designating US-287 as I-47 and a High-Priority Corridor will help strengthen safety standards, improve regional connectivity, spur infrastructure investment, and support continued economic growth not only in Texas but also across the western United States."
Governor Greg Abbott today surveyed damages from the Ross Fire that impacted Palo Pinto and Jack counties, served meals to first responders, and provided an update on the state’s ongoing wildfire response. The Governor highlighted the resources the State of Texas has provided to affected communities as state and local emergency personnel work to contain the fire, which has threatened homes, damaged property, impacted infrastructure, and prompted local evacuations across North Texas.
Texas Comptroller Don Huffines recently hosted a roundtable discussion with online marketplace sellers, restaurant owners, and physicians to hear firsthand how the state's controversial definition of its data processing services tax is impacting their businesses. The session is part of Huffines’ ongoing Taxpayer First Project, an initiative to ensure fairness, transparency, and respect in how the state administers its tax laws.
President Donald Trump insisted we should rename Lake Ontario to Lake America. It's easy to find these whole geographic kerfuffles unnecessary. But the media hated the first one so much that the Associated Press found itself restricted from the White House press pool for refusing to accept the new Gulf terminology. What they hate is anything Trump does to add a patriotic pro-America tinge to something that they associate more with his ego than with patriotism. They see red — as in a red MAGA cap.
Following the Public Utility Commission of Texas’ unanimous adoption of two proposals for decision related to the Permian Basin Reliability Plan, Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA), issued in a statement: “Energy security should be non-negotiable for all Texans ..." Commissioners adopted the two proposals for decision with additional landowner protections as indicated by Chairman Gleeson
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) participated in a press conference and executive roundtable with Michael Dell, founder, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies, Brad Gerstner, founder, chairman and CEO of Altimeter Capital, Frank Bisignano, CEO of the IRS, and dozens of Texas business leaders. The discussion focused on how employers can make a generational impact on American families’ financial futures by contributing to Trump Accounts for their employees’ children.
Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) reminded insurers that the practice of “price optimization” violates Texas law for all TDI-regulated insurance products. Price optimization occurs when an insurance company varies premiums based on factors unrelated to a policyholder’s risk of loss or the company’s expenses, including whether a customer is likely to shop for a new policy or accept a higher price.
We reported last week that in California, Attorney General Rob Bonta has replaced the language in the state's voter guide to politically-biased language that have doomed several measures in the past. But that's nothing compared to the tactics in Michigan, where two Democratic members of the state's canvassing board voted to disenfranchise 709,841 state residents who signed a petition improving election integrity.
Comptroller Don Huffines said state sales tax revenue totaled $4.62 billion in August, 7.1% more than in August 2025. Growth in receipts was positive from all the large sectors primarily influenced by business spending last month, with collections from the construction and mining sectors being particularly robust. Remittances from the manufacturing sector came in 5.2% above the amount in August 2025, and collections from the wholesale trade sector were 1.7% above totals from the same month last year following a nearly 10% jump in July.
It was a really funny and informative moment on CNN, and like most funny and informative moments on CNN, it did not involve anyone who calls themselves a “journalist” and works for CNN. It involved a failed sports “journalist”, a libertarian podcaster, and it demonstrated just how ill-suited for any kind of challenge to their talking points these leftists really are.“It's one thing to not think capitalism is working ideally. It's another thing entirely to insist that it is oppressive, that it is bound up with white supremacy,” said podcaster Kmele Foster.
Governor Greg Abbott toured the TEL Texas Technical Training and Research & Development Center in Austin. He led a roundtable discussion with students and business leaders to highlight how industry-led training programs are preparing thousands of Texans for high-demand careers and strengthening Texas’ position as America’s semiconductor leader. The Austin center will train an estimated 2,200 people each year and uses virtual and augmented reality to prepare technicians for next-generation tools. TEL, headquartered in Austin, has operated in Texas for more than 30 years.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the Ranchers First Initiative, a sweeping package of actions to continue rebuilding the Great American Beef Herd and put America’s ranchers back at the center of our nation’s food supply. Building on USDA’s October 2025 Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry, the Trump Administration is delivering again. "President Trump will make certain the men and women who raise our cattle can hand their operations to the next generation, and that American families can put safe, high-quality, American-raised beef on the table.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced the emergency shutdown of 110 driving schools across the U.S. due to a rule requiring English proficiency for obtaining a commercial driver's license (CDL). The Department of Transportation (DOT) made this decision after the schools had issued licenses to over 5,000 individuals who had failed English language proficiency (ELP) tests. DOT is initiating a nationwide audit of third-party commercial driver's license (CDL) skills testers and the states' oversight of these testers.
The RRC is pleased to announce that David Lindley has been named the new director of the Commission’s Oil and Gas Division. With 10 district offices across the state, the division’s core responsibilities include meeting permitting and reporting requirements; conducting field inspections, testing programs and monitoring industry activities in the field; and administering programs to remediate abandoned wells and sites, funded by fees and taxes paid by industry.
“I want to be President of all Americans,” said Joe Biden. Barack Obama said something similar about there not being red Americans or blue Americans, only Americans. It’s garbage because in pursuit of that job, and in the execution of it, they do not speak to half the country at all. They want to control you, not talk with you. At his press conferences, Obama would work off a printed list of pre-screened reporters in something with all the choreography of a Broadway show. Under Joe Biden, things got worse. He had the list of reporters with the screened questions.
President Trump issued an executive order last May directing the Postal Service to enhance ballot security by requiring states to provide lists of mail voters and use federally reviewed ballot envelopes with unique barcodes for tracking. A group of blue states immediately sued claiming the order violates the Voting Rights Act by intruding on their power to administer elections. This week, the Supreme Court voted 6 to 3 to allow the Postal Service to implement the order. Two days later the Postal Service rules were blocked again
I was honored to stand alongside President Trump and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman as the Artemis II astronauts were awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Under President Trump’s leadership, America has entered a new Golden Age of exploration, innovation, and discovery, and the historic success of Artemis II is proof that our nation is once again leading the way in space.
Operation Black Market Basin led to charges including felony oil theft, money laundering and organized crime. In mid-August, authorities seized about 2,600 barrels of petroleum products valued at more than $220,000, 60 vehicles valued at more than $2.8 million, $786,215 in cash, 34 luxury watches and jewelry items and eight bank accounts containing more than $8 million. The investigation involved petroleum allegedly acquired and sold across multiple states, including Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
