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BY: @MattMackowiak 

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FRIDAY || 2/14/25

Good Friday evening.
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“If something of importance is known in Texas, Matt knows it. With a decline in the number of credible news organizations, the Must Read Texas morning email is indispensable for anyone that wants to continue to be informed.” – Former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX)

• TOP NEWS

“Measles outbreak is Texas' largest in 30 years,” Dallas Morning News' Emily Brindley — “The ongoing measles outbreak in Texas’ South Plains region is now the largest the state has seen in more than three decades.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported on Friday there are now 48 identified measles cases, largely among children. The case count includes 13 hospitalizations.

The vast majority of the cases are from residents of Gaines County about 350 miles west of Dallas, where the outbreak appears to have originated. But there are now additional cases identified in the nearby counties of Lynn, Terry and Yoakum.

Lara Anton, a spokesperson for the state health department, said the outbreak appears to have originated in a Mennonite community in Gaines County. The Mennonite church is not widely opposed to vaccination. Mennonite leaders have talked publicly about their COVID vaccinations, for instance, and numerous leaders did not support religious exemptions for COVID vaccines.

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All of the confirmed cases are among people who are either unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown, according to the state health department.

Measles is so contagious that during an outbreak “it’s very hard to keep it from spreading in a community that has low vaccination rates,” Anton said.

The case count now surpasses the number of cases seen in a 2013 outbreak. In that outbreak, a person returned from a trip to Asia with the disease, and the cases spread through a Tarrant County megachurch. In total, Texas saw 27 measles cases in 2013, which was the highest yearly count in the state in two decades.

The South Plains outbreak already has a higher case count than the state saw in all of 2013. Anton said the case count in the ongoing outbreak may still increase as more cases are identified in the coming days and weeks.

The state health department is urging Texans to get their measles vaccination if they have not already.

The two-dose vaccine regimen offers about 97% protection against the highly contagious virus. People who are not vaccinated are highly likely to contract the virus if they are exposed to it.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses. The virus can live in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left — meaning that unvaccinated people in particular can catch the illness even without being in the same room as an infected person." DMN ($)

• #TXLEGE

“Texas is poised to become a film haven — but not without a fight,” Texas Tribune's Pooja Salhotra and Dan Keemahill — “A promise to make Texas the film capital of the world has left local creatives raring to cash in — and preparing for a legislative battle.

The Texas Senate has proposed injecting $498 million to revamp the state’s film incentive program, a historic sum that rivals most other states and more than doubles the $200 million lawmakers plugged into the program during the last budget cycle.

Film industry insiders, who have for years been fighting for a larger and more consistent funding stream, could hardly believe it when they heard the $498 million figure, a line item in the draft budget the Senate filed last month. According to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the funding would include $48 million in grants for small films and television commercials and up to $450 million in new tax credits, contingent on a bill passing.

“It’s like we are in a ‘stars aligned’ period,” said Brian Gannon, director of the Austin Film Commission. “There’s alignment across industry, across government. Everyone is excited.”" Texas Tribune

• STATE GOVERNMENT

“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announces investigation into Chinese AI company DeepSeek,” Austin American-Statesman's Karoline Leonard — “"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday afternoon that he is investigating DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence company that recently made headlines and caused several American tech stocks to plunge.

According to the announcement, Paxton informed DeepSeek that it violated the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act. The investigation focuses on privacy concerns related to the company's AI platforms and its claims that its AI model rivals OpenAI's. OpenAI, founded by CEO Sam Altman and tech billionaire Elon Musk in 2015, is known for the popular generative AI platform ChatGPT.

Paxton has issued third-party civil investigative demands to Google and Apple, requesting their analysis of DeepSeek and the documentation that DeepSeek submitted for consumer access.

Paxton's announcement alleges that DeepSeek is "no more than a proxy for the" Chinese Communist Party.

“The United States and Texas will continue to be at the forefront of global AI innovation, and any CCP-aligned company that tries to undermine that dominance by violating the rights of Texans and illegally undercutting American technology companies will face the full force of the law," he said.

Paxton's investigation comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banned the use of DeepSeek and other Chinese-backed AI and social media apps on government-issued devices on Jan. 31.

The proclamation directed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Department of Information Resources to add six technologies — DeepSeek, Lemon8, Moomoo, RedNote, Tiger Brokers, and Webull — to the state's prohibited technologies list. This ban prevents state employees and contractors from downloading and using these apps on both personal and state-owned devices.

After banning the short-form video social media app TikTok on government-issued devices back in 2022, Abbott signed Senate Bill 1893, which granted him the authority to ban any social media applications or services that pose potential security risks to Texas." AAS ($)

“Texas Supreme Court dismisses state bar’s lawsuit against Ken Paxton for challenging 2020 presidential election,” Texas Tribune's Jasper Scherer — “The Texas Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the State Bar of Texas' lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton for his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, extending a cascade of legal and political wins for the once-embattled Republican leader.

The decision came three weeks after lawyers with the bar’s Commission for Lawyer Discipline asked for the dismissal, citing the high court’s December decision to toss a separate state bar lawsuit against Paxton’s top aide, Brent Webster, for working with Paxton to challenge the 2020 outcome in battleground states won by Democrat Joe Biden.

An unsigned opinion from the all-Republican court acknowledged the two cases were "nearly identical" and agreed that the bar's move to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit "renders this case moot."

The state bar had sought to sanction Paxton, which could have carried a punishment ranging from a private reprimand to disbarment. Lawyers from the bar — which regulates law licenses in Texas — have argued that Paxton, in falsely claiming to have uncovered major evidence of election wrongdoing, forced the battleground states “to expend time, money, and resources to respond to the misrepresentations and false statements.”

The dismissal ends a case that dates back to May 2022. It is Paxton’s second personal legal victory within the last year: In March, prosecutors dropped long-running felony securities fraud charges against Paxton under an agreement that required the attorney general to perform 100 hours of community service and take 15 hours of legal ethics courses. Paxton also agreed to pay around $271,000 in restitution to those he was accused of defrauding more than a decade ago when he allegedly solicited investors in a McKinney technology company without disclosing that the firm was paying him to promote its stock.

Months before the securities fraud case was resolved, Paxton also survived a series of impeachment charges centered on allegations by former top deputies that he accepted bribes and abused the authority of his office to help a wealthy friend and campaign donor.

And while Paxton has remained under federal investigation for the same corruption allegations that formed the basis of his impeachment, that investigation is now in the hands of a Justice Department run by the administration of Paxton’s stalwart political ally, President Donald Trump. The newly inaugurated president has nominated one of Paxton’s former top aides, Aaron Reitz, to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy.

In an election case that prompted the state bar lawsuits, Paxton and Webster sought to contest Biden’s wins in four critical states: Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The case revolved around unsubstantiated claims that those states made illegal pandemic-related changes to election procedures, allegedly casting the results into question.

The state bar suit against Paxton was sparked by public complaints from several lawyers and political activists who contended that Paxton had brought a frivolous lawsuit in bad faith and, in doing so, violated state disciplinary rules for attorneys.

In its decision to dismiss the lawsuit against Webster last month, the Texas Supreme Court upheld an earlier ruling by a Williamson County district judge who said that taking Webster’s law license would violate the Texas Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine. In their motion to drop Paxton’s case, state bar lawyers acknowledged that their lawsuit against the attorney general “raises identical separation of powers issues” as those at issue in Webster’s case." Texas Tribune

• 2025

“John Courage jumps back into San Antonio mayor's race,” San Antonio Express-News' Molly Smith — “After dropping out of San Antonio’s mayor’s race late last year, District 9 Councilman John Courage changed his mind Friday, putting his name on the May 3 ballot less than an hour before the deadline closed.

Days earlier, Courage, 73, told an attendee at a Northside Neighborhoods for Organized Development meeting that he ended his mayoral campaign because of a health problem and the recent switch from two- to four-year terms for the mayor and City Council.

But on Friday morning, the last day of candidate filing, his campaign X account boiled with posts after more than a month of inactivity.

“Out of town $$$ is trying to buy their way into your City Hall,” he wrote in one post. “It’s outrageous that most of the money in this race are special interest groups from Austin, the RGV and the West Coast!”

That referred to money that City Hall outsiders Gina Ortiz Jones, Rolando Pablos and Beto Altamirano brought in during the second half of last year — fundraising that eclipsed what the mayoral contenders from City Council reported.

The post that followed took aim directly at Altamirano, who co-founded Irys Technologies, the company that designed the mobile app for the city’s 311 system. “Elon Musk is canning thousands of Federal Civil Servants in our country. Now, another ‘tech bro’ wants to be your mayor...,” it read.

Courage was the first to announce his mayoral bid in January 2024, almost a year before the candidate filing period for the May 3 election opened. But he began reconsidering his mayoral run around Halloween and told his supporters on Dec. 2 that he was dropping out of the race.

“While I remain passionate about public service, I must also acknowledge the realities of my age and health,” Courage said at the time. “When I decided to run, I was 72 years old. By the time the next mayoral term concludes, I would be 78 years old. While I am fortunate to feel well today, I have encountered some health challenges that require greater attention to ensure my continued well-being.”

He also cited his wife’s recent retirement from city-owned CPS Energy, where she’d worked as a financial analyst.

He then threw his support behind Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia, endorsing her campaign over those of fellow Council Members Manny Peláez and Melissa Cabello Havrda and former Councilman Clayton Perry.

“There is no one that I’ve observed who works any harder or is any better informed and is so willing to put so much into their job than Councilwoman Rocha Garcia — by far,” he said." SAEN ($)

• TEXANS IN DC

“Chip Roy blames DA after 7 San Antonio police officers shot,” San Antonio Express-News' Raul Trey Lopez — “Three weeks after a military veteran shot and wounded seven San Antonio police officers, a congressman is laying blame on the Bexar County District Attorney's bail policies — and demanding that the Bexar County District Attorney address his concerns. The local police chief is also calling for change.

In a letter sent to Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican whose 21st district includes a small part of San Antonio's North Side, raises several questions concerning bail policies.

"I write today with serious concerns regarding the recent incident in which an individual — with a lengthy criminal history who was released on bail — fired upon law enforcement, injuring seven San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) officers," Roy wrote in the Feb. 12 letter. "This incident appears to be another example where lax criminal justice policies, including bail reform, have threatened the safety of Bexar County residents and our law enforcement officers."

Gonzales has said his hands are tied regarding bail policy and that judges follow the law.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, who has similarly criticized Gonzales, a Democrat, told the San Antonio Express-News that crimes committed by individuals out on bond remain a safety concern in the city. McManus supports legislative initiatives for bail reform.

"We have all seen too many examples of violent criminals re-offending while released on bail. This is a major public and officer safety issue and a long-standing concern of mine," McManus said. "I support the current legislative efforts aimed at bail reform that provide judges with greater discretion to deny bail for violent offenders while ensuring community safety."

On Jan. 22, SAPD officers were called to the Sonterra Heights apartment complex in Stone Oak to respond to reports that a suicidal armed man — later identified as Brandon Poulos — was firing his weapon, SAPD officials said.

San Antonio police officers were beginning to coordinate their response when they were ambushed, according to a Feb. 2 custodial death report submitted to the Texas Attorney General's Office.

"As officers moved throughout the complex to find the shooting location, (Poulos) ambushed them, firing a round and striking an officer in the leg," the report said. "(Poulos) then retreated to a different area of the complex, where he hid from officers pointing a firearm at the police helicopter."

During an hours-long standoff, Poulos re-entered his apartment and shot at officers through windows, wounding six more officers, according to the report.

SWAT and negotiators used various tactics, trying to get Poulos to surrender. However, Poulos continued to threaten officers. Several SWAT officers fired at him, striking Poulos, a Navy veteran, multiple times. Poulos was pronounced dead at the scene.

Roy and McManus say Poulos should not have been released on bond following an alleged assault on Jan. 18. Poulos assaulted his wife and his wife's parents at a home in San Antonio, according to law enforcement officials and reports.

"This incident raises serious questions as to why someone with a history of violence was released on bail," Roy said.

Poulos was charged with assault causing bodily injury to a family member, two counts of injury to the elderly with the intent of serious bodily injury, and DWI.

A Bexar County judge then set bail at $35,000 on the criminal assault charges against Poulos. He was released from the Bexar County jail on Jan. 20 — two days before the shooting, court records show.

After his release, Poulos' family obtained a protective order against him, prohibiting him from approaching their home in Fischer, north of Canyon Lake.

On Jan. 21, the day before Poulos shot and wounded the seven San Antonio police officers, Poulos violated a protective order, according to a Comal County official.

That night, Poulos had an hours-long standoff in Comal County in which he threatened sheriff's deputies; Cary Zayas, Comal County public information officer, wrote in a statement that included a timeline.

At 11:25 p.m., Poulos called the Comal County Sheriff's Office to report that he planned to commit suicide. He also said he wanted it "to be on record because his mother was trying to stop him," Zayas wrote.

Minutes later, a second emergency call was received from Poulos's mom, who was concerned about her adult son.

"She told the 911 operator the man was suicidal, intoxicated, and had fired a round from a firearm. The woman also informed deputies that her son had threatened to shoot law enforcement officers if they approached the home," according to the timeline.

Comal sheriff's deputies had a series of 30 calls with Poulos, who repeatedly stated that he did not want law enforcement involved, saying, "I will shoot police if they approach me."

Over four hours, two trained hostage negotiators worked with Poulos, who appeared highly intoxicated and agitated, making additional threats against law enforcement officers. "Despite efforts by negotiators to de-escalate the situation, the man refused to cooperate," Zayas wrote.

According to the timeline, a reverse 911 call—a robocall—was issued to nearby residents to alert them of the ongoing situation. Communication with Poulos stopped on Jan. 22 at about 3 a.m.

At 3:22 a.m., deputies deployed drones and were able to see that Poulos "hadn't attempted to leave home, and no further threats or shots were reported," officials said, adding that deputies maintained a presence in the area as a precaution.

By 4:00 p.m., Poulos reestablished contact with deputies but appeared "sober, apologetic and cooperative, admitting to being heavily intoxicated the previous night and recalling little of the incident," Zayas wrote. "He agreed to work with authorities on a surrender."

Later, deputies escorted Poulos' wife to return home. Poulos was no longer there. There were gunshot holes in the walls, and a car parked in the garage had a shattered window and shell casings from multiple firearms.

As Comal sheriff's deputies prepared to issue a "Be on the lookout," or BOLO, for Poulos, they discovered that he was allegedly responsible for shooting seven police officers in San Antonio later that night." SAEN ($)

• BUSINESS NEWS

“Round Rock-based Dell reportedly close to $5 billion deal with Elon Musk's AI startup xAI,” Austin American-Statesman's Karoline Leonard — “Round Rock-based Dell Technologies is reportedly nearing a $5 billion deal to provide Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company with servers optimized for artificial intelligence work.

According to Bloomberg, the company will sell servers containing Nvidia Corp. semiconductors to xAI, Musk's AI startup, with delivery set for later this year. xAI's Grok assistant is already available on Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Dell's shares jumped as much as 6% on Friday following the news.

Musk is building xAI's facilities in Memphis, Tennessee, although most of his businesses are located or moving their headquarters to Texas. Tesla, The Boring Company, SpaceX, and X all have facilities in Central Texas.

Dell's fourth-quarter earnings call is scheduled for later this month and AI server business is expected to be a major focus for investors. Some analysts expect Dell to have shipped more than $10 billion of AI servers in the fiscal year that ended last month." AAS ($)

“Volaris to launch two new Mexican flights from San Antonio in July,” San Antonio Express-News' Megan Rodriguez — “Volaris will launch two new nonstop flights from San Antonio to the Mexican cities of Morelia and San Luis Potosí this summer.

The Mexican budget airline’s new routes kick off on July 5 and will run three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The service will give San Antonio International Airport a total of nine nonstop destinations in Mexico — up from the four offerings available prior to the pandemic, airport officials said in a Friday news release.

Other Mexican destinations that airlines already fly to from San Antonio include Querétaro, Torreón, Cancun, Guadalajara, Leon, Mexico City and Monterrey.

“These new flights will not only make it easier to visit family and friends but also to grow business ties and continue to bring tourists to our beautiful region,” said Airport Director Jesus Saenz.

Morelia and San Luis Potosí are fast-growing cities.

Morelia’s population grew by more than 16% between 2010 and 2020, its population climbing to 849,053. More than half of the city’s $273 million of exports include figs, pineapples, avocados, guava and mangoes, according to 2023 data from the Mexican government.

San Luis Potosí's population rose by 18% in the same period up to 911,908 people in 2020. Automotive parts are the city’s main export, making up $1.68 billion of the city’s nearly $8 billion worth of exports in 2023." SAEN ($)

• NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

> TX TRIB: "New York doctor ordered to stop providing abortion pills to Texans" TX TRIB

> TX TRIB: "Domestic violence is up in Texas. Survivors and supporters hope lawmakers will take action." TX TRIB

> TX TRIB: "Texas’ energy demand may exceed supply in 2026, but experts caution against panic" TX TRIB

> DMN: "ERCOT’s worst-case projections show potential power deficit" DMN

> AP: "Texas judge fines New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a woman near Dallas" AP

> TX TRIB: "Texas House committee assignments extend power of experienced GOP leaders" TX TRIB

> DMN: "Texas judge fines New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills" DMN

> HOU CHRON: "Senate passes new property tax cuts — here’s what Texas homeowners could save" HOU CHRON

> AP: "Texas executes man for 2004 double killing in a dispute with his strip club manager" AP

> DMN: "Rep. Andy Hopper files bill to abolish the Texas Education Agency" DMN

> HOU CHRON: "Texas has a plan to expand family leave. Few employers are signing up" HOU CHRON

> TX TRIB: "Texas migrant shelters are nearly empty after Trump’s actions effectively shut the border" TX TRIB

> TX TRIB: "U.S. claims migrants held at Guantanamo are “worst of the worst.” Their families say otherwise." TX TRIB

> DMN: "The NYSE just made ‘Y’all Street' more crowded in Dallas. But here’s how Texas can benefit" DMN

> HOU CHRON: "NASA discovers new asteroid that could hit Earth in 2032. What to know." HOU CHRON

> HOU CHRON: "Katy-based Igloo recalls over 1 million coolers for reported finger amputations" HOU CHRON

> AP: "Including people without legal status in census has had little impact on House seats, study finds" AP

> DMN: "Black history now: DeSoto mayor elevate city for future generations" DMN

> HOU CHRON: "Houston teen charged in connection with fatal shooting of 16-year-old girl" HOU CHRON

> DMN: "Robert Wilonsky rejoins News staff as editorial columnist" DMN

> DMN: "Mavs will be relying on this to salvage season and controversial Doncic-Davis deal" DMN

> HOU CHRON: "A Texan is taking over the USDA as it targets food stamp funding" HOU CHRON

> HOU CHRON: "Houston's best and worst elementary schools, according to Children at Risk" HOU CHRON

> TPR: "Texas health department cancels immunization conference amid CDC gag order" TPR

> TPR: "Bail organizations, immigrants targeted as Texas lawmakers consider bail reform legislation" TPR

> TPR: "Majority of Texas school districts aren’t in compliance with armed security requirement" TPR

• EXTRA POINTS

Last night's Texas sports score:
> NBA: Dallas 118, Miami 113
> NBA: Golden State 105, Houston 95
> NCAAM: UTEP 77, Florida International 63
> NCAAM: Abilene Christian 75, Seattle 59
> NCAAM: Grand Canyon 64, Tarleton State 60
> NCAAM: Texas State 72, Louisiana Monroe 60
> NCAAM: Sam Houston State 66, Jacksonville 61
> NCAAM: UT-Arlington 82, California Baptist 79

This weekend's Texas sports schedule:
Fri
None.
Sat
> 11am: NCAAM: Arkansas at #8 Texas A&M (ESPN)
> 11am: NCAAM: Rice at Tulane (ESPN+)
> 1pm: NCAAM: #6 Houston at #13 Arizona (ESPN)
> 2pm: NCAAM: #12 Texas Tech at Oklahoma State (ESPN+)
> 2pm: NCAAM: Grand Canyon at UT Arlington (ESPN+)
> 2:15pm: NCAAM: Lamar at East Texas A&M (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: Texas State at South Alabama (ESPN+)
> 3:30pm: NCAAM: Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State (ESPN+)
> 3:30pm: NCAAM: Incarnate Word at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (ESPN+)
> 4:30pm: NCAAM: Texas Southern at Grambling State (SWAC)
> 4:30pm: NCAAM: Houston Christian at UT-RGV (ESPN+)
> 5pm: NCAAM: Prairie View A&M at Southern (SWAC)
> 5pm: NCAAM: Wake Forest at SMU (ESPN+)
> 5pm: NCAAM: UTSA at Tulsa (ESPNU)
> 7pm: NCAAM: #15 Kentucky at Texas (ESPN)
> 7pm: NCAAM: TCU at Arizona State (ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: Seattle at Tarleton State (ESPN+)
> 8pm: NCAAM: Liberty at UTEP (ESPN+)
Sun
None.

DALLAS COWBOYS: "Can Jerry Jones, Cowboys afford both Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons?" DMN ($)

HOUSTON TEXANS: "Houston Texans: DeMeco Ryans says Tank Dell on 'right track'" Houston Chronicle ($)

HOUSTON ROCKETS: "Curry scores 27 points to lead the Warriors to a 105-98 win over the Rockets" AP

DALLAS MAVERICKS: "Dante Exum scores 27 points to lead undermanned, undersized Mavericks past Heat, 118-113" AP

DALLAS MAVERICKS: Cowlishaw: "Mavs will be relying on this to salvage season and controversial Doncic-Davis deal" DMN ($)

TEXAS MEN'S BASKETBALL: "Texas vs Kentucky: Preview, prediction, how to watch SEC men's basketball game" AAS ($)

TEXAS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: "No. 3 Texas extends winning streak to 9 games with 67-49 victory over No. 8 Kentucky" AP

HOUSTON ASTROS: "Houston Astros: Lance McCullers Jr. eyes rotation spot, not bullpen" Houston Chronicle ($)

TEXAS RANGERS: "5 Rangers with a little extra on the line at 2025 spring training" DMN ($)