MRT 5/5/25 (free) (sponsored by Tangle): Abbott Signs $1B School Choice Bill Into Law // UT Chancellor Departs // Omega Block to Dump Rain Across TX // Paxton Appeals $6.7M Whistleblower Judgment // SA Mayor Race Heads to Runoff

MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak 

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MONDAY | 5/5/2025

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• TOP NEWS

"Texas governor signs $1 billion voucher bill in milestone for school choice supporters nationally,” AP's Nadia Lathan -- "Texas will implement a $1 billion school voucher program, one of the largest in the country, that uses public dollars to fund private school tuition under a bill Gov. Greg Abbott signed Saturday, capping off a yearslong effort by Republicans.

School voucher supporters have long targeted the state, where past efforts buckled for decades against resistance from Democrats and rural Republicans. Last month President Donald Trump called lawmakers before a key vote needed to finally get the bill to Abbott’s desk.

Texas joins more than 30 other states that have implemented a similar program, of which about a dozen have launched or expanded their programs in recent years to make most students eligible.

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School vouchers have been Abbott’s primary focus this year, coming off a 2024 election cycle in which he led a campaign to oust GOP lawmakers who voted against a similar bill last session.

Republican lawmakers and bill supporters say it will give parents more choice by letting them pull their children out of poor-performing public schools.

“Gone are the days that families are limited to only the schools assigned by government,” Abbott said before signing the bill at the governor’s mansion. “The day has arrived that empowers parents to choose the school that is best for their child.”

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Democrats and Republicans in rural districts have criticized the program, saying it will drain financial resources from Texas’ more than 5 million public school students and subsidize the private education of wealthy families.

Beginning next school year, Texas families can receive $10,000 per year to help pay for students’ private school tuition. Children with disabilities can qualify for as much as $30,000 a year. The program will be capped at $1 billion for the first year and cover up to 90,000 students but could cost up to $4.5 billion a year by 2030." AP

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"University of Texas chancellor is named president of the University of California,” AP's Nadia Lathan -- "James B. Milliken, who has led major public university systems in New York and Texas, was named president of the University of California on Friday.

Milliken comes to the role from the University of Texas, where he has served as chancellor since 2018. He has also held leadership roles at The City University of New York, the University of Nebraska and the University of North Carolina.

The UC system has 10 campuses, including Berkeley, Los Angeles and Davis. Milliken starts on Aug. 1. He will be paid nearly $1.5 million a year.

“The University of California is universally regarded as the preeminent public research university in the world, and I am deeply honored to have an opportunity to join the many talented faculty, staff, and campus leaders in their vital work,” Milliken said in a UC press release. “It is more important than ever that we expand the education, research, health care, and public service for which UC is so widely admired and which has benefited so many Californians.”

The announcement comes at a time when the Trump administration is targeting federal funding at universities in an attempt to get them to comply with the Republican president’s political agenda.

The University of California, Berkeley, is among dozens of colleges under investigation by the U.S. Education Department over its ties to The PhD Project, a group aimed at diversifying the business world and higher education faculty. The Trump administration is also investigating Berkeley over allegations of antisemitism linked to pro-Palestinian protests against the war in Gaza that broke out last year across campuses nationwide.

In response, Berkeley said it has “an unwavering commitment” to fighting antisemitism.

The Trump administration also launched probes into three University of California campuses over their admissions policies to determine whether they comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn affirmative action in college admissions.

Milliken succeeds Michael V. Drake as UC president. Drake was the first Black person to serve in the role in the system’s more than 150-year history. Drake announced last year that he would step down after serving as president since 2020, leading the system through the coronavirus pandemic, a graduate student strike and various campus protests." AP

"Severe storms and heavy rains expected across Texas this week as omega block hovers,” Austin American-Statesman's Brandi D. Addison and John Bacon -- "A pair of storm systems could fuel heavy rain and flooding across sections of the nation from the Desert Southwest to the East Coast this week, and some areas are bracing for the possibility of tornadoes or hail the size of tennis balls, forecasters said.

“A slow-moving storm over the Central United States this week will act as the catalyst for a risk of severe thunderstorms and flooding rainfall,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

A congested atmospheric pattern known as an omega block is to blame. The pattern forms a jet stream shaped like the Greek letter omega (Ω), often trapping a high-pressure system over the northern Plains, flanked by two closed low-pressure systems. As the block shifts or breaks down, those nearby low-pressure systems can bring stormy weather to the region.

Severe storms and heavy rainfall are expected across the state early this week as the omega block looms over the United States.

Portions of West Texas and far eastern New Mexico could see large hailstones and possibly isolated tornadoes late on Monday, AccuWeather warned. Travelers along Interstate 10 and 20 in Texas could face travel delays as storms ignite across the region.

By Tuesday, a heavy rain and thunderstorm pattern will sweep across eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Intense winds, hail, isolated tornadoes and flash flooding are possible Tuesday and Tuesday night, AccuWeather said.

In Central Texas, including Austin and San Antonio, severe weather is expected to arrive midday, with a brief pause overnight before storms resume tomorrow morning and continue into the evening.

“The main threats are large hail, damaging wind gusts, and heavy rain, with an isolated tornado also possible,” according to the National Weather Service office in Austin.

Meanwhile, showers and storms are expected in the Dallas–Fort Worth area this afternoon, though the National Weather Service notes that “severe weather is not anticipated with this activity.”

Like Central Texas, the Dallas–Fort Worth area is expected to see more storms on Tuesday, with the potential for large hail, damaging winds, a few tornadoes, and flash flooding. The greatest risk for severe weather is expected between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Similar conditions are expected across much of the state, from West Texas in the Permian Basin to East Texas and up into the Panhandle, as the storm system gradually moves from the Rockies and Great Plains into the southeastern U.S.

Omega blocks can persist for several days to over a week, leading to prolonged periods of unusual weather, whether that means heat, dryness, or storms, depending on the location within the pattern.

Local forecasts show storms moving out of Texas by the end of this week, however." AAS ($)

• STATE GOVERNMENT

“Texas AG Ken Paxton appeals $6.7M whistleblower judgment,” Dallas Morning News' Nolan D. McCaskill — "A whistleblower who was awarded part of a nearly $6.7 million judgment last month said Ken Paxton is appealing the award to stall the plaintiff’s victory while the Texas attorney general runs for U.S. Senate.

A Travis County judge in April awarded the sum to four whistleblowers who reported Paxton to law enforcement in 2020 for alleged criminal conduct. After the ruling, Paxton vowed to appeal.

An attorney representing Paxton’s office filed the appeal Friday in Travis County district court.

The judgment awarded compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, attorney fees, court costs and interest for James “Blake” Brickman, David Maxwell, Mark Penley and Ryan Vassar. The former Paxton aides sued the agency in November 2020 under the Whistleblower Act after their firings. The law prohibits retaliation against public employees who report a violation of law in good faith.

The judgment is more than double the $3.3 million Paxton’s office agreed to pay in a 2023 settlement the Legislature declined to fund. State lawmakers would need to approve funding for the state to satisfy the latest judgment.

Brickman, former policy director at the attorney general’s office, said the appeal is another example of Paxton’s “brazen dishonesty and shameless abuse of taxpayer funds” for personal gain.

A spokesperson for Paxton’s office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The whistleblowers accused Paxton of using his office to benefit Nate Paul, a real estate investor and campaign contributor. Paul was fined $1 million last month and sentenced to four months of home confinement after pleading guilty in January to a federal charge of making false statements to a financial institution.

In return, the whistleblowers alleged, Paul renovated Paxton’s Austin home and employed a woman Paxton was reportedly seeing.

Paxton was impeached by the Texas House in 2023 but acquitted by the Senate after a two-week trial. The impeachment process cost Texas taxpayers $5 million, an audit found.

In a statement last month, Paxton referenced his acquittal and the cost of impeachment. He said a “liberal judge” wants taxpayers to waste more money on “a ridiculous judgment that is not based on the facts or the law.”

In November, the Texas Supreme Court said Paxton did not have to sit for a deposition in the whistleblower case after agreeing in January 2024 to end the lawsuit and pledging not to contest the damages or liability. Paxton launched his Republican primary campaign against U.S. Sen. John Cornyn last month.

“Despite saying he would not appeal, Paxton is now doing exactly that,” Brickman said. “This appeal has nothing to do with the facts of the whistleblowers’ claims or how the law applies — it is only to delay the finality of our victory while Paxton runs for higher office.”" DMN ($)

“AG Paxton launches investigation into fluoride toothpaste marketing,” KVUE's Johann Castro — "Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching an investigation into the makers of children's fluoride toothpaste over their marketing.

Paxton sent Civil Investigative Demands, or CIV's, to Procter & Gamble - who sells Crest - and Colgate-Palmolive - who sells Colgate, claiming that they illegally market their products to children.

The American Dental Association recommends no more than a pea-sized amount of fluoride for children between the ages of 3 and 6-years-old, but Paxton is claiming that the companies mislead parents to use far more than the recommended amount.

Paxton also said that the toothpaste manufacturers encourage kids to ingest toothpaste.

“I will use every tool available to protect our kids from dangerous levels of fluoride exposure and deceptive advertising,” Paxton said in a Thursday news release. “Toothpaste manufacturers must follow state law to ensure that they aren’t putting Texas families in peril through their false, misleading, and deceptive marketing, and these CIDs will help my office discover any potential wrongdoing."" KVUE

• 2025

“San Antonio mayoral race heads to runoff between Ortiz Jones and Pablos,” via News 4 San Antonio — "The race for San Antonio's mayoral seat is heading to a runoff as former Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos vie for the position.

This election marks the first time a mayor will serve a four-year term after voters approved longer terms last November. The overall turnout for the election was just 9.26%, the lowest since 2013.

Ortiz Jones captured nearly 27% of the votes, maintaining her lead from early voting numbers. Pablos received 17%.

Because no candidates collected 50% of the vote, Ortiz Jones and Pablos will meet in a runoff election on June 7.

Ortiz Jones, who chose to spend election night with her team rather than holding a watch party, expressed her determination to continue her campaign efforts.

"We'll continue to work hard. We run through the tape again. I've got the best team. We're very excited about our message, how it's resonating all across this city, and we'll continue knocking on those doors, making those phone calls and telling people what's possible, right with the right leader leading the city," she said.

“The fact that no sitting city council member finished in the top three positions tonight is a clear sign that San Antonio voters are sick of business as usual, and are ready to get down to business to secure a more prosperous future for our children and grandchildren," Pablos said in a statement. “San Antonio now has a clear choice, and I am confident they will reject Gina Jones for what she represents: more of the same, failed leadership from the San Antonio political machine that has left poverty rates in stagnation and caused businesses to pass over the Alamo city due to the radical, misplaced policy priorities that are completely out of line with the values of San Antonians.”

The winner of this year's election will also receive a salary increase to $87,800 per year, up from the nearly $62,000 salary previously paid to Mayor Ron Nirenberg." News 4 San Antonio

“SpaceX workers in South Texas vote yes to create City of Starbase,” Texas Tribune's Berenice Garcia and Texas Newsroom's Lauren McGaughy — "Elon Musk’s wish to create his own city just came true.

On Saturday, voters living around SpaceX’s rocket testing and launch facility in South Texas approved a measure to incorporate the area as a new city. Soon after polls closed at 7 p.m., Cameron County election officials confirmed that overwhelming support among early voters clinched the election in favor of creating the City of Starbase.

Unofficial results later in the night showed the election was a landslide: 212 voted in favor; 6 opposed.

After the county certifies the results, the new city will be official.

Musk celebrated the vote Saturday night with a single word posted to X: “S T A R B A S E.”

But there were no signs of a celebration at Starbase itself. After a gray, rainy Election Day, the soon-to-be-city had a quiet night. No fireworks. No street parties. A few folks gathered at the Astropub, a bar for SpaceX employees, late into the evening.

Only 283 people, those who live within the boundaries of the proposed city, were eligible to vote in the election. A Texas Newsroom analysis of the voter rolls showed two-thirds of them either work for SpaceX or had already indicated their support.

The three unopposed people who ran to lead the city also have ties to SpaceX.

It’s not clear if Musk, whose primary residence is here, cast a ballot.

The vote clears the way for Musk to try to capture more control over the nearby public beach, which must be closed for launches. On Saturday afternoon, a few dozen activists who say the company has harmed sensitive habitats and ignored the cultural importance of the land rallied on the beach — with an Elon Musk piñata in tow." Texas Tribune

• 2026

“Elon Musk’s attorney John Bash drops out of Texas Attorney General race,” KXAN's Adam Schwager — "John Bash’s campaign to replace Ken Paxton as Texas Attorney General lasted for just 21 days.

“Today, I’ve made the difficult decision to leave the race for Texas AG,” Bash wrote on X Wednesday evening. “On Friday, our family had a health scare that threw into sharp focus how I should prioritize my time right now, and that is not running for office.”

Bash announced his campaign on April 9, drawing headlines not only for being the first major candidate to enter the race, but for his ties to billionaire Elon Musk. Bash currently represents Musk in a defamation case after Musk amplified social media posts falsely placing a California man at a clash involving far-right protesters near an Oregon Pride festival.

Bash spoke with State of Texas two weeks ago, highlighting his record as the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas — contrasting it with the record of State Senator and oil and gas businessman Mayes Middleton, R – Galveston.

“I’m not a career politician. I’ve never run for office before,” he said. “(Attorney General is) not a position you use to advance your political career. It’s a real working position that needs to come up with legal strategies to keep our citizens safe, to keep them prosperous.”

In his post announcing the end of his campaign, Bash slightly changed his tune about Middleton.

“The other candidate in the race, Senator @mayes_middleton, has served Texas honorably in the Legislature, and I know him to be a good man,” Bash wrote. Despite the compliments, he failed to endorse any candidates for the job. “I will be rooting for the next AG to represent our great State with distinction and to continue the impactful work of General @KenPaxtonTX.”

With Bash out of the race, Middleton is the only person publicly running to replace Paxton. The election is in November 2026." KXAN

• TEXANS IN DC

“Chip Roy steps up pressure on Congress to cut Medicaid expansion,” San Antonio Express-News' James Osborne — "U.S. Rep. Chip Roy is ramping up pressure on House Republicans to make the larger cuts to Medicaid that many within his party oppose.

In a letter to members on Thursday, Roy and 19 other House Republicans, including U.S. Reps. Keith Self and Michael Cloud of Texas, called for pulling back on the expansion of Medicaid benefits to low-income working adults that Congress passed during the Obama administration and that have been adopted in nearly every state.

"If the House budget reconciliation package does not include structural Medicaid reform… we will be setting up massive tax increases and benefit cuts in the future," they wrote.

Medicaid expansion covers adults who make up to 138% of the federal poverty rate, or about $21,600 in 2025. States that opt into the program contribute a small percentage of the costs, with the federal government picking up the rest.

Roy's push to return Medicaid to a program solely for low-income children, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities comes as Republicans are searching for ways to slash $1.5 trillion from the federal budget.

House GOP members are divided over Medicaid expansion and other benefits for low-income families. U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, the San Antonio Republican whose district includes much of the border, who leads the GOP's Congressional Hispanic Conference, has warned members that they face political fallout in cutting programs that are "helping hard working Americans."

Gonzales did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, has already delayed a hearing on the $780 billion in spending cuts they have been directed to come up with by House Leadership.

Ending the federal match for Medicaid expansion would save the government $626 billion over the next decade, according to analysis by the health research non-profit KFF. And unless states decided to make up the loss, an estimated 20 millions Americans would lose their healthcare coverage.

Texas is one of ten states that chose not to expand Medicaid to low-income Americans. But for Republicans representing states that did expand coverage, cutting federal funding has so far proven a difficult sell.

"I will not support any cuts to eligible legal individuals or facilities," U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-NJ, told CNN Thursday. "With those types of issues, we're affecting real people and real lives, and that's where we have to be careful."

Roy, who has long warned of the dangers of continuing to run up the national debt, cautioned Republicans that if they wanted to continue with President Donald Trump's plans to extend income tax cuts they would need to address Medicaid sooner or later. In the letter on Thursday, he pointed to the Congressional Budget Office's estimate that, without changes, Medicaid spending would increase by $1.2 trillion over the next decade.

"The political abuse of this program is helping to bankrupt the federal government," the letter read. "For once, Congress should stop procrastinating, using excuses, and finally fulfill the Republican agenda."" SAEN ($)

• BUSINESS NEWS

“Elon Musk adviser launches three Mars-themed companies in Texas,” San Antonio Express-News' Brandon Lingle — "Three ventures with a Mars theme are the latest offshoots of Elon Musk's ever-growing Texas empire.

The additions to the billionaire’s portfolio come amid a flurry of expansions and organizational changes in his other companies and talk of him stepping back from his role leading the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency to focus on Tesla Inc., the troubled EV maker he leads, and his other companies.

The new entitites — Red Planet Ventures I, II and III — were formed in late February by Jared Birchall, according to filings with the Texas Secretary of State. Birchall, who is CEO of Musk’s family office and holds leadership roles in several other of his companies, registered an Austin address and listed himself as manager of the new limited liability companies.

They join Musk’s other firms based in Texas, which include Tesla and xAI in Austin, SpaceX outside Brownsville, X and the Boring Co. in Bastrop. Neuralink, Musk’s brain implant company, has labs and offices in Del Valle, east of Austin, but its headquarters is in Fremont, Calif.

Little is known about the Red Planet trio other than their name is in step with Musk’s dreams of Mars colonization. Their formation mirrors that of other holding companies he’s created when making business moves, most notably the purchase of social media platform Twitter in 2022.

At that time, he formed X Holdings I, II and III to facilitate the purchase of the San Francisco-based company, which he quickly renamed X and relocated to Texas.

In March, xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, bought X in an all-stock deal. He said the deal values xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion. Saying the companies’ futures are “intertwined” Musk said the merger was a “step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent.”

There’s much overlap across Musk’s enterprises and some analysts see them as all contributing to his vision of putting a human civilization on Mars.

Musk wants to send uncrewed Starships, currently under development at SpaceX’s South Texas Starbase, to the Red Planet as soon as late next year.

“If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely,” he said in a post on X. They’ll carry the humanoid Optimus robots Tesla is developing to provide automated labor.

Musk’s tunneling firm, the Boring Co., has Mars applications, too, with technologies it says could help create underground habitats. And xAI’s quick-growing AI models are likely to help all his projects, including space exploration.

The mystery of the Red Planet Ventures LLCs follows Musk’s habit of using webs of shell companies when he’s got something new cooking.

SpaceX gobbled up swaths of land in South Texas under affiliates Dogleg Park LLC and Flats at Mars Crossing. The Boring Co. operates under Gapped Bass LLC in Bastrop and Tesla developed its Gigafactory outside Austin as the Colorado River Project LLC.

Birchall is listed as CEO of Neuralink, and he holds titles at the Boring Co., xAI and the Musk Foundation. He’s helped Musk create various entities including the family office, which is known as Excession, xAI, the Ad Astra school and Horse Ranch LLC.

He also was an advisor to the Trump transition team, according to the New York Times." SAEN ($)

• NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

> HOU CHRON: "The status of new Texas bills inspired by Houston's extreme weather last year" HOU CHRON

> HOU CHRON: "Winners and losers from Houston elections on bonds, school board races" HOU CHRON

> KXAN: "Texas House committee changes THC-ban bill, allows for hemp beverages" KXAN

> AAS: "Hays voters OK $962M to build new high school, buy buses" AAS

> KXAN: "Texas residents vote to rename community near SpaceX launch site Starbase" KXAN

> DMN: "Low turnout, incumbents, partisanship: How the Dallas City Council elections played out" DMN

> KXAN: "Abuse survivors demand next pope enact zero-tolerance policy" KXAN

> EP TIMES: "US declares military zone around El Paso, allowing soldiers to arrest migrants" EP TIMES

> TPR: "Mexico's president says she rejected Trump's plan to send US troops across the border" TPR

> SAEN: "San Antonio mayoral and City Council races aren't over. What's next?" SAEN

> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Marc Whyte secured the win for San Antonio City Council District 10 seat, District 8 and 9 heading to a runoff election" COMMUNITY IMPACT

> HOU CHRON: "Conroe teens arrested in death of 14-year-old boy" HOU CHRON

> DMN: "At least 1 dead after 14 people shot at a Houston family party, police say" DMN

> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Lamar CISD board wins $25K for 2025 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards" COMMUNITY IMPACT

> HOU CHRON: "Houston IAH officials are 'intrigued' by airport's role in HBO docu-comedy show" HOU CHRON

> KXAN: "What is an ‘omega block’ and how will it affect Texas’ weather" KXAN

> HOU CHRON: "Burglary suspect is dead and a security guard injured during shootout Sunday in River Oaks area" HOU CHRON

• EXTRA POINTS

Recent Texas sports scores:
Fri
> MLB: Chicago (WS) 7, Houston 3
> MLB: Seattle 13, Texas 1
> NBA: Houston 115, Golden State 107
Sat
> MLB: Houston 8, Chicago W.S. 3
> MLB: Seattle 2, Texas 1
> NHL: Dallas 4, Colorado 2
> MLS: Minnesota 3, Austin 0
> MLS: San Diego 5, Dallas 0
> MLS: LA FC 2, Houston 0
Sun
> MLB: Chicago (WS) 5, Houston 4
> MLB: Texas 8, Seattle 1
> NBA: Golden State 103, Houston 89

Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 6:40pm: MLB: Houston at Milwaukee

Tomorrow's Texas sports schedule:
> 5:45pm: MLB: Texas at Boston
> 6:40pm: MLB: Houston at Milwaukee

HOUSTON ROCKETS: "What Rockets learned in a resurgent season that ended in Game 7 loss to Warriors. 'Don't be satisfied'" Houston Chronicle ($)

DALLAS STARS: "5 things to know about Stars-Jets series: All eyes on Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger" DMN ($)

TEXAS BASEBALL: Golden: "Texas just played its worse series yet at Arkansas. Why it's not time to panic" AAS ($)

TEXAS RANGERS: "Hitting coach targets? OF options? What comes next for Rangers after organization shakeup?" DMN ($)

TEXAS RANGERS: "Corey Seager activated from the 10-day IL, by the struggling Texas Rangers" AP

PGA TOUR / BYRON NELSON: "For Highland Park’s Scottie Scheffler, a win at hometown Byron Nelson holds special place" DMN ($)