John Whitehead’s Commentary By John & Nisha Whitehead June 24, 2026 “The people are the only legitimate fountain of power.”—James Madison This is a year of strange anniversaries. Two hundred and fifty years ago, a band of revolutionaries declared their independence from a king. America’s founders rejected concentrated power. They denounced standing armies. They distrusted…

AJBA All American Update The countdown is on! We are just days away from the 2026 AJBA All American: “Brahmans Under the Big Top” and we know many of you are making final preparations before heading to Bryan, Texas. With any event of this size come plenty of questions, so we have prepared a few…

Friend, Welcome to your Friday Fiscal Note.   This week, Governor Abbot has officially requested that the federal government reimburse the billions of dollars Texas taxpayers spent to secure the southern border during the Biden Administration. If successful, the reimbursement would create an unprecedented opportunity to expedite the elimination of property taxes. Also, Austin voters will…

The Good Neighbor Authority allows state forestry agencies to conduct forest management work on national forest lands. In Texas, this partnership helps both agencies meet forest management needs while creating meaningful benefits for forests, wildlife and communities. June 26, 2026 Kennard, Texas Through the Good Neighbor Authority, Texas A&M Forest Service is working alongside the USDA Forest Service to improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk and support local…

By Brandon Formby, The Texas Tribune November 11, 2025 The Texas Supreme Court has temporarily blocked Harris County’s legal aid program for undocumented immigrants while a legal battle continues, saying on June 26 it’s not clear that the county has “constitutional statutory authority to conduct” it. The ruling marks a new chapter in the lawsuit…

By Colleen DeGuzman, The Texas Tribune June 26, 2026 The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by Robb Elementary students and teachers who argued failures by the Department of Public Safety and Uvalde County contributed to a botched response to the 2022 shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers. The court’s order,…

By Samanta Habashy, The Texas Tribune June 26, 2026 WASHINGTON — Sen. John Cornyn on Friday came out against top Texas Republicans’ efforts to close the state’s GOP primaries, warning that to do so would be “paving the way to minority party status.” Texas is one of 17 states with open primaries, where eligible voters…

By Kayla Guo, The Texas Tribune June 26, 2026 CORPUS CHRISTI — Dolores Huerta, the iconic Latina labor and civil rights leader, addressed Texas Democrats in a surprise Q&A on stage at the state party’s convention Friday, urging the crowd of rank-and-file activists to go all out in stirring up voter turnout this fall and…

By Eleanor Klibanoff and Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune June 12, 2026 Benjamin Flores, the Democratic nominee for Texas land commissioner, said Friday that he is in remission, two weeks after his campaign revealed he had been diagnosed with leukemia. Flores provided the update on his health while addressing Texas Democratic Convention attendees in Corpus…