“The situation in these communities that have been impacted by this wildfire disaster is heartbreaking, and we still have a long way to go before we understand the scope of the devastation wrought by the fires," said Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar earlier today, announcing in partnership with Gov. Greg Abbott that the Comptroller’s Office has secured a temporary waiver of state restrictions on the use of dyed diesel fuel for vehicles on Texas roadways, and suspended requirements to pay the State Motor Fuels Tax on dyed diesel.
“As we make our way into 2024, the Texas Labor Force is continuing to 'upskill' and become the workforce of tomorrow – and Texas continues to lead the nation in both jobs growth and economic stability,” said Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Bryan Daniel, as the latest Labor & Jobs Market figures for January showed another record-breaking period of growth. Texas' employed Civilian Labor Force now totals 14,053,400, and has grown in 43 of the last 45 months.
Ukraine has ossified into something like the modern version of the horrific Battle of Verdun, fought 108 on the 1916 Western Front of World War I cost France and Germany some 700,000 dead and wounded. The nightmare ended 10 months later after the French defense stopped the final German push. But the armies ended up in the same position as when the battle started. The Ukrainian war is now similarly deadlocked.
Just how high are the stakes for Joe Biden & the Democrats tonight as Mr. Biden appears before a worried nation and delivers his third "State of the Union" speech? Well, one recent Voter Survey asked if Joe Biden’s policies were helping, hurting, or not making a difference – and the findings? Just 25% said Biden’s policies are helping, and 48% said they’re hurting. Further, only 14% say they have more money in their pockets today than compared to last year – and a whopping 57% said the opposite.
Joe Biden got some painful news earlier today – the day of his 2024 "State of the Union" Speech. The pace of job cuts by U.S. Employers accelerated in February, and “marked the highest layoff total for the month of February since 2009.” That – along with inflation & high interest rates – is another sign the labor market's in bad shape. Mr. Biden may try to tell the American people his version of the health & welfare of our nation tonight – but I’m not sure any of us need the update. We know what the actual "State of the Union" is.
“Astonishingly, next session up to one-third of the Texas House's Republican Caucus will be new members. There were 9 retirements, and 36 GOP incumbent races with competitive challengers. Of those, 9 incumbents lost outright, and 8 are headed to high-risk runoffs. The House Caucus will look vastly different when they reconvene for the 89th Legislative Session," said Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, after looking at the results from Tuesday's "Super Tuesday" Republican Primary.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) announced that Texas Sheriff Danny Dominguez (D-Presidio County) will be his guest for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address before Congress on Thursday evening. Sheriff Dominguez has been at the front lines of the largest illegal immigration crisis in our nation’s history. Every single day he witnesses the tremendous strain this humanitarian and national security crisis places on our Texas-Mexico border communities.
Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14) introduced a resolution to condemn any effort by the federal government to connect Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to other major electric grids. ERCOT is currently under the jurisdiction of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. announced the approval of CEPRA funding for the West Galveston Beach Nourishment project. The West Galveston Island Property Owners Association, Park Board of Trustees of the City of Galveston, Galveston Regional Chambers of Commerce, Texas American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, Visit Galveston, Galveston Economic Development Partnership, Mayor Craig Brown, and Representative Terri Leo-Wilson played pivotal roles in securing this funding.
With the Biden administration hauling in millions of "newcomers" from booming economies like Venezuela, Senegal and Haiti, we seem to be getting a Kate Steinle every day. Among the recent atrocities committed by Our Greatest Strength is the savage murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan illegal alien released into our country by the Biden administration. The "newcomer" beat Riley so badly that he disfigured her skull.
Monday's unanimous 9-0 Supreme Court decision provided the American Public with a refreshing counter to the Media & the Democrat's ridiculous "Save Our Democracy" attacks. Their "The Process Is the Penalty" strategy – that the U.S. Courts and the weaponization of the Federal Government would remove their mega-MAGA "Make America Great Again" enemy from consideration – is only infuriating the American Voter, who knows the ongoing perversions of Law & Justice have been a cancer attacking "Democracy."
"The fact that the Supreme Court came together for a 9-0 decision was good for the Court, and good for America,” said Sen. Ted Cruz following the unanimous 9-0 ruling in favor of former President Trump, and overruling the Colorado Supreme Court's December 2023 decision to bar the former president from appearing on the 2024 Colorado state primary ballot. "This decision is a major win for democracy and for the rule of law," said Cruz.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday that Donald Trump can stay on the election ballot in Colorado, rejecting a challenge from Colorado to his eligibility that threatened the presidential race by taking him off ballots around the nation. It came as a fatal blow for states trying to eliminate Trump off the ballot and before 15 states casts votes on Super Tuesday. All the Justices opinions focused on legal issues that the Colorado Court had alleged.
Congress continues to kick the can further down the road – instead of addressing our spending problem or securing the border – and this is just more of the status quo. We need to have the guts to address the very real problems impacting every American. Since September 30th, Congress has been operating under a "Continuing Resolution" – which is nearly $35 trillion dollars in debt, and at Nancy Pelosi’s dream levels. We must refrain from continuing to function like this.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has successfully secured an emergency stay of a District Court ruling that would have blocked Texas’s new Border Security Law from taking effect. In 2023 the Texas State Legislature passed Senate Bill 4 to address the ongoing crisis at the Southern Border, which mirrors federal law in that it makes it a crime to illegally enter or reenter the U.S., and enables Texas Law Enforcement to detain and order aliens to return to the country from which they illegally entered.
The vast majority of the current asylum-seekers are not criminals, drug runners or potential terrorists – though some obviously are. Most are simply coming here for the same reason our parents & grandparents came: a better life and economic opportunity for them and their kids. Nonetheless, there's no president in American history who has undermined our valuable legacy of immigration more than Joe Biden. Maybe he's the one who should be deported.
This weekend's New York Times-Siena College Poll has to have the Biden White House coming unglued. It shows how much even his own 2020 supporters worry about his age – and that concern is intensifying. There's literally no good news in the poll for Biden, and every piece now shows Donald Trump with a measurable and unmistakable lead, and it’s hard to see how Joe Biden can recovers his footing. Actually, such an idea is now more than doubtful – it’s actually to the point where it’s unimaginable.
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today said state sales tax revenue totaled $3.69 billion in February, .05 percent more than in February 2023. The majority of February sales tax revenue is based on sales made in January and remitted to the agency in February. Total sales tax revenue for the three months ending in February 2024 was up 0.4 percent compared with the same period a year ago.
