By B.D. Hobbs
Jun 1, 2021
The 87th Texas legislative session is officially over, but it didn t end well. And they re not done yet.
Doing what can only be described as taking their ball and going home , the Texas Democrats (who are all about appearances anyway) opted to grandstand instead of doing their jobs, by walking out on the vote for SB7.
As a result, they broke quorum, meaning there were not enough members on the floor for the final vote. And so now, the bill will be on hold until Governor Greg Abbott calls a special session this summer.
The bill will ultimately pass, and Governor Abbott has vowed to sign it into law. But the fact that it did not make it to his desk, Abbott said was deeply disappointing , with the Governor also saying that he plans to veto the section of the state budget that the funds the Legislature in response. And if the Democrats don t come back for the special session? Hundreds of their staff members will lose their jobs.
By iHeartMedia s Corey Olson
Jun 1, 2021
Ever since President Joe Biden took office, the federal tone toward the oil and gas industry has shifted dramatically. It started when Biden took sweeping action in his first days in office to cancel the Keystone oil pipeline and ban new drilling leases on public lands. Now, the federal government is pressuring big banks to avoid lending to or investing in the fossil fuel industry, a move that has prompted pushback by some Republican-led states.
All of this creates strong headwinds for the industry. You are seeing increasing pressure on banks and lending institutions to defund fossil investment, says David Holt, president of the Consumer Energy Alliance.
By Nik Rajkovic
Jun 1, 2021
Two-thirds of Republican voters want Donald Trump to run again in 2024. Eight-five percent want midterm candidate who agree with his policies.
Southern Methodist University s Matthew Wilson says the Qunnipiac Poll is way too premature, but it does show Trump is not going away anytime soon.
“I don t think it shocks anybody to see that there remains a reservoir of support for him within the party, but whether that would endure through several more years of Trump out of office remains an open question,” he says.
But Trump s gamesmanship could backfire by keeping other potential candidates on the sideline.