With American consumers still recovering from years of inflation & price hikes – for food, gas & housing – more credit cardholders are carrying debt forward or falling behind on their payments. But now a group calling themselves "Texans Against Hidden Credit Card Fees" wants to overhaul the way credit cards are processed in Texas that would benefit large retailers like Walmart & Home Depot – but force smaller Mom & Pop Stores to create entirely new payment systems in order to “save” just $21 a month.

"The job of the state is to empower parents,” said Gov. Greg Abbott, pledging that Texas will be put on a pathway to become the No. 1 State in the nation for educating students through a Universal School Choice Program that's moving through the Texas Legisislature. Additionally, Abbott thanked the Texas House of Representatives for standing up for Texas families and for having enough votes to pass their school choice bill, House Bill 3, as the Texas Senate has already passed their version in Senate Bill 2. 

Here's a Novel Idea: Congress, the Trump White House, and DOGE could go a long way toward protecting the "Private Information & Data" of everyday Americans by reducing the amount of government regulation that collects so much of the stuff in the first place. This is precisely why the work of DOGE is so important – no matter how much barking comes out of D.C.'s Big Government Defenders.  Perhaps DOGE should look into Sunday's "60 Minutes" report detailing how the data of 250,000 American Taxpayers wasn't protected.

Texans are understandably concerned about the cost of Home Insurance – and have good reason to ask State Legislators to address the question of why they are increasing. Fortunately, there are some actions that will help reduce some of the pressure on premiums – and they align with Texas’ market-driven approach to growing the economy. Florida has passed meaningful reforms, Georgia is trying to do the same, and here's what Texas could do to make sure we have more affordable insurance – for more Texas Consumers.

To talk about using "unelected government officials" to implement a president's initiatives, one only need remember Joe Biden's use of unelected D.C. bureaucrats to push Democrat's radical Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Agenda. It undermined Texas' and the Nation's Economy – while jeopardizing the country's National Security & Energy Independence. Texas' elected officials rose to the occasion, have made some of the biggest players on Wall Street change their tune – and Comptroller Glenn Hegar, among others, deserves the bulk of the credit.

"As a Texan who lived on our coast for more than a decade, ensuring that our Coastal Waters are clean is a responsibility I take very seriously. Abandoned wells can become a hazard for Texas' Coastal Communities and wildlife, and I'm thankful our Texas General Land Office was able to provide resources to safely plug these Trinity Bay wells – I'm thrilled with the progress the Texas Railroad Commission, the GLO, and the project contractors have made in this major undertaking," said Comm. Dawn Buckingham.

"With President Trump’s pro-growth, pro-business initiatives and his choice of Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA,) businesses across our nation are filled with new hope and certainty. As a small business owner myself, I know the importance of a strong economy and support from Washington, DC. Joe Biden turned his back on Main Street, and crushed Small Business with inflation, regulations, and a dwindling economy," says Texas Cong. Roger Williams, Chairman of the House Small Business Committee.

Let’s get straight what Elon Musk is trying to do – and dispel Democrat's mis-truths right from the start. He’s going through the Federal Government and finding unbelievable Waste & Fraud, and more. He has Executive & Statutory Authority, and is not a "freelancer" – he was appointed by the president of the United States who created the Dept. of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Mr. Musk has the same powers as the National Security Adviser – and as for impounding funds, Joe Biden set the precedent.

"You can still find the 10 Commandments displayed inside the U.S. Supreme Court, and a monument to the 10 Commandments stands prominently on the Texas Capitol grounds," said Texas State Sen. Phil King as he filed Senate Bill 10 as priority legislation to require Texas’ public schools to once again display the 10 Commandments in classrooms across the Lone Star State. It follows the historic 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision which overturned a faulty legal precedent used since 1980 to prohibit such displays.

This is what a state-run media operation looks like. It's known as a generally respected online publication called "Politico" – but as Elon Musk, the DOGE Investigation into US-AID, and additional information emerges, shocking details revealed today that the regime Donald Trump has referred to for years as "The Swamp" funds its allies in the press – while targeting and silencing real journalism... Who knew?!

​​​​​​​“From this moment on, America’s decline is over,” declared President Donald Trump upon being Sworn into Office. “A tide of change is sweeping the country, sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before,” said Trump in his 2nd Inaugural Address – setting a tone that could serve his administration well. It was a fitting speech for a president who will face many challenges.​​​​​​​ Tomorrow, the work begins.

The opioid epidemic remains a devastating crisis in the United States. In 2022 alone, over 80,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses, and nearly 10 million Americans misused opioids. Surprisingly, among the most vulnerable populations affected by this epidemic are seniors. The National Institutes of Health has reported a troubling surge in opioid use and abuse – among those aged 65 and older.

From everyone at the Texas Insider to you, our readers and loved ones, may this Christmas Season be filled with Blessings, Love, Joy, and Giving. May you cherish your time and memories together. We wish all a blessed Christmas, and may the Lord continue to bless us and bring us all a brighter, Happy New Year!

Builders, tradespeople, homeowners, even DIYers across the country depend on access to various Building & Safety Codes to ensure their projects meet nationally standardized legal and safety standards. But under Democrat Sen. Chris Coons's bill, Standard Development Organizations (SDOs) would be able to copyright the nation's technical standards, meaning they could charge for or control access. The consequences would extend beyond mere inconvenience – and is simply irresponsible.

After after a week of weak excuses, the Biden White House has finally confirmed actual drone sightings over U.S. Military Bases – something they downplayed or denied last week – while continuing to say they aren’t worried about the mysterious flights sparking increased levels of fear among the American public. “We have not identified anything anomalous, and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk,” read a statement from the FBI, the Homeland Security Department, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

"After 1,000s of hours of preparation and donated toys and clothing, we finally get to see the relief on parents’ faces. Its the hope, joy, and gratitude of knowing their children will have presents under the tree come Christmas morning,” said The Salvation Army's Austin Area Commander, Major Lewis Reckline, announcing the 8:45am Friday, Dec. 13th Kick Off Event at 6510 S. Congress Ave. in South Austin near William Cannon.

Gov. Abbott and our State Legislators have shown Texas can lead the way in creating life-changing medical innovations for Texans suffering from chronic afflictions like Sickle Cell Disease. And, our Texas State Agencies have been working expeditiously to expand access to potentially curative treatments. Our medical teams are ready, families are waiting – let's finish what we started and make Texas a national leader in Sickle Cell Treatment.

“Let’s just say the quiet part out loud,” said outgoing Democrat Cong. Dean Phillips – who spoke for many Americans when he posted on X, "Certain Americans are indeed above the law." Joe Biden began his presidency with a series of lies about his son’s influence-peddling and international business dealings, and is ending his career by leaving the White House with a stunning broken promise to the American people. One Senator said he believes Biden will go down in history as not only the worst president ever – but also as the most corrupt.

The cover-up and focus on Hunter Biden's years of illicit international influence-peddling and "Family Business" was never really about Hunter Biden – it was, is, and forever will be about covering up the criminal actions of President Joe Biden. ​​​​​​​Every president hands out pardons – but not like this. Joe Biden pardoned his son before he was even sentenced. The U.S. Justice System that has been weaponized against so many other Americans was, for Joe Biden and his son, used as their protection. And, that means particularly for Joe Biden.

Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced on three Federal Gun Charges just 10 days from now, and also on Dec. 16th after pleading guilty to nine Federal Tax Evasion Charges prior to being pardoned Sunday by his 82-year-old father-president near the end of a controversial presidential term that now ensures Hunter spends no time in federal prison. “President Biden is a hypocrite,” said one of many critics. “It makes a mockery of the Democrats,” said another. Presidential pardons are absolute, and cannot be overturned by the courts or Congress.