Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Impeached

The Texas House adopted 20 articles of impeachment in May 2023. Paxton was suspended without pay pending the outcome of the trial.

Paxton’s impeachment trial began on September 5, 2023. In this trial he faces 16 articles of impeachment that accuse him of helping his friend (and donor) Nate Paul, a real estate investor, who was under federal investigation; the Senate suspended 4 or the original articles.

Update 9/16/2023

BREAKING: The Texas Senate has acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton of 16 articles of impeachment, clearing him of the corruption and bribery charges levied by the House.

Source: @TexasTribune

Former President Trump Indicted, Again

This time he has been indicted on 37 counts in the classified documents probe. This marks the first time a former president has faced federal charges.

Former president Donald Trump has been criminally charged in connection with the discovery that hundreds of classified documents were taken to his Mar-a-Lago home after he left the White House — and more than 100 remained there even after officials issued a subpoena demanding their return.

Source: Washington Post

The FBI searched Trump’s Florida resort last August and found the documents; many labeled classified, some labeled top secret. After that search, President Joe Biden’s former office was searched, and documents were found. Then former Vice President Mike Pence’s house was searched, and documents were found.

UPDATE 6/13/2023

Trump was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges in a court in Miami.

Trump arraignment on April 4, 2023

Former President Trump Indicted

Former President, Donald Trump, has been indicted by a grand jury in New York on more than 30 counts of business fraud.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has been investigating the former president in connection with his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme and cover-up involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that dates to the 2016 presidential election.

Source: CNN

He lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, but late in 2022 he announced that he would run again in 2024.

One thing to note: he can still run, and win, even if he is convicted. There is no law to prevent a felon from winning the office of President. But, it is very unlikely they can convict him in 18 months. Another thing to note: the Office of Legal Counsel has said you can’t prosecute a sitting president, but they haven’t said what happens if a convict wins the election.

Some think he can (and will) use his mugshot as a campaign poster. Trump said it might help his numbers. He’ll spin this so that he is seen as a martyr; he has already done this at campaign rallies.

UPDATE 4/4/2023

He was arrested, booked and arraigned on April 4, on 34 felony counts of business fraud.

UPDATE 5/23/2023

The trial date has been set for the Stormy Daniels trial.

Donald Trump’s trial on criminal charges over hush money payments to the porn star Stormy Daniels will begin on 25 March 2024, amid the Republican presidential primary and less than than eight months before the general election the former president hopes to contest.

Source: Guardian

The 2022 Midterm Elections in Texas

The General (Midterm) Election Day this year is November 8 (early voting starts October 24), and the Texas Tribune has published ballot information.

Local

Mayor

  • Bobby Gutierrez
  • Brent Hairston
  • Mike Southerland

Single Member District No. 1

  • Raul Santana
  • Paul Torres

Single Member District No. 2

  • Ray Arrington
  • Rafael Peña III

Single Member District No. 3

  • Doris Machinski
  • Jared Salvato

Single Member District No. 5

  • Marca Ewers-Shurtleff
  • Anjuli “A.J.” Renold
  • Kyle R. Schumann

At Large, Place 6

  • Kevin C. Boriskie
  • Patrick Giammalva

U.S. House District 10

  • Michael T. McCaul (R) [Incumbent]
  • Linda Nuno (D)
  • Bill Kelsey (L)

Texas Senate District 5

  • Charles Schwertner (R) [Incumbent]
  • Tommy Estes (L)

Texas House District 14

  • John Raney (R) [Incumbent]
  • Jeff Miller (L)

State Board Of Education District 10

  • Tom Maynard (R) [Incumbent]

Statewide

Governor

  • Greg Abbott (R) [Incumbent]
  • Beto O’Rourke (D)
  • Mark Tippetts (L)
  • Delilah Barrios (G)

Lieutenant Governor

  • Dan Patrick (R) [Incumbent]
  • Mike Collier (D)
  • Shanna Steele (L)

Attorney General

  • Ken Paxton (R) [Incumbent]
  • Rochelle Garza (D)
  • Mark Ash (L)

Land Commissioner

  • Dawn Buckingham (R)
  • Jay Kleberg (D)
  • Alfred Molison (G)

Agriculture Commissioner

  • Sid Miller (R) [Incumbent]
  • Susan Hays (D)

Comptroller

  • Glenn Hegar (R) [Incumbent]
  • Janet T. Dudding (D)
  • V. Alonzo Echevarria-Garza (L)

Railroad Commissioner

  • Wayne Christian (R) [Incumbent]
  • Luke Warford (D)
  • Jaime Andrés Díez (L)
  • Hunter Crow (G)

Queen Elizabeth II has died

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest serving monarch at 70 years, has died at the age of 96. Her eldest son, Charles, is now King Charles III.

Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor is also survived by her other children, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Prince William, next in line to the throne, and Prince Harry are among her eight grandchildren. She has a dozen great-grandchildren.

Source: NBC News taken September 8, 2022

King Charles III is 73 years old. The King’s oldest son, heir apparent, William, is 40 years old, and his grandson, William’s oldest child, second in line, George, is 9 years old.

King Charles III

Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade is literally as old as I am. (They began arguments 1 month after I was born.) Today, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, held that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, thus overruling Roe v. Wade (and Planned Parenthood v. Casey).

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Russia Invades Ukraine

Vlad the (Impudent) Impaler
Vlad the (Impudent) Impaler

Have you seen this guy? Of course you have. It’s ol’ Vlad. The Putinator. The Russian President for Life. Well, about 10 days ago he went off his meds and attacked – excuse me, launched a ‘special military operation’ – in the sovereign nation of Ukraine with soldiers, tanks, bombs, missiles, etc.

In the past 10 days over 1 million people have crossed the border to neighboring Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary. Estimates range from 136 to 2,000 Ukrainians have been killed so far.

Some of the Ukrainians fought back with what else – the quintessential weapon of choice – Molotov cocktails made by an Ukrainian brewery.

The 2022 Primary Election in Texas

It’s midterm election season once again, and somethings have changed: the Texas Legislature redrew district maps. I was in US Congressional District 17, now District 10. My State House District stayed 14. My State Senate District stayed 5. I was State Board of Education District 8, now District 10.

The Primary Election this year is March 1 (early voting starts February 14), and the General Election will be November 8 (early voting starts October 24). As usual, the Texas Tribune has a useful primary election guide.

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