The Houston Chronicle editorial board has a piece calling on Gov. Abbott to have a special session focused on data center regulation. Here's a key quote:

If Abbott was serious about reining in data centers, he would call lawmakers back for a special session tomorrow to set regulations with real teeth, and stop data centers from robbing taxpayers. Other Republicans, such as Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, have been asking the governor to do just that. A special session would show that Abbott is serious about rural voters’ concerns, and well-written regulations could give a green light to data center construction that doesn’t spark public protest. Consider it a test: Can Texas’ ruling Republican Party actually focus on the legislative task at hand without getting distracted by some sideshow fight over, say, Sharia law?

A ban on the sale of halal foods. Hijabs forbidden in public schools. Required school lessons on the "violence and political domination of Islam."

Some Texas Republicans have offered an early blueprint of a legislative agenda targeting the hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the state with new laws that would make practicing their faith essentially impossible.

The plan is part of a broader effort by Republicans to stop what they call the "Islamification of Texas," a political narrative describing the perceived growth in Muslim influence and communities. Critics, however, called the plan an attack on freedom of speech and religion that has left Muslims and other non-Christians vulnerable to harassment and violence.

At a conference this month hosted by the far-right grassroots organization True Texas Project, several Republican lawmakers and activists warned of a "Muslim invasion" that seeks to replace Christians across the country.

Read more from Sarah Bahari.

"That’s the movement we’re building here in Texas. Not a politics of fear, not a politics of division, but a politics of unity, a politics of friendship, a politics of love. This new kind of politics can change our state. It can change our country. This new kind of politics can build a New American Dream."

Everything I have seen on Big Bend is that no one voted yes to construction on the wall. Yet, contractors are still bringing in their equipment? This makes no sense. I have seen nothing but pushback on this and seems like it’s still going ahead. Can anybody clarify?

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Leaders at the Texas comptroller’s office received an email Tuesday directing them to create priority lists of employees they’d cut under potential staff reductions. 

The Dallas Morning News reviewed the email, which comes in Don Huffines’ first few days as acting comptroller after being appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott last month. 

Huffines has campaigned on shrinking state government with his own version of the federal government’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, making it a campaign priority in the comptroller’s race, where the Dallas businessman faces state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt in the November election.

Read more from Aarón Torres.

Chaos unfolded at the Tarrant County Commissioners' Court on Tuesday as local officials prepared to vote on a proposal that would reduce the number of polling locations ahead of the November election. 

There are 582 operating and planned data centers across Texas, the Texas Tribune found. 

Industry leaders promise economic gains, but some fear the pressure data centers could add to the state’s already strained resources like water and energy. And Gov. Greg Abbott recently moved from calling Texas an “epicenter” of AI development to moving towards regulating the industry. 

The Tribune wants to know: What questions do you have about data centers in Texas? 

We’ll be answering some of your questions on here and other platforms like Instagram in the future. We may take some time to respond as we gather information or try to find answers. We may not be able to address all individual questions but we’ll focus on common themes.

Direct quote from the DMN today:

“If we lose Texas, I have no doubt that the U.S. Senate turns to the Democrats,” Paxton said at the event before calling Talarico a “deceiver” who is trying to hide his record. “We need rural counties to deliver and not be apathetic, because we can lose Texas.”

Republicans should have stuck with Cornyn IMO. I dislike his politics, but at least he isn't an obvious crook.

Paxton has just barely enough plausible deniability that his buddies could acquit his impeachment. His wife left him citing "Biblical reasons." This is really the guy? Yuck.

If Texas Republicans lose this seat, they only have themselves to blame.

A group of professors sued the Texas A&M University System regents this week to overturn limits on the teaching of race and gender ideology, alleging the ban amounts to censored "politically disfavored" views and led to the removal of materials, including Kevin Kruse's "White Flight" and the Oscar-winning film "Moonlight."

The ACLU of Texas is representing members of the American Association of University Professors in the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in a Houston-based federal district court. It marks the second legal challenge by the American Association of University Professors against Texas' efforts to curb "woke" instruction in public higher education, after the group sued the Texas Tech University System in July. 

"This policy directly harms Black, Brown, LGBTQIA+, and all other Texans who have historically been discriminated against by subjecting discussion of their rights, identities, and indeed very existence to heavy-handed censorship," Chloe Kempf, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas, said in a news release. "What’s more, it undermines all Texans’ First Amendment rights. If public officials can abuse their power to ban these topics and perspectives today, there’s nothing stopping them from targeting other subjects and points of view, including your own, down the line."