Free Republic

A federal judge on Wednesday permanently blocked Texas from enforcing a state law allowing illegal immigrants living in the Lone Star State to pay in-state tuition rates for public universities after the Trump administration challenged the statute. The two-decades-old law was overturned after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas agreeing with the Justice Department’s contention that the statute “expressly and directly conflicts” with federal immigration law. “[T]he Court hereby declares that the challenged provisions … as applied to aliens who are not lawfully present in the United...

Scott Gibb was playing in a secluded area at Terry Hershey Park in Houston on May 26, when he was confronted by Eunice Isgur, 76. 'She said I had no right to play here in this public park,' 'She said, "I'm gonna call my husband. He's a federal judge and he's gonna make you stop",' Gibb told the outlet, referring to Isgur's husband US District Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur of the Southern District of Texas. But Isgur reportedly became further angered that she was being recorded, which is when she allegedly hit the victim's arm while swiping at her phone....

In Texas statutes, Section 46.05(a) lists some items that are forbidden to knowingly possess, manufacture, repair, or sell. The statute includes short-barreled firearms, which have been heavily regulated by the federal government since 1934. SB1596 strikes short-barreled firearms from the list of prohibited items. From SB1596: Any of the following items, unless the item is registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms andExplosives or otherwise not subject to that registration requirement or unless the item is classified as a curio or relic by the United States Department of Justice:(A) an...

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) trails Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) by 22 points in the state’s Republican Senate primary, according to a poll released Tuesday. The survey, which was conducted by pollster Robert Blizzard on behalf of the Educational Freedom Institute and first obtained by Punchbowl News, showed Paxton leading Cornyn 50 percent to 28 percent among Republican primary voters. Paxton expanded his lead among voters described as “very conservative GOP primary voters,” leading Cornyn 60 percent to 22 percent. Among voters described as “high propensity 3/3 GOP primary voters,” Paxton leads Cornyn by 30 points. The poll also...

Texas lawmakers passed bills that will help build a Pro-Life culture, but House leadership ignored the biggest threat to women and babies: abortion pills. State officials began the 2025 legislative session in January with a major opportunity to stop the abortion industry. An estimated 30,000 Texan babies are killed each year by out-of-state procedures and abortion drugs, which also endanger mothers. Texas Right to Life urged the Legislature to save these children with two Pro-Life Priority Bills: 1 The Woman and Child Protection Act (SB 2880) to combat abortion pills; and 2 The Stop Tax-Funded Abortion Travel Act (SB 33)...

Actor Jonathan Joss — best known for his voice work on the iconic animated TV comedy “King of Hill” — was shot dead by a neighbor in Texas, according to police. Joss, who voiced “John Redcorn” on the long-running cartoon, got into an argument with the neighbor at his home in San Antonio Sunday night when the neighbor pulled out a gun and shot him several times, police said. The unnamed gunman then fled in a vehicle but was arrested just a block away. He was 59 years old. In addition to his character on “King of the Hill,” Joss,...

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested several illegal aliens who were allegedly employed by a construction subcontractor performing work on the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) main campus. The arrests took place during a warrant-based worksite raid carried out by ICE on Friday afternoon. ICE issued a brief statement regarding the worksite enforcement action, saying, “On May 30, ICE San Antonio conducted an enforcement action on the northwest side of San Antonio. This operation resulted in the arrest of several individuals who were in the United States unlawfully. No further details are available at this time.” ICE...

In a revealing moment on CBS News’ “Eye on Politics,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) gave what may be one of the most revealing defenses yet of the Biden administration’s handling of President Biden’s cognitive decline—and ended up admitting far more than she may have intended. When asked by CBS’s Jack Fink about Republican allegations that Democrats and the White House had misled the public about Biden’s obvious mental deterioration, Crockett pivoted—hard. Instead of directly addressing the evidence millions of Americans had witnessed, she accused Republicans of crafting an “ecosystem of lies,” while conceding Democrats had, in fact, hurt themselves politically....

Attorney General Ken Paxton has successfully stopped an enforcement guidance issued under former President Joe Biden that sought to redefine the definition of “discrimination” to include self-professed “gender identity.” This unlawful rewrite of federal law would have opened private and state employers to lawsuits if they did not adopt sweeping “transgender” inclusive policies. “The Biden Administration unlawfully tried to twist federal law into a tool for advancing radical gender ideology by attempting to force employers to adopt ‘transgender’ policies or risk being sued,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The federal government has no right to force Texans to play along with...

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has approved a final authorization for LNG exports to non-free trade agreement countries from Port Arthur LNG Phase II in Jefferson County, Texas. The authorization represents the first LNG export approval under President Trump’s administration, signaling a shift from the previous administration’s pause on such permits. The project, owned by Sempra Energy, will have the capacity to export 1.91 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas. This expansion complements Port Arthur Phase I, which is currently under construction with exports expected to begin in 2027. Sempra’s LNG portfolio includes the operational Cameron...

The Texas Legislature passed a resolution May 20 to install a statue of the Virgin Mary bearing the unborn Christ child at the state Capitol. Senate Concurrent Resolution 19, now awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature, describes the “Texas Life Monument” as “a mother with an unborn child cradled in a world-shaped womb.” However, the piece, created by renowned Catholic sculptor Timothy Schmalz, is unmistakably Marian. Schmalz, known for spiritually evocative public art, confirmed the statue depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary and the unborn Jesus. “People are afraid to have children these days,” Schmalz told The Austin Chronicle. “Well, this is...

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg said during a Friday interview that Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett is an ideal role model for their party. Crockett has rapidly surged to prominence with her racially-charged tirades and inflammatory anti-Republican attacks, such as calling wheelchair-bound Texas Gov. Greg Abbott “Governor Hot Wheels.” When radio host Charlamagne Tha God requested Hogg’s thoughts on Crockett, the DNC vice chair gushed about the congresswoman, saying she delivers the “authenticity” that Americans desire. “Jasmine Crockett — I love her. She is amazing. I think that people want to see somebody who fights and calls...

A California woman who threatened to kill a U.S. District judge presiding over an abortion pill case has pled guilty. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Dolly Kay Patterson of California sent threatening messages to the office of a Texas judge presiding over a case on abortion pill regulations, threatening both him and his children. Patterson took a plea deal, pleading guilty to one of the charges against her for Interstate Threatening Communications. A Florida woman also sent death threats to the judge during the same time frame and was sentenced to 10 months in prison last year. THE DETAILS: Court documents state that...

KEY FACTS: The Texas House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 21 (SB 21) with a 101-42 vote, approving the creation of a state-level strategic Bitcoin reserve. The bill, authored by Senator Charles Schwertner and sponsored by Representative Giovanni Capriglione, allows the Texas comptroller to invest in cryptocurrencies with a market cap exceeding $500 billion, currently limited to Bitcoin. Following New Hampshire and Arizona, Texas would be the third U.S. state to establish such a reserve if Governor Greg Abbott, a known crypto advocate, signs the bill within 20 days.

As President Donald Trump attempts to muscle his GOP agenda through a narrow House majority, Rep. Chip Roy is perhaps the most important holdout to win over. He may also be the toughest. Speaker Mike Johnson and his team have been confident they can pass Trump’s massive reconciliation bill, because they don’t believe any Republican will want to stand in the way and face Trump’s wrath. But Roy, the unapologetic fiscal hawk, is the rare GOP lawmaker willing to publicly challenge the president. He has already survived multiple calls by his own party to oust him — including from Trump...

In the last two and a half years, eight sitting members of the House or Senate have died in office. Every time, it's been a Democrat. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, died on Wednesday at 75, after a battle with esophageal cancer. He's the third House Democrat to die in the last three months. If Democrats had gained a narrow 1 or 2-seat majority in 2024, they would have lost it by now.

The decision revives a lawsuit against a Texas officer who shot a driver after endangering himself by jumping onto a moving car. ============================================================= During a routine traffic stop near Houston in 2016, a police officer killed Ashtian Barnes by blindly firing two shots into his car after jumping onto the doorsill as Barnes began to drive away. Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled that the shooting was justified by the threat that the officer, Harris County Constable Roberto Felix Jr., faced when he shot Barnes. Last Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected the...

U.S. officials say adding the B61-13 bomb to America's nuclear arsenal is key to holding certain underground and large area targets at risk. he first production example of the new B61-13 nuclear bomb has been completed roughly a year ahead of schedule, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The B61-13 is based on the preceding B61-12, but offers a higher maximum yield that U.S. officials say offers important additional capacity to hold hardened targets, such as underground command and control facilities, and ones spread across physically larger areas, at risk.The U.S. military first announced plans to develop and field...

A raid on Abby’s Bakery in Los Fresnos heralded the crackdown to come. Ahead of the owners’ trial for “harboring” undocumented workers, the community is seeing the impact of the president’s policies.Most mornings, Leonardo Baez, a father of seven, wakes up hours before sunrise to mix bread dough in the border city of Los Fresnos, Texas. Punishing and laborious work, yes, but owning a beloved bakery has been a lifelong dream of his, he said.It is now in jeopardy.In February, federal agents swooped down on his shop, Abby’s Bakery, detained workers they said were in the country illegally and pressed...

A federal judge in Texas struck down guidance from a government agency establishing protections against workplace harassment based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Thursday determined that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission exceeded its statutory authority when the agency issued guidance to employers against deliberately using the wrong pronouns for an employee, refusing them access to bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity, and barring employees from wearing dress code-compliant clothing according to their gender identity because they may constitute forms of workplace harassment....