MRT: APD: No ‘Known Threat’ for Biden Inauguration; Save Austin Now Submits 27k Signatures to Put Reinstatement of Camping Ban on May Ballot; Fmr. HPD Officer Charged in Riot; Leach Slams Secession
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak
WEDNESDAY – 01/20/21
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TOP NEWS
"Austin Police: "No known threats" for Biden inauguration," via AP-- "No threats related to Wednesday’s planned transition of presidential power have been identified in Texas’ capital city, according to the Austin Police Department.
However, police will be on tactical alert until further notice, requiring all officers to be in uniform and prepared to respond as needed, ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington D.C., Assistant Chief Joseph Chacon said during a press conference Tuesday.
According to Chacon, there will be a police presence in coordination with the Texas Department of Public Safety around the Texas Capitol building Wednesday, where some groups from “across the political spectrum” have made plans on social media to gather. Officers will also monitor police headquarters and Austin City Hall.
No large demonstrations or incidents have taken place so far at the Texas Capitol since the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as Congress certified Biden’s win.
Chacon said 49 Austin police officers have been deployed to assist the Washington D.C. metropolitan police during Wednesday’s inauguration, a smaller number from previous deployments to ensure the city has enough officers available to respond to any potential local incidents." AP
"Texan pleads guilty to helping dad evade arrest in killings," via AP-- "A Texas man has pleaded guilty to helping his father evade arrest for over 12 years in the fatal shootings of the man’s two teen sisters.
Islam Yaser-Abdel Said, 32, of Irving, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to conceal a person from arrest, concealing a person from arrest and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, federal prosecutors said.
He faces up to 30 years in prison when he’s sentenced in April.
Islam Said’s father, Yaser Said, was arrested in August in Justin, a small city 36 miles northwest of Dallas. Yaser Said had been wanted on a capital murder warrant following the New Year’s Day 2008 fatal shootings of his daughters, Sarah Yaser Said, 17, and Amina Yaser Said, 18.
The sisters were found shot multiple times in their father’s taxicab outside a motel in the Dallas suburb of Irving. Police found them after one of the girls called 911 from a cellphone and said she was dying.
Federal prosecutors say Islam Said conspired with his uncle, Yassein Said, to harbor his father in an apartment in the Dallas suburb of Bedford and later in a home in Justin.
Yassein Said is set for trial on Feb. 1." AP
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
"Austin group says it has enough signatures to get homeless camping ban on May ballot,"The Austin American-Statesman's Ryan Autullo -- "After failing last year to reinstate the city's homeless camping ban, an Austin group says it has collected the required number of petition signatures to bring the issue before voters in May.
Save Austin Now says it turned in more than 27,000 signatures to the city clerk Tuesday, continuing its push to overturn a 2019 Austin City Council vote that repealed the city's public camping ordinance.
The signatures still must be validated by the clerk's office to verify that at least 20,000 of them came from registered voters living in the city. Save Austin Now says it validated 24,000 signatures that it turned in and did not attempt to validate another 3,000. It discarded 3,000 others it could not validate.
If approved by the clerk, language that would allow voters to reinstate the camping ban would go on the May 1 ballot.
"Residents should be able to walk to a park, or to school, or to their car without being accosted or feeling unsafe," Save Austin Now co-founder Cleo Petricek said in a written statement. "Our city leaders have not listened to the residents. Now residents can have their voice heard. We all want a safe city and we all should demand a safe neighborhood. Restoring the camping ban will save our city.”
The city's laws that govern camping by people experiencing homelessness have been a divisive issue that, to this point, has not involved direct input from voters. In repealing the camping ban in June 2019, nine of the city's 11 council members took the position that it was unjust to punish people living on the street on the basis they cannot afford shelter. Getting a citation and a fine for sleeping in public only deepens an individual's financial pain, the council members reasoned. Council Members Alison Alter and Kathie Tovo voted against lifting the camping ban." Austin American-Statesman
"Austin police brace for Inauguration Day unrest, on 'tactical alert' until further notice,"The Austin American-Statesman's Hojun Choi -- "The Austin Police Department will again be bracing for potential protests in the Texas capital city this week as President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
Austin Police Assistant Chief Joe Chacon said the Austin area had no known threats, but said the department would be on tactical alert to ensure that any and all demonstrations in the city remain peaceful. During a tactical alert, all officers at the department are uniformed and put on standby to respond to any major event in the city, according to law enforcement officials.
He added that police will be on tactical alert until further notice.
"We certainly do anticipate that people will be gathering and really what we’re seeing is going to be at the state Capitol," Chacon said. "We are used to and really support people being able to come out, assemble and exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech, and what we want to do is create a safe space to be able to do that."
Earlier in the day, Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas Department of Public Safety troopers also would be ready to respond to any possible threats around Inauguration Day.
"I feel confident that we will make it through the Inauguration Day without incident in Austin, Texas, or elsewhere around the state," Abbott said.
The Police Department announced similar measures ahead of Election Day in anticipation of large crowds and political demonstrations in the city. At the time of that announcement, Chacon said the department had been on tactical alert during the city's largest festivals, such as South By Southwest and Austin City Limits." Austin American-Statesman
"Former Houston police officer charged in US Capitol riot,"AP's Juan A. Lozano -- "A former Houston police officer was charged Tuesday for his alleged role in the mob attack at the U.S. Capitol, authorities said.
Tam Pham is facing two federal misdemeanor charges for entering a restricted building and engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds.
Pham had been placed on administrative leave after authorities determined he had been at the Capitol, but the 18-year veteran of the force later resigned.
Pham attended a Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., in support of President Donald Trump. He initially told FBI agents he did not join the mob that entered the Capitol building, but agents found photographs and video on Pham’s cellphone that showed he went inside, according to court documents.
Pham later told agents he went inside but was there only 10 to 15 minutes before leaving.
Nicole DeBorde, Pham’s attorney, said her client “very much regrets” being at the rally and is “deeply remorseful.”
Rioters violently clashed with authorities as they forced their way in the Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
Five people died during the siege, including a Capitol police officer. More than 160 people have been arrested so far on charges related to the violent insurrection.
“He feels strongly that we should all be honoring the election results that Mr. Biden is the president,” DeBorde said.
DeBorde described Pham as a peaceful man who is a practicing Buddhist and supports the rule of law.
“He’s extremely saddened to see what he’s now seen on the news about the potential violence that took place around Washington, D.C. on (Jan. 6) and doesn’t in any way want to be associated with that or any movement associated with what happened on that day,” DeBorde said." AP
#TXLEGE
"Plano Republican legislator calls bill to let Texans vote on secession ‘anti-American’,"The Dallas Morning News' Alex Briseno -- "A bill Fredericksburg Republican Rep. Kyle Biedermann plans to file that would allow Texas to vote on reestablishing itself as an independent nation is receiving pushback from Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, who called the bill “anti-American” and a waste of time.
In December, Biedermann took to Twitter to announce his plan to introduce the Texas Independence Referendum Act. “The federal government is out of control and doesn’t represent the values of Texans,” he tweeted. “That is why I am committing to file legislation that will allow a referendum to give Texans a vote for the State of Texas to reassert its status as an independent nation. #Texit”
The federal government is out of control & doesn’t represent the values of Texans. That is why I am committing to file legislation that will allow a referendum to give Texans a vote for the State of Texas to reassert its status as an independent nation. #Texit #txlege
— Kyle Biedermann (@KyleBiedermann) December 8, 2020
Just over one month later, Biedermann’s bill received social media backlash from Leach, who on Twitter called it a “ridiculously outrageous waste of time.”
“It’s a joke and should be treated as such,” Leach’s tweet continued. “Yes, I have concerns for our Nation. But I still believe in the promise of America — and the vast majority of Texans do too!”
This is a ridiculously outrageous waste of time and is not a serious legislative proposal. It’s a joke and should be treated as such. Yes, I have concerns for our Nation. But I still believe in the promise of America — and the vast majority of Texans do too! https://t.co/DC7I0WNE6l
— Jeff Leach (@leachfortexas) January 17, 2021
Biedermann replied: “So I’m guessing you won’t be co-authoring the Texas Independence bill I’ll be filing tomorrow?”" Dallas Morning News
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
"No pardon for Texas attorney general in last-minute list," via AP-- "A federal investigation against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remains in play after his name was absent Wednesday from a last-minute list of pardons in the waning hours of Donald Trump's presidency.
The investigation centers on allegations that Paxton committed bribery, abuse of office and other crimes. Paxton’s top deputies reported him to the FBI in September, accusing him of using his position to help an Austin real estate developer.
Paxton has not been charged in federal court, so any pardon would have been preemptive. He has broadly denied wrongdoing.
The attorney general spoke at the Jan. 6 rally in Washington shortly before a mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a deadly riot.
Paxton also brought a legal challenge asking the U.S. Supreme Court to effectively reverse Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election, prompting speculation that Paxton was angling for a pardon. Trump joined the suit and praised Paxton’s effort to subvert the election, but legal experts dismissed it as frivolous even before the court tossed the case." AP
BIDEN TRANSITION
"Eclectic mix of Texans featured in Biden's inauguration events,"The Houston Chronicle's Jeremy Wallace -- "A nun from the Rio Grande Valley, a soccer champion from North Texas, a mariachi band from the border, and a psychedelic soul band from Austin are among an eclectic mix of Texans scheduled to be part of President Joe Biden’s inauguration events this week.
It starts later today when The Texas Southern University debate team; actress Eva Longoria, a Corpus Christi native; and Mariachi Nuevo Santander from Roma High School in the Rio Grande Valley are all part of virtual programming aimed at honoring diversity in advance of the inauguration on Wednesday.
The Texas Southern University debate team and Georgia political activist Stacey Abrams, who earned a master's degree from the University of Texas, are part of a program called We Are One aimed at celebrating the Black community with an emphasis on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Abrams graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta before attending UT in Austin.
The program, which starts at 7 p.m., includes Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be the first graduate of an HBCU to ever serve in that office. Harris graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C. The events will be live-streamed https://bideninaugural.org/watch/.
At 8:30 p.m., The Latino Inaugural 2021 starts up and will include Longoria and a performance from the mariachi group, a past contender on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, where it performed Jon Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
On Wednesday, after Biden and Harris are inaugurated, they will have a “Celebrating America” Primetime Special starting at 7:30 p.m. that will include a performance from the Black Pumas, an Austin-based band.
Also part of the program is Sarah Fuller, a Wylie High School graduate in North Texas who was the goalkeeper for Vanderbilt University’s SEC championship soccer team and was the football team’s placekicker for part of the 2020 season.
On Thursday, Sister Norma Pimentel, Executive Director of the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, will take part in a national prayer service with Biden and Harris organized by the Washington National Cathedral. Pimentel has been a leader in helping feed families in refugee camps in Matamoros.
The prayer service starts at 9 a.m. central time and will be live-streamed on https://bideninaugural.org/watch and https://cathedral.org." Houston Chronicle
"Biden's immigration plan would give path to citizenship to 1.7 million Texans,"The Houston Chronicle's Benjamin Wermund -- "Just after being sworn in on Wednesday, President-elect Joe Biden plans to propose a major immigration overhaul that would offer a pathway to citizenship to up to 1.7 million Texans who are in the country without legal authorization.
The proposal, which Biden is expected to send to Congress on his inauguration day, would create an eight-year path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., more than 500,000 of whom live in Harris and Bexar counties, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Those who qualify would be granted a green card after five years and could apply for citizenship three years later.
The plan would create a faster track for those protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — more than 106,000 Texans as of June — and with temporary protected status, who could apply immediately for a green card.A Biden transition official on Tuesday confirmed the outline of the plan, which was first reported by the Washington Post.
The move positions immigration reform as a top priority for the new president, beyond tackling the coronavirus, for which Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion relief package. Democrats’ slim control of Congress, meanwhile, puts a spotlight on Texas Republicans, especially U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who campaigned last year on his support for the DACA program.
Democrats control the House, where a majority could pass Biden’s proposal, but they will need to build support from at least 10 Republican senators for it to get to Biden’s desk.
Immigration advocates have cheered the proposal and some experts say they’re more optimistic than they’ve been in years about the prospects of such a comprehensive overhaul.
Still, a deal on immigration has eluded Congress for decades and Biden’s proposal was already drawing resistance from the Senate’s most conservative members on Tuesday. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri stopped an effort to fast-track Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, citing the president-elect’s “amnesty plan for 11 million immigrants.”
Cornyn, meanwhile, said as recently as this summer that he had given up on comprehensive reform, calling at the time for incremental action on issues such as DACA.
“In the entire time I’ve been in the Senate, when we try to do comprehensive immigration reform, we fail,” Cornyn said in June. “We have a perfect record of failure when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform.”
DACA especially may be a motivating factor for those, including Cornyn, who have called for Congress to codify the program, which he says he supports, even though he was critical of President Barack Obama’s executive action to establish it.
The U.S. Supreme Court this summer blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to end the program, but did not rule on whether it is constitutional. A separate Texas-led lawsuit challenging DACA is now before Andrew Hanen, a conservative federal district court judge in Houston who has said he believes the program, as enacted by Obama, is unconstitutional." Houston Chronicle
"With a Democrat back in the White House, Texas Republicans prepare to go on offense,"The Texas Tribune's Emma Platoff -- "Democrats are headed back to the White House, and Texas Republicans are gearing up to go back on offense.
For eight years under President Barack Obama, Texas was a conservative counterweight to a progressive administration, with its Republican leaders campaigning against liberal policies on immigration, the environment and health care and lobbing lawsuit after federal lawsuit challenging scores of Democratic initiatives. When Republicans could not block policies in Congress, they sometimes could in the courts.
Now, as Joe Biden enters the White House promising a slew of executive orders and proposed legislation, the notorious “Texas vs. the feds” lawsuits are expected to return in full force. And state leaders have begun to float policy proposals for this year’s legislative session in response to expected action — or inaction — from a White House run by Democrats.
Texas has sued the federal government dozens of times in recent years, targeting environmental regulations and immigration reforms. When Republican Gov. Greg Abbott was attorney general, he said his job was to “go into the office, [sue] the federal government and [go] home.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took up that mantle in 2015, as his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, crooned on stage at campaign events, “I’m a pistol packin’ mama, and my husband sues Obama.”
That didn’t stop when Donald Trump took office. With a Republican in the White House, Texas found more success in its lawsuits against the federal government, many of them challenging Obama-era laws or administrative rules.
Under Trump, Texas has often found itself aligned with the federal government in the courts. Most notably, the Trump administration lined up with a Texas-led coalition of red states seeking to end the Affordable Care Act. That case is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court." Texas Tribune
REMAINDERS
HOUSTON ASTROS: "AP source: Springer agrees to $150M, 6-year deal with Jays" AP
BAYLOR / TEXAS TECH WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: "Carr transfers to No. 9 Baylor women from Texas Tech" AP
'MACK ON POLITICS' PODCAST
LATEST "MACK ON POLITICS" PODCAST: The electoral college is the subject of the 270th episode.
Our guest is 35-year veteran of the conservative movement Pat Rosenstiel, who serves as senior advisor to the National Popular Vote Compact (http://www.NationalPopularVote.com).
In this conversation we explore arguments for and against a national popular vote, examine how it would work, consider misperceptions, and take stock of when (or if) it will become a reality.
Available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and on the web at http://www.MackOnPoliticsPodcast.com.
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