School Choice Passes The Texas Senate, But How Long Will It Linger In The House?

Jimmy Barrett takes you through the stories that matter the most on the morning of 02/06/25.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is HUES Radio seven ktrh Houston.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Drive Everywhere with thee now the latest news, weather and traffic.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
It's more of what matters to you from the John
Morris Services studios.

Speaker 4 (00:17):
Well, good morning, We're ready to get started. It's five
am here in Houston's Morning News. I'm Jimmy Barrett. Among
our top stories this half hour, school choice passes the
Texas Senate, But how long will it linger in the House?
Beat the Houston Democrat who opposes school choice for you
while he sends his own kids to private school and
coming up at five oh eight, area school parents panicking

(00:39):
over possible ice raids. Details in the minutes ahead. You're
in Houston's Morning News. First, we're checking out that Morning Drive.
Sky Mike is here.

Speaker 5 (00:48):
I've got your North Freeway right here. Let's see which
way we're going North Freeway at Airline and I'm looking
from Airline. This is an actual wreck at cross Timbers
Ac Fiestas on my right, So that is southbound the
wo Man all but one lane getting by here. All
of a sudden, we've got backups from Titwell and that's
not going to get very pretty in the next few minutes.
Let's jump on the hardy big shots commoners do the

(01:10):
East tex instead and will zoom in on your ship
channel bridges at five to ten, skymik and the Generator Supercenter,
dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:17):
From r KTRH top tax Defenders, twenty four hour Weather Center.
Clouds early then some sun high temperature today right about eighty.
They'll get you the complete forecast through the weekend. We'll
be talked to Terry Smith at the Weather Channel in
about nine minutes right now sixty nine at your official
severe weather station News Radio seven forty k TRH. It's
time now for the news. Here's Cliff Saunders.

Speaker 6 (01:38):
Thank you, Jimmy, and good morning everybody. Five oh one
on k t RH our top story.

Speaker 7 (01:43):
Nineteen eyes and twelve nays at center.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Creighton, your bill has passed.

Speaker 6 (01:49):
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, as the Texas Sentate passes school
choice last night again written by Brandon Creighton, and it
now goes to the House.

Speaker 8 (01:58):
I hope that the House this legislation and passes the
Senate bill quickly and we go to conference and we
continue to work to improve this bill every way we can.

Speaker 7 (02:10):
You.

Speaker 6 (02:10):
Speaker Dustin Burroughs says he plans to vote on the
bill this session. Meantime, Texas Democrats railed against school choice,
but what they say and what they do are very different.

Speaker 9 (02:24):
This is what Democrat Gen Wu had to say about
private schooling parents, They.

Speaker 10 (02:27):
Can send their kids to private school, so they don't
have to have their kids with your kids.

Speaker 9 (02:33):
Political strategists led to Vidick says this is exactly the
kind of hypocrisy that progressive Democrats have become known for.

Speaker 11 (02:40):
What we have seen historically from the left is rules
for thee, but not for me. Everyone is equal, but
we are more equal than you are.

Speaker 9 (02:50):
Ktrh reached out to Wu's office by both phone and email,
and he has not responded to a request for comment.
Ethan buchinnan News Radio seven forty KRH.

Speaker 4 (02:58):
It's now five three.

Speaker 6 (03:00):
New polling from the University of Houston finds that the
majority of Texans support legalizing marijuana and casinos, So why
won't Austin pass it?

Speaker 12 (03:10):
In twenty twenty three, it actually had sufficient support in
the Texas House as well as the blessing of Governor Rabbit,
but it ran a follow of the Texas Senate along
with the tennant Governor Dan Patrick that the costs of
gambling outweigh the benefits that they would provide to Texas.

Speaker 6 (03:25):
And that Rice's Mark Jones says it's unlikely to pass
this session as well. Now to Washington, where President Donald
Trump signed an executive order delivering on another campaign promise
banning biological men from playing women's sports.

Speaker 13 (03:39):
Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition
of female athletes, and we will not allow men to
beat up, injure and cheat our women and our girls.
From now on, women's sports will be only for women.

Speaker 6 (03:55):
The order requires the immediate enforcement of these rules. The response,
that's Trump derangement syndrome. You know, he's only been in
office for a little over two weeks and already Democrat
Houston Congressman Al Green is threatening to impeach.

Speaker 14 (04:11):
I will bring articles of impeachment for destarly deeds proposed
and destardly deeds done.

Speaker 6 (04:17):
We remind you he tried this in twenty seventeen. It
didn't go anywhere. That derangement extends past Trump into doze
in Elon Musk, with Democrats like Texas's Jasmine Crockett becoming
unhinged during an anti Elon protest in Washington.

Speaker 15 (04:34):
We worked for the American people, and what we not
gonna do is stand around. What I'd pull this bull
that they trying to pull right now.

Speaker 6 (04:41):
Meantime, the House Oversight Committee backing Doze held hearing yesterday
on right sizing government. More proof that Doze is necessary.
Millions of taxpayer dollars went to Politico.

Speaker 16 (04:53):
I can confirm that the more than eight million taxpayer
dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to political
thank the American taxpayer's dying will no longer be happening.

Speaker 6 (05:03):
White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt says the Doge team
was in the process of canceling those subscriptions five HO five.
Also on Capitol Hill, a Senate hearing on the impacts
of de banking during the Obama Biden years.

Speaker 17 (05:16):
Many small, perfectly legal businesses are no longer in operation.
The people that ran those businesses lost their jobs, lost
their bank accounts.

Speaker 4 (05:25):
Not sure what they're doing today.

Speaker 6 (05:27):
Lawyer Steven Gannon testifying at the Senate Banking Committee yesterday.
Another Cabinet member winning confirmation in the Senate. It's Hudt
Secretary Scott Turner. The Texan is seated after a fifty
five to forty four vote, with two Democrats voting along
with Republicans five h six. We told you yesterday that
Governor Greg Gabbott supports online sports gambling and he'll support

(05:50):
a bill if it reaches his desk, but will it.

Speaker 18 (05:53):
State lawmakers are added again with considering online sports betting
in Texas.

Speaker 19 (05:58):
Texas could generate up to five huh hundred and fifty
six million dollars per buy in them as the market matures.

Speaker 18 (06:04):
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry is part of the Texas
Sports Betting Alliance trying to bring legalized online sports wagering
to the lone star state.

Speaker 19 (06:12):
Legalizing mobile sports betting in Texas will finally allow the
state to protect consumers from illegal offshore betting sites while
keeping the money generated from betting in Texas to benefit Texans.

Speaker 6 (06:24):
Char Lewis News Radio seven forty KJR eight and you
might be asking yourself on Sunday, where's the funny? Super Bowl?
Ads this year are taking.

Speaker 4 (06:32):
A noticeable shift.

Speaker 6 (06:34):
More brands are focusing on health, wellness and female centric messages.

Speaker 7 (06:40):
Last year, women represented forty eight percent of Super Bowl viewers,
which was the highest ever expected to be hired this year,
and there's an expectation that within a few years there
will be more women watching the Super Bowl than men.

Speaker 6 (06:54):
Advertising executive Scott barrettal says they're geared towards a quote
younger audience, but still hope. Seventeen of the fifty one
commercials are coming from fast food, snack and alcohol brands
like Taco Bell, Doritos, and Budweiser. So all hope is
not lost and the Rockets look to snap a four
game losing streak in Minnesota. Tonight pregame is at six

(07:14):
on Sports Talk seven ninety. I'm Cloff Saunders on Houston's News,
Weather in Traffic Station k TRH.

Speaker 3 (07:21):
World Events, National Headlines, Houston's Morning News with Jimmy Barrett.

Speaker 4 (07:27):
It is five oh seven here in Houston's Morning News.
A right, A couple of things on what's going on
as far as the raids, as far as carrying out raids,
ICE raids. Arrests. Yesterday, Loan over one hundred members of
that Venezuelan gang Trendierragra were arrested in a morning rate

(07:51):
and an apartment complex in Auroral, Colorado. One hundred at
one apartment complex. These are the people that ICE is
going after, and the rest of what I'm hearing is
nothing more than hysterics. And I'd like to address that
for just a second, because I and I realize I'm

(08:12):
preaching to the choir here. I'm not getting to the
people who I would like to try to convince that
they don't necessarily have anything to fear. There's a lot
of rumors going around in the Houston areas. It relates
to public school systems where whether you want to talk
about social media or members of the Hispanic community, that

(08:35):
perhaps members of the illegal immigrant community are telling their
kids that they're worried that the Feds are going to
raid the schools, that ICE is going to come in
in the middle of class time and yank kids out
of the classroom. I don't think there's anything further from
the truth. I don't think that that ICE or the

(08:57):
Trump administration, even if they thought it was the right
thing to do, would ever want the optics of ICE
agents coming into public schools. But the public schools, at
least some of them, seem to be racting by wanting
to counsel students. And that's fine. I mean, if you
want to try to counsel students to say, listen, we
don't think this is gonna be a problem. There's not

(09:18):
go to be ICE agents coming into the school. You
shouldn't be worried about this during the school day, et cetera,
et cetera. That's fine, you know, but some of them
are making statements along the lines of wealth they can't
come into our school. We won't let them come into
our school. Well, here's the thing. If you have a
federal warrant, they might just be coming into the school.
But they're not. This is this is just getting spread

(09:42):
through social media and other sources, and it's not a
good message to spread. I hope these these parents will
lay off with these particular concerns until until such time
that we actually see something like this happen, which I
don't believe we will see. Don't believe for a second
we will see. This is not how ICE wants to operate.

(10:05):
This is not the optics they would want to create.
There are plenty there are plenty of places to arrest
illegal aliens right now. All they're concerned about our criminals,
gang members, people who are I would hope, people who
everybody would want off the street but the fact that
this has spread around so much tells me two things.

(10:25):
Number one is that people don't always have a conversation
based on common sense. And number two, how many illegal
immigrants do we have in our schools that this is
making the rounds so previtently that this is kind of
the talk of the town right now. How many illegal
immigrants are in our public schools? It must be quite
a bit. Five ten, Time for traffic and weather together.

(10:47):
Just check out the drive again. Here's sky Mine. All right, I'm.

Speaker 5 (10:49):
Hearing bad things about this North Freeway wreck at Crosschimbers.
I'm looking from airline. This is inbound and they have
now blocked all lanes. I can't see the way the
law enforcement has lined up. That usually is an indicator
what's going on. There's three other vehicles involved, four one, two,
three four vehicles here. One of them sure looks like
they were going the wrong way. And if that's the case,
this has got long term shut down written all over it.

(11:14):
North Freeway. For now, let's treat it like that. If
you're driving in let's get on the hardytol road, big shots,
and those of you without the sticker, let's do the
east text elevated. It just doesn't look good to what's
going on. That's North Freeway at Airline. Don't get caught
in it. You got the backup from Tidwell and it
may not be you know, you can always slide over
to Shepherd. Shepherd is awesome. Getting to the north lip sixteen.

(11:35):
Now while we're here, let's look at the loop. Let's
check down the squeeze six ten North not loopy yet.
We look good coming over from the east text through
forty five over to Garden Oaks, going the other way
past the farmers Market.

Speaker 4 (11:47):
Good shape here.

Speaker 5 (11:48):
East Texa is beautiful right now too, coming down from
the sticks.

Speaker 4 (11:51):
And my only concern this morning is our visibility. Terry.

Speaker 5 (11:55):
I'm just wondering what fog is doing. So I know
our tip liners. By the way, special thank you to
all of you, especially people like Mark from Spring that
call in first thing in the morning give me an update.
You know, you're the reason we're the first to know
stuff and the other media a lot of times they're
asking me, hey man, what's going on? They know that
I know because of you. Seven one three two one

(12:16):
two Tips.

Speaker 4 (12:17):
I'm Skymike. It's your Generator Supercenter Dot com Traffic Center
from r KTRH Top tax Defenders twenty four hour Watherston.
I can give you one report came down from the
Woodlands down the forty five and not the look at fog,
so at least at least in that area where we
did have some fog yesterday, especially around the airport in
Kingwood in that area, doesn't seem to be the case
this morning.

Speaker 20 (12:36):
Yeah, it's uh. I've got a lot of clouds. I'm
looking at some reports right now, lots of clouds out there.
The only fog that I'm seeing being reported is where
I would expect it, which is near the coast. Galveston
is seeing their visibility down to a quarter of my
own reporting fog. That's where I think most of the
fog will be today, around the bay and also along
the coast and right along the immediate coastal community. So

(13:00):
it shouldn't be as problematic as it was yesterday. But
I'll tell you what, every day it's going to be
something like this where we either have morning clouds and
some fog and then a nice dry day and we'll
see the sunshine later on and it's warm again, mid
seventies to low eighties today and tomorrow, getting warmer over
the weekend, upper seventies to low eighties Saturday and Sunday

(13:25):
and Monday. That's our first shot of some rain, a
thirty percent chance of showers. Temperatures Monday somewhat cooler in
the load of mid seventies. After that, we should start
to see a little bit more of a cool down
into the sixties for early next week.

Speaker 4 (13:41):
Right now, sixty nine at your officials, Severe Weather Station,
News Radio seven forty k TRH.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
It's Houston's Morning News, brought to you by New South
Windows Solutions. Now back to Jimmy Barrits and the Houston
Morning News team.

Speaker 4 (13:54):
All the info you need did take on the day.
So after a long, long inventstigation, they have decided that
virtually no one will be punished in this big water
department scandaled in the city of Houston. Six out of
seven defendants are getting plea deals. Only one is going

(14:16):
to prison. Seems I mean, there's a lot of people
involved in this, you know. Basic they'll explain a little
bit more about it, and a report from KPRC two's
Amy Davis coming up next. First, though, traffic and weather
together as we check out the drive once again to skyline.

Speaker 21 (14:31):
Right.

Speaker 5 (14:31):
Looks like we've got some new trouble on the southwest side.

Speaker 4 (14:34):
Let's go to the tip blind.

Speaker 8 (14:35):
Dude, sky Mi in fifty nine northbound.

Speaker 4 (14:40):
There's a major accident at University.

Speaker 5 (14:44):
All right, let me see if I can grab some laneage,
and we should be right back here at the five
point thirty break.

Speaker 4 (14:49):
And see I can see that Scooch already.

Speaker 5 (14:51):
All right, Nord Freeway. As I mentioned, Let's go to
our chip line here.

Speaker 22 (14:54):
Hey, Mike, here, intuition is correct.

Speaker 11 (14:57):
I hate to say cost timbers, Oh there's nothing good going.

Speaker 4 (15:02):
On all right, thank you so much.

Speaker 5 (15:04):
I don't like to talk about fatal much, but that's
what I'm hearing. And I just got that from authority,
so that's telling me it's going to be here all morning.
All lanes are close North Freeway at cross Timbers skip
over to the Hardy or the East text I'm Skymie.
Get your generator supercenter dot Com traffic center.

Speaker 4 (15:20):
From r KTRH top tax Defenders twenty four hour weather center.
Cloud's early then some sun right about eighty today, some
fog early becoming partly Claudie around eighty four tomorrow, Saturday,
partly cloudy, near record high around eighty five Sunday, becoming
partly claudi right about eighty Stepitt're currently is sixty nine
at your official severe weather station. News Radio seven forty

(15:41):
KTRH checking out some of our top stories this morning.
Here's Cliff, Thank you, Jimmy. We're a sponsored by D
and M Auto Leasing.

Speaker 6 (15:48):
A hearing for the last of the Lena Hidogos staff
first charged with rigging your COVID contract is taking place today.
The state of Texas carries out its first execution of
the year. Steve even Lowayne Nelson was convicted in the
murder of an Arlington pastor in twenty eleven, and the
last of the Tuskegee Airmen has died. Retired Lieutenant Colonel

(16:09):
Harry Stewart Junior was one hundred years old. Get the
latest news anytime at KTRH dot com. Our next update
is at five thirty.

Speaker 3 (16:17):
Listen to news Radio seven forty KTRH on the free
iHeartRadio app. It's all your news, music, sports podcasts, and
talk free. Never sounded so good.

Speaker 23 (16:30):
Now.

Speaker 4 (16:30):
There's nothing wrong with the water. What's wrong is how
the water department was running. We've got one person going
to prison for ten years. She's called the big fish.
I get it, fishwater, I get it big fish in
the Houston Water Department bribery scandal. Ten year prison sentence,
but nobody else is getting much of a prison sentence
on this. The Harriscuti District Attorney's office made a plea

(16:53):
deal with the former Houston Water Department manager, patrese Lee.
That plea deal, in return for testimony against some of
the other people charged, was for ten years. Then after
evidently providing testimony on those other individuals, they all ended
up with plea deals as well, except none of them
are going to prison, not a one, even though we're

(17:17):
talking about bribery money and you know, work that was
thrown in their direction that should not have been thrown
in their direction. In some of I mean very lenient.
Some of these plea deals took a felony and took
it down to a misdemeanor. I mean, is this justice? Well,
this is this is Shawn Tiers's idea of justice. I guess.

(17:37):
Here's Amy Davis KPRC two with a report on how
this whole thing's turned out.

Speaker 2 (17:42):
Basically, four of.

Speaker 24 (17:44):
The defendants in this criminal case, out of seven appeared
here today and accepted plea deals offered by the state
or the District Attorney's office. The big headline is no
prison time, no jail time for any of the remaining defendants.

Speaker 2 (17:56):
We know, we told you yesterday.

Speaker 24 (17:57):
Patrice Lee accepted a year prison sentence for her role.
But the only person to have any restitution included in
their sentence and their plea deal is Danielle Hurts. As
part of her deal to plead guilty to abuse of
official capacity. It's a first degree felony. She will serve
a six years probation and pay fifty thousand dollars restitution.

(18:22):
Now the District Attorney's office, the prosecutor told me that
if she doesn't pay that restitution on time, those payments
that are made through an office here at the courthouse,
then she would go back to her original charges and
she could be put up for a trial because she
would be violating the terms of her deal. The other
defendants Andrew Thomas, he is Patrice Lee's brother. He accepted

(18:44):
a plea agreement that has him serving three years probation,
eighty hours of community service time, and the others are
all accepted. They pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, dropping down their
felony indictments of bribery to a misdemeanor that is just
gifts to a public servant. And that includes Taysha Coleman, Houston,

(19:07):
Adelmiro Castillo, and Joseph Neary. There is one defendant remaining
in this case. That is Frank Perkins. He is another contractor.
He owned CST Connections.

Speaker 2 (19:18):
He is supposed to.

Speaker 24 (19:18):
Appear here tomorrow to accept or not accept any deal
that the state is offering him. So we're going to
be back here tomorrow with more news coming out of this.
But you know, what started as our investigation in November
of twenty three looks to be wrapping up here Tomorrow,
the DA's office is expected to make statements on sort
of the closure of this case.

Speaker 4 (19:39):
But so far, plea deals for everyone involved, deals for everybody.
It's almost worth it. It's almost worth it. I mean, if
you could make enough money from it, it's almost worth it.
I mean, you watch enough crime shows and you see that.
I mean, this is not unusual. I mean this happens
all the time. This happens with murder cases for goodness sakes.

(19:59):
It's like, you know, I understand. Maybe it's a matter
of Harris Conti saying, well, we have limited resources as
far as prosecuting these cases. We have Kim Odd coming
on the show later this morning. Maybe she'd like to
weigh in on this. Yeah, on why these kinds of decisions,
why these kinds of plea deals are made, five twenty six.
Here on news Radio seven forty KTRH, It's time to

(20:20):
take a look at your money. Tenisa Pelligrinne's in this morning.

Speaker 6 (20:23):
Yeah, good morning, Jimmy.

Speaker 25 (20:24):
You can add Google and PayPal to the growing list
of big companies abandoning or scaling back those DEI programs.
Google now telling employees it will no longer formally seek
to improve workforce diversity. That's up to President Trump's executive
order pressuring government contractors to get rid of those DEI initiatives.
Google sells some tech and services to the federal government.

(20:46):
Stock futures right now they're putting to a mixed open.
Dow futures up slightly s and P five hundred futures
also up just slightly. Nasdaq futures, though they're down sixteen.
Crude oil futures slightly higher just about seventy one dollars
and a half a barrel. Right now, I'm Denise Pelly
Gritty Bloomberg Business on News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
Houston's News.

Speaker 26 (21:09):
Why There, We're traffic plus Breaking News twenty four to seven.
This is News Radio seven forty KTRHIL Everywhere with the IRF.

Speaker 3 (21:18):
More of what's happening now from the John Morris Services Studios.

Speaker 4 (21:22):
Five thirty is Our Time, Houston's Borning News. I'm Jimmy
Barrett avong Our tough stories. This have our The final
Lina staffer will be in court today. Will they get
a sweetheart deal? The life still hating on America? And
coming up at five thirty eight, Houston just recorded its
highest number of traffic deaths ever. Details in the minutes ahead.
You're in Houston's Bonny News. First, we're checking out that

(21:44):
morning drive again. Here's sky bike.

Speaker 5 (21:45):
Yeah, that's what we've got. On the North Freeway, Jimmy
in found this is fatal. It's a wrong way driver
apparently and a head on collision here there's three other
vehicles involved in this. Not sure about the injury situation,
but in the North Freeway. What you need to know driver,
is the North Freeway shutdown.

Speaker 4 (22:02):
I think it'll be like this through our entire morning drive.

Speaker 5 (22:04):
Let's skip over to the Harding toll road if you've
got the toll sticker. If not, the east texts still
looking pretty good for now. Southwest Freeway. Mike from sugar
Land helping me out.

Speaker 2 (22:14):
Gy My.

Speaker 4 (22:15):
Three of the right lanes look like they're shut down.

Speaker 8 (22:17):
Emergency service is already on scene, but this is coming
right A reve that the Brass River.

Speaker 4 (22:23):
Keep an eye out, all right, that's right there at University.
This is inbound, of course.

Speaker 5 (22:27):
I'm skymin Atcher Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center from.

Speaker 4 (22:30):
Our KTRH Generator super Center, twenty four hour weather Center
becoming partly Claudi today with I temperature right about eighty.
We'll get Terry in here with a complete forecast in
about nine minutes. Current temperature still sixty nine at your
official severe weather station use radio seven forty k TRH.
It's time now for the news.

Speaker 6 (22:48):
Here's Cliff Sanders, Thank you, Jimmy five thirty one on
KTRH and our top story this hour, local corruption, even
though charges against two of Harris County Judge Lena Headalgo's
former staff first we're dismissed. One case still remains.

Speaker 27 (23:06):
And that is against It all goes former chief of staff.

Speaker 28 (23:11):
He still faces two felony charges. He is due in
court and no one is really sure what will happen
in Trianta Phillips's case.

Speaker 27 (23:20):
That's reporter Holly Hanson with The Texan and that hearing
is scheduled for today.

Speaker 28 (23:26):
It could be that his charges are also dismissed, or
it could be that there's some sort of deal in
the works to avoid a jury trial.

Speaker 27 (23:35):
This all stems from that multi million dollars COVID bin
rigging scheme.

Speaker 4 (23:40):
Jeff Biggs News Radio seven forty k T erase.

Speaker 6 (23:43):
And we'll be talking to former Harris County DA kim
Ogg at seven twenty. More local corruption. This is something
Jimmy alluded to about ten minutes ago. Our TV partner
Channel two and Amy Davis reporting at six of the
seven people charged in the City of Houston's water contract
corruptions scandal have all played pleted out. At least three

(24:05):
got misdemeanor charges. One of those came back with no
jail time. It's now five point thirty three. Meantime, Texas
Governor Greg Abbott met with President Donald Trump in the
White House to talk about border security. The governor says
Texas is still looking for compensation from the federal government
for expenses in dealing with Joe Biden's open border disaster.

Speaker 29 (24:26):
What Texas is seeking is reimbursement to the State of
Texas of about eleven billion dollars have costs incurred over
the past four years because of the unprecedented illegal crossings
that took place that has never before happened.

Speaker 6 (24:41):
Abbott says crossings have slowed to a quote trickle since
President Trump returned to office and after backing down to
Trump on tariffs, Mexico has deployed the first of what
will be ten thousand National guardsmen to the border coming
up on five point thirty four. The President delivering on
more campaign promises yesterday citing an executive order banning men

(25:03):
from playing women's sports. The main street media had their
own spin on this. For instance, ESPN calling these athletes
assigned mail at birth instead of what they are, biological men.

Speaker 30 (25:17):
What is so I think particularly pernicious about what ESPN
is doing is buck This is an eighty twenty nationwide issue,
but it's ninety ten probably for sports fans.

Speaker 6 (25:28):
KTRH is Klay Travis putting ESPN on blast. You're seeing
a lot of Trump derangement out there and a lack
of love for America by Americans, especially when it comes
to those in education, and oh yeah, the mainstream media.

Speaker 21 (25:43):
What that really says is they want to live in
a dictatorship where there's a dictatorship of the left that
tells people what to do, like they have in Tuba
or having the old Soviet Union.

Speaker 6 (25:53):
Political commentator Jeffrey Lord told KTRH, the good news here
is that Americans are rejecting this idea. The bad news
is it'll take years to get rid of it completely.
Another mainstream media double standard was exposed this week by
the controversy over Trump's tariffs.

Speaker 31 (26:11):
We left wing media has been sounding the alarm over
President Trump's new tariffs, even though Joe Biden not only
kept tariffs on China but raised them. Box Business ows
Taylor Riggs says, even Biden couldn't ignore our trade deficit
with China.

Speaker 32 (26:23):
The data today showed that we consume double what we produce.
China produces double what they consume. They are just an
advanced manufacturer. We are just a consumer.

Speaker 4 (26:34):
Has to fix that.

Speaker 31 (26:35):
The Biden administration increased tariffs on fifteen billion dollars of
Chinese imports just last year, but you probably didn't hear
as much about that. Coryelson, who's radio seven forty ktrh.

Speaker 6 (26:46):
The Trump Administration's transparency has the mainstream media struggling to
keep up. Jeff McCall with the Paul University says, the
establishment media has a bad seat at the table now
and other platforms or now can considered more important.

Speaker 33 (27:01):
I think it's probably good for the nation to have
the Trump administration encouraging new media to get a voice
in the game number one, because that's where the audience is.
But also it allows them to reach a lot of
people who've just given up on establishment media.

Speaker 4 (27:15):
He says.

Speaker 6 (27:15):
The administration recognizes these new avenues podcasts, for instance, are
their way.

Speaker 4 (27:21):
To get their news out to people.

Speaker 6 (27:23):
Five point thirty six in Austin, the state Senate passes
school choice. It moves on to the House where Speaker
Dustin Burrough says he'll take it up more on that
at six o'clock. The governor says he wants to see
at least ten billion dollars more put towards property tax
cuts during this legislative session, and the squeeze put on
by counties like Harris County for using loopholes to jack

(27:45):
up your rates more than they're allowed to.

Speaker 34 (27:47):
If a taxing unit wants to raise your property taxes,
say eight percent, as Harris County, actually raise it more
than that. And I think the governor was alluding to
Harris County. I think a super majority of voters approval
makes a lot of sense.

Speaker 6 (28:02):
Jennifer Rabb with the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association on
Austin television. Car insurance rates are rising across the country.
The good news, though, is that here in Texas, thanks
to light regulation, they're rising at a lower rate.

Speaker 22 (28:17):
So they have allowed the insurance comings of the world
to add a little bit, take a little rate here
on the homes, on the auto because all that stuff
has went on.

Speaker 6 (28:26):
State farm agent Michael Johnson told us that the state
allowing companies to raise rates when needed has created more competition,
which is keeping prices down. Finally, Jimmy, a sign of spring.
The astros today are loading up the trucks and then
setting them off to Florida. The first workout for pitchers
and catchers is next Thursday. The first full team workout

(28:47):
is on the eighteenth.

Speaker 4 (28:48):
Where's Alex Bregman's luggage right now? That I don't know? Yeah,
that I don't That's what I'm curious about. Hopefully we'll
find out soon.

Speaker 6 (28:56):
I'm Cliff Saunders on Houston's news, weather and traffic station Newsrate.

Speaker 4 (29:01):
RH. I live, I live in the Woodlands.

Speaker 3 (29:04):
You're reliable forecast next on the ten on seven k
T RH.

Speaker 4 (29:12):
By thirty eight our time here in Houston's morning is
you do you remember? Well? First of all, let me
start with the Houston Chronicle headline because I just have
to laugh at the krown. Houston just recorded its highest
number of road desks. What can Mayor Whitmyer do about it?
What do you what do you mean? What can he

(29:36):
do about it? What could any mayor do about it?
Can't do a damn thing. Is Mayor Whitmyer driving your car?
Is is Mayor Whitmyer going the wrong way on the
expressway this morning, running into four other vehicles. No, Mayor

(29:56):
Whitmyer can't do anything about it?

Speaker 27 (29:58):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (29:59):
Can he make safe roads? It's not the roads that
are dangerous, y'all? It's the drivers who are dangerous. It's
the distracted drivers. It's the people on their cell phones.
Every day, I see half the people out there on
their cell phones. We even from lane to lane. You know.
It's the people who are drinking and driving. That's what's
dangerous out there. And that's why I laughed so hard.

(30:24):
A couple of years ago when Mayor Sylvester Turner, do
you remember that he signed a pledge that there would
be zero road desks by the year twenty thirty. Well,
we just set a record in twenty twenty five. How
are we doing so far? What a ridiculous thing to do.
At least give Mayor Witmeyer credit. He's not interested in

(30:45):
signing a pledge that there'll be zero road desk by
twenty thirty because he knows it's ridiculous. As long as
there are cars and roads, there are going to be
road desks.

Speaker 10 (30:57):
Now.

Speaker 4 (30:57):
If you want to decrease road desks, we're just gonna
have to get some better drivers out there. Now. There
are some roads obviously that probably do have design flaws.
There are people who drive way too fast. Oh shit,
lower the speed limit to fifty five. That doesn't work either. Heck,
we got speed limit of seventy and I see people
flying by ninety. So until we decide that we're going

(31:19):
to pay more attention to what we're doing behind the wheel,
we're not going to be distracted. We're going to you know,
follow the rules of the road. We're going to and
that's good for us, right, but then we have no
control over what the other guy does. We will never
be at a point of zero road discs, but it
would be nice not to set a record. Three hundred
and twenty four. I take them back. Three hundred and

(31:41):
forty five passengers and pedestrians killed on Houston area streets
last year alone, five forty one five for traffic and
mother together. Yes, guy might go right ahead, please now, Okay,
so I know you're not supposed to speed.

Speaker 5 (31:55):
I get that, but there's a lot of people that
are going too slow in the first two lanes to
the lane left and what you're doing and this is
this is my deal here, we don't enforce this.

Speaker 4 (32:05):
You're causing clustering.

Speaker 5 (32:06):
If you're driving next to people, you're driving like you're
you know, someone's wingman on top gun. You're a hazard
right there. You should be getting around to the left,
taking it easy on the right. If you're slower than
everybody else, get the hell over number one two. We
got too many vehicles out there that aren't roadworthy. There's
a lot of unsaved vehicles. There's unsecure blods. I could
go on about this.

Speaker 4 (32:26):
I know what you know't who I see in the
left lane, and I love them and I appreciate everything
they do for us. But truckers, get out of the
passing lane. You are not supposed to be in the
passing There's a.

Speaker 5 (32:34):
Certain size of vehicle that you should be over in
lane three or four or over that way. And I
talk about road rage. If you will drive to as
far as you can to the right, leave some space,
you'll be everybody's best friend. You will never ever be
in a road rage. Well, we have ever have zero
road deaths. No, that's fortunate. That's not going to happen.
I want to talk about that. That's stupid. All right,
Let's go to the North Freeway I forty five that

(32:57):
is inbound. Of course, that's why I'm asking you to
jump on the hardy if you've got the toll sticker.
This is a wreck North Freeway at cross Timbers. It's
all lanes blocked here. Somebody was going the wrong way.
What the hell was going on there? Let's clip over
to either the Hardy Toll Road inbound or the East
tex Instead Southwest Freeway University.

Speaker 4 (33:14):
That reck's got some lanes open.

Speaker 5 (33:16):
We're all breaks now from the Brezls River northbound. I'm
Skymike the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (33:24):
From r KTRH Generator Supercenter twenty four. Our weather Center
Terry Smith is here and we're just doing a rins
of repeat kind of a thing with forecasts.

Speaker 20 (33:32):
I feel like it's Groundhog's Day again and again and again.

Speaker 8 (33:35):
Right.

Speaker 20 (33:35):
The cut is because every morning you wake up and go,
wait a minute, is this.

Speaker 6 (33:40):
A different day. That's the way it feels. Well, we
do have a lot of clouds.

Speaker 4 (33:45):
We have some fog.

Speaker 20 (33:46):
If there's fog, it tends to be closer to the
bay and near the coast. Galveston is one of those
places reporting the lower visibility. But then the sunshine shows
up and the temperatures still warm. In fact, it will
be rather warm through the weekend. Mid seventies to low
eighties today and tomorrow. Over the weekend upper seventies to

(34:09):
low eighties. We're dry through Sunday. Monday's our next chance
of rain, thirty percent chance of showers, and it's just
a little bit cooler in the load of.

Speaker 4 (34:16):
Mid seventies Monday, Tempitchu're right now still sixty nine Here
at your official severe weather station, News Radio seven forty KTRH.
What you need to know for the day ahead.

Speaker 3 (34:26):
This is Houston's morning News, brought to you by New
South Windows Solutions.

Speaker 4 (34:32):
So I've been watching all the ridicule for Trump's Gaza plan,
and I think the big point of what Trump was
trying to do got missed, but Greg Guttfeld hit the
nail on the head. So I'm going to share that
with you coming up next because I think I agree
with Gutfeld that this will be what I believe Trump
was really proposing, or what he was really trying to

(34:54):
do with his Gazza proposal. Also, seees how we brought
up three hundred and four traffic desks in Houston, sitting
an all time record in twenty twenty four. What are
your ideas? How would you make roads safer? What could
lead to less traffic desks here in Houston? Go to
the iHeartRadio app KTRH. Put us on your preset. Go there.

(35:18):
You got thirty seconds. Name where you're calling from, and
your ideas to make the roads safer. First though, traffic
and weather together. As we check out the drive once
again with sky Man, I would enforce.

Speaker 5 (35:29):
The left lanes all right. Southwest Freeway northbound. I'm so
glad we have a Grand Parkway because it solved so
many problems for us. I see you're doing that Southwest
Freeway just past the bridge at University. You've got wreck here,
multiple lanes, most of you just jumping off on Grand
Parkway because you're listening to KTRH Hit ninety.

Speaker 4 (35:46):
Get around that painlessly.

Speaker 5 (35:47):
And the North Freeway, of course, plenty of options southbound
were closed at cross Timbers police investigation. Big shots. Do
the hardy commoners do the East tex instead. And you've
got six on the North Belt both ways, aulting Westfield
westbound and then Westfield at Imperial Valley. You got, of
course the scunches because of the road construction.

Speaker 4 (36:07):
That's a left lane both ways.

Speaker 5 (36:08):
I'm skylike on the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic.

Speaker 4 (36:11):
Center from our KTRH Generator Supercenter twenty four hour weather
center for today will become partly cloudy. There's some fog
in a few spots, becoming partly cloudy, with a high
today about eighty pretty much same forecast for tomorrow and Saturday,
and for Sunday, and same forecast virtually every day. Temperature
right now still sixty nine at your official severe weather station,

(36:32):
News Radio seven forty KTRH. Time to check out some
of our top stories on a Thursday morning. Here's Cliff,
Thank you, Jimmy.

Speaker 6 (36:39):
We're brought to you by DNM Auto Leasing. School choice
passes in Austin. In the Senate last night, President Trump
says he won't allow visas to transgender athletes for the
twenty twenty eight Olympics. And Jimmy, I don't know if
we agree with this, but wal It Hull ranks Pittsburgh
as the number one city for football fans.

Speaker 4 (36:59):
No.

Speaker 6 (36:59):
The rest of the top five Dallas, Green Bay, Boston, Boston.

Speaker 4 (37:07):
Yeah, I don't know why they would pick Boston in
Kansas City. Okay, Well, Kansas City is an obvious choice.
I would put Green Bay number one.

Speaker 6 (37:14):
So would I Get the latest news anytime at KTIH
dot com. Our next update is at six o'clock.

Speaker 13 (37:20):
Under the orders I signed today.

Speaker 4 (37:22):
Keep it here for the very latest.

Speaker 13 (37:24):
All of this will change starting today.

Speaker 4 (37:27):
What he's radio seven kt RH five fifty three is
their time here on Houston's Morning News. All right, So Gaza,
the Gaza Strip, it's like it's like to some to
the progressive leftist like Trump must be making a joke, right.
I think what he's trying to do is he's trying
to make people think again. Here is what President Trump

(37:49):
proposed doing with the Gaza Strip. We have reaction, and
I think Greg Guttfeld is dead on right about what
Trump is really trying to do. It's the wackiest idea,
so hard to say he's ever him up with.

Speaker 28 (38:00):
He thinks that the coastline of Gaza is going to
be great for some new hotel.

Speaker 10 (38:03):
It's preposterous and it's illegal American imperialism at its roots.

Speaker 28 (38:09):
Eth Ni Cleansic of Palestinians.

Speaker 3 (38:11):
Growing a match on an already very volatile region.

Speaker 14 (38:15):
I will bring articles of impeachments against the President for
destinately deeds proposed and destinately deeds done.

Speaker 6 (38:25):
Greg, have you put down a down payment for a
three bedroom condom?

Speaker 35 (38:28):
I'm already investing in a David Busters you know, being
a new father, I can say that this is purely
a Dad move. You know, you're in a huge fight
with your sister over the remote.

Speaker 4 (38:40):
Your dad comes down.

Speaker 3 (38:41):
And he turns off the TV and he just takes
the remote.

Speaker 35 (38:44):
Real gutfelt, and that creates a common enemy Dad, Dad, Right.

Speaker 2 (38:49):
So the quarrel is over.

Speaker 35 (38:51):
Now you got to deal with Dad, and it forces
the siblings to come up with some creative alternative.

Speaker 4 (38:56):
And suddenly all these Middle East countries, Jordan and Egypt.

Speaker 35 (38:59):
Those are the is have to go, well.

Speaker 2 (39:02):
I don't want Dad involved.

Speaker 4 (39:03):
What can somebody?

Speaker 35 (39:05):
He goes, well, then maybe you have to start thinking about,
you know, paying for the rebuilding, or monitoring the piece,
or taking in some of the refugees. It causes the
kids involved to go, WHOA, not so fast, We didn't
really want this, and the you know, they don't want
America in the middle of everything. But exactly what you said,

(39:27):
he said, well, you're not doing anything about it, and
you're right. This is why the way you described it,
the fact that like he is creating a new conversation,
he forces he kind of forces the world to conform
and react to him.

Speaker 4 (39:41):
This is why he's not a president.

Speaker 35 (39:42):
He's now officially a legend, and a legend creates a
story around.

Speaker 4 (39:47):
You, around yourself, and world leaders.

Speaker 35 (39:49):
They want to see him, they want selfies with him,
they want to please him.

Speaker 2 (39:52):
It's a phenomenon.

Speaker 35 (39:54):
It's not about shaking the box. He throws the box
into traffic.

Speaker 11 (39:58):
You know.

Speaker 35 (39:58):
He may make more progress simply by doing this than
has been done in ages.

Speaker 4 (40:04):
No doubt. What he is doing is he's forcing other
countries in the Middle East to step up to the table.
Wait a minute, we can't have the United States coming
in here. We've got to do something ourselves. So he's
got them talking about what it is that they could
do to improve the situation, to think outside of the box.

(40:26):
He's pretty good at doing that stuff. Five point fifty
six Here a news radio seven forty k TRH.

Speaker 1 (40:34):
This is used Radio seven forty KTRH Houston.

Speaker 6 (40:38):
Live Everywhere with the high art.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
Now, the latest news, weather and trapping.

Speaker 3 (40:44):
It's more of what matters to you from the John
Morris Services Studios.

Speaker 4 (40:48):
Six am is our time here in Houston's morning news.
I'm Jimmy Barrett. Among our top stories, this half hour
school choice passes the Texas Senate but how long will
it linger? In the Texas House? Meet the Houston Democrat
who oppose his school choice for you while he sends
his kids to private school. And coming up at six
o' eight, the latest Doge cuts Politico and the EPA

(41:10):
details in the minutes. Sayhead, you're in Houston's wonting news. First,
we're checking out that morning bribe again. Here's Sky Mike.

Speaker 5 (41:15):
Nord Freeway's totally shut down inbound at cross Timbers.

Speaker 4 (41:18):
Really nasty wreck. Roger RC trucking guy, Mike. A good
way to get it around that airline Take Airline six ninety.

Speaker 5 (41:27):
You know, Roger. Normally that would do it, but this
time the backups a little York. Let's jump on Shepard
instead and you can get around that. Of course, the
hardy Toil Road's the best skip around Southwest Freeway. This
is getting nasty at University. Just two left lanes getting by.
This one's easy grad Parkway to ninety. Get around that.
I'm Skymike from the Generator Supercenter, dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (41:47):
From r KTRH top Tax Defenders twenty four hour weather
center for today becoming partly cloudy with the high temperature
right about eighty. We'll take a look at the forecast
all the way through Sunday. When we talked to Terry
Smith at the Weather Channel in eight minutes, currently sixty
nine at your officials, Severe Weather Station, News Radio seven
forty k TRH. It's time now for the news. Here's

(42:08):
Cliff Sanders.

Speaker 6 (42:09):
He thank you, Jimmy six zoh two on KTRH. We're
sponsored by Allied Signing in windows. Our top story. No
surprise in Austin is the State Senate pass a school
choice sending it to the House along with a stern
message from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.

Speaker 21 (42:23):
We now look for the House after this, being the
sixth time we passed gold choice to finally step up.

Speaker 6 (42:31):
Senator Brandon Creighton, who wrote the bill, blasted Democrats who
called it discriminatory in modern day segregation.

Speaker 8 (42:38):
I can't imagine in a bill that we're talking about
in helping those that need help the most with a
path and education, that that kind of rhetoric would be used.

Speaker 6 (42:50):
Newly elected House Speaker Dustin Burrow says he plans to
hold a vote on it this session. Speaking of the House,
the leader of the Texas House Democrats.

Speaker 4 (42:59):
Houston State Gen.

Speaker 6 (43:00):
Wu well, he's being called out over his opposition to
school vouchers because he went on social media and admitted
his kids go to private school.

Speaker 11 (43:10):
His policies have always pointed towards more control by the government,
while his personal behavior is that of pampered and protected elites.

Speaker 6 (43:21):
Political strategists Fladavidio there Wu did not respond to ktrh's
multiple attempts for comment. Also in Austin, new polling shows
the majority of Texans support gambling and marijuana.

Speaker 27 (43:34):
Rice University professor Mark Jones led the study for the
Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston.

Speaker 12 (43:42):
Bolly found strong supports. About three quarters of Texans support that.

Speaker 27 (43:47):
So if there is so much support, why hasn't it passed.

Speaker 12 (43:51):
We're in a situation right now where everything depends on
the majority of the Republican caucus in Texas.

Speaker 2 (43:58):
Senate and original Governor.

Speaker 4 (44:00):
BIG's news Radio seven kt H.

Speaker 6 (44:03):
Governor Rabbit also says he used for legalizing online sports gambling,
but will the legislature pass it?

Speaker 36 (44:10):
You've had the Governor said he's open to it. That
the Speaker has weighed in on the bill that I have,
which is the casino style gambling and there is bipartisan support.

Speaker 6 (44:22):
Yeah, but Texas Democrat Senator Carol al Verano says they
still have to win over the penet. Excuse me, the
President of the Senate, Lieutenant Governor Patrick six four on
KTRH in Washington, President Trump shigning an executive order to
ban biological men from playing women's sports.

Speaker 13 (44:40):
Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition
of female athletes, and we will not allow men to
beat up, injure and cheat.

Speaker 4 (44:50):
Our women and our girls.

Speaker 13 (44:51):
From now on, women's sports will be only for women.

Speaker 6 (44:56):
The order requires the immediate enforcement of these rules. And
while he's delivering on his campaign promises, radical Democrats are
literally losing their minds. Here's Houston Congressman l Green on
the House floor.

Speaker 14 (45:09):
I rise to announce that the movement to impeach the
president has begun.

Speaker 6 (45:15):
If you're keeping score, he did this in twenty seventeen.

Speaker 4 (45:18):
It didn't work.

Speaker 6 (45:19):
Democrats also protested on the steps of the Capitol over
doze and elon Musk. Something else Trump promised he would
do trim the fat from the federal government. President Trump
promised he would eliminate Washington waste and reform the unchecked
federal bureaucracy, and he is delivering on his promise made
to the American people. James Comer at the House over
Sank Committee yesterday, and here's the proof that we need.

(45:42):
Does did you know more than eight million of your
text payer dollars went to federal government subscriptions to wait
for it, liberal Politico, we are.

Speaker 16 (45:52):
Going line by line when it comes to the federal
of government's books.

Speaker 6 (45:56):
Why House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt says the Doze team
is canceling those subscriptions.

Speaker 4 (46:03):
Six h six.

Speaker 6 (46:04):
New US Attorney General Pam Bondi isn't wasting time writing
the wrongs of the Biden administration.

Speaker 37 (46:09):
Memos issued on Attorney General Bondi's first day in office,
shared with Fox News Digital include directing the DOJ to
applies all federal funding for sanctuary cities, to closely work
with the Department of Homeland Security to completely eliminate the
threats of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, to end the
moratorium on federal executions, requiring prosecutors to seek the death

(46:30):
penalty when appropriate, and to establish a weaponization working group
to flag what's described as politicized justice. Including looking into
prosecutions against President Trump.

Speaker 6 (46:40):
That is Fox's Christin Goodwin the Senate confirming New Hunt
Secretary Scott Turner. In the meantime, in coming fbid director
Cash Patel faces a procedural vote today in the Senate
Judiciary Committee six h six. There is a noted shift
in this year's Super Bowl commercials. Instead of the funny,
their focus on health and wellness.

Speaker 38 (47:01):
Okay, that's the nineteen eighty four Wendy's Where's the b fad?
When super Bowl spots were funny and still selling Burger's
beer and good times.

Speaker 4 (47:13):
This year weight loss commercials.

Speaker 7 (47:15):
All the data shows that Generation Z is much more
health conscious and older generations and super Bowl advertisers.

Speaker 4 (47:24):
Want to fielded that.

Speaker 38 (47:25):
Advertising expert Scott Barredeal adds that more women are also
watching the super Bowl now than ever before. Seventeen of
the fifty one Super Bowl ads will feature some of
your favorite brands like Taco Bell and Doto's, So there's
still hope. Eric Sharp, News Radio seven forty k t
RH and the.

Speaker 6 (47:41):
Rockets visited Minnesota tonight pregame at six on Sports Talk
seven ninety. They've lost four in a row. I'm Cliff
Saunders on Houston's news, weather and traffic station News Radio
seven forty k t RH.

Speaker 4 (47:54):
I live in the heights, I live in Spring King.

Speaker 3 (47:56):
Wait next on the ten your Faster Commute on seven forty.

Speaker 4 (48:02):
Oh yeah dose is Teton like a NiFe again? Six
oh eight es their time. I love these stories. Love
love love love love love love love love love love.
Can you tell I love it love? Sharing this with you?
All right? Uh, first on the list Politico. Cliff was
just mentioning that during the news. All right, here's here's
the inside dope on that one. It's a news outlet.

(48:23):
Why are they getting money from the federal government? Politico
has received more than nine point five million dollars in
funding from federal agencies over the past year and a half.
Doze discovered the payments, as the White House Press spokes
in Caroline Lovett said, because they're going through this thing
line by line by line, essentially, they have been subsidizing

(48:45):
subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpur's dime. It will
no longer be happening. In total, Politico received eight point
one million in federal funding and fiscal year twenty twenty
four and has received one point five million so far
in fiscal twenty twenty five. The funding had been provided
by the Department of Health and Human Services one point

(49:06):
three seven million, the Interior Department one point three to
five million, Energy Department one point twenty nine million, Agriculture
five hundred and fifty two thousand, Commerce four hundred and
eighty five thousand, and others. In other words, they took
the money and split it between a whole bunch of
different departments. Nobody will ever notice this, And what do

(49:27):
you think they got in return for that favorable news coverage?
That would be my guess, boy, how illegal should that be?
We also are finding out that there are about one
thousand EPA employees who are probationary, which means you can
fire them at will. There's still under probation. They are

(49:51):
likely to go. Ela Musk hinting that they're about oh,
I don't know, ninety thousand or so IRS agents who
might be on the chopping block. And all these IRIS
agents of the Biden administration added so you could do
more audists and that type of thing, they might be
on the chopping block. And the list goes on and
on and on. Thank goodness. Six ' ten time for

(50:13):
traffic and weather together a catapult and like put them
in gallus to by EPA employees. Bob's away. Here we go.

Speaker 5 (50:22):
People from ex On Mobile cracking up right now. All right,
we just cleared a stall. I'm going to get to
that North Freeway deal because that's the big story of
the morning. We had a stall on the Kdie Freeway.
Didn't give you enough attention this morning. Taylor Street that
was right in the middle too. It was just enough
to smash up the KD. Now from Yale it's getting
a little better. Stay the course if the KD is

(50:42):
your usual thing inside Luke Nord Freeway, of course you're
hearing about this accident, police investigation. Nothing good's happening at Crosschimbers.
All lanes are shut down. Roger from RC truck and
you still get a banana sticker. He said, skip over
to Airline. I'm saying because the backups Little York. If
you want to do the street route to Jeopard instead,
you can. And it's got three lanes. I know it

(51:03):
has lights, but it moves pretty well. Shepherd's a good
to skip around if you want to do the street level. Otherwise,
the hardy for big shots commoners do the east text,
you've got the Southwest Freeway. The rest of the media
is paying a lot of good attention to this too.
It's a wreck inbound University.

Speaker 4 (51:18):
I get it. Two left lanes. Most of you pushed
off onto the feeder.

Speaker 5 (51:21):
And those of you who listen to ktr H probably
already on Graham Parkway where you can just skip up
to all ninety get around all that business. And let's see,
I've got something skipping up on the Golf Freeway. This
is South Sam eastbound at the Gulf. That's a stall truck.
And me see if I got a second for a
tip line quickly, it's Jeffrey and the Walgreens truck. North Sam.

Speaker 4 (51:41):
Guy my eastbound at I fifty nine exit ramp. There's
the scooch here here, well said, a broken down eighteen
wheeler in the left lane of the exit ramp.

Speaker 5 (51:54):
All right, that's North Sam eastbound ramp to the east. Text,
I'm Skymike and the Generator Supercenter dot Com traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (52:01):
From our KTRH top tax Defenders twenty four hour whether
senter Terry Smith is dropping by with an update on
the forecast. It is just it really is Groundhog Day
out there yet it is. You nailed with that description.

Speaker 33 (52:12):
Right.

Speaker 20 (52:12):
Every morning we're waking up, we've got clouds and fog.
Eventually we see the sunshine and then it feels like
springtime in the afternoon. We're going to keep doing that
through Friday and then start to see some subtle changes Monday,
and more notable changes after that. But today and tomorrow
we'll turn out partly cloudy with temperatures mid seventies to
low eighties. We may see a few record highs broken

(52:34):
today or tomorrow, and even warmer over the weekend upper
seventies to low eighties over the weekend. Monday's our next
chance of rain that I see. It's only a thirty
percent chance of rain, but that's going to also help
keep the temperatures a little bit more in check.

Speaker 4 (52:49):
Load to mid seventies Monday, right now, sixty nine Here
at your official severe weather station, News Radio seven forty
ktrh USE Traffic and Weather.

Speaker 3 (52:59):
You're starting your day right with Houston's Morning News, brought
to you by New South Windows Solutions six to twenty.

Speaker 4 (53:06):
So tom, hey, quickly, I want to tell you we
have a question of the Day today I'd love to
get your response to it. All you have to do
is go to the iHeartRadio app. If you don't have it,
it's very easy to download. It's absolutely free. Go to KTRH.
You can put us in your preset so that you
can get there quickly. You get thirty seconds by clicking
on the microphone to respond to my question of the day,
which is we had three hundred and twenty or no,

(53:29):
three hundred and forty five Houston road disk that's set
an all time record this last year. How would you
try to make roads safer? Remember that big pledge back
in that then Mayor Turner signed onto a couple of
years ago. No traffic desk by twenty thirty. How stupid
was that? But how could we reduce that number? What
would be the things you would recommend to reduce the

(53:50):
number of traffic desks in Houston? Very simple. Again, go
to the iHeartRadio app KTRH, click on the microphone time
for traffic and weather together for checking out the right again,
you just got Mike Lord Freeway, I'm getting to you.

Speaker 5 (54:02):
Let's go back to the southwest first and southwest inbound
at University. Just two left lanes getting by pretty easy,
pretty tough wreck here. The reroute is easy, Grand Parkway
to Alt ninety. I know that'll pack up, but it's
a better way. Lord Freeway inbound at cross Timbers. All
lanes are blocked southbound police investigation.

Speaker 4 (54:20):
It's going to be there for a long time.

Speaker 5 (54:22):
If you've got the tollsticker, do the hardy or the
east text Young Albert from Kingwood, Morning, Mike.

Speaker 33 (54:27):
I don't know how long you want to keep people telling.

Speaker 5 (54:29):
People to Oh yeah, I see it's starting to pack
up to Shepherd's a good back way and everybody else
doesn't know about it.

Speaker 4 (54:35):
Sending from Dayton's on New ninety ninety.

Speaker 39 (54:37):
Westbound is cray out here this morning we got an
eighteen wheeler on the right hand lane on the overpath
before the Wallace Steel exit. And then of course we've
done the usual, you know, concrete truck grabbing in the
left hand lane.

Speaker 4 (54:51):
I wish we'd do something with that, all right.

Speaker 5 (54:53):
Daniel from Santa Fe and also Mark from Spring is
gonna give us some weather at six some fog update
at six. I'm Skymike on the Generator Supercenter dot Com
traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (55:03):
All right. Democrat Gene wlu sort of the perfect definition
of a hypocrite. We'll talk about him next. First, though,
we've got the latest on your forecast from our KTRH
Top Tax Defenders twenty four hour weather Center. Today, we're
looking at becoming partly cotty little fogg in a few
spots again right about eighty. Pretty much the same forecast today, Tomorrow,
Saturday and Sunday. Currently the temperature is sixty nine at

(55:25):
your officials Severe Weather Station, News Radio seven forty KTRH.
All right, let's check out some more of our top
stories on a Thursday morning. Here's Cliff, Thank you very much. Jimmy.

Speaker 6 (55:34):
We are brought to you by DNM Auto Leasing. We've
got a hearing set for today for the last of
the three former Lena Hidalgo staffers indicted in that multi
million dollar COVID bid rigging scheme. A worker dies when
a trench collapsed at a Southeast Houston construction site yesterday.
And Jimmy, the original Black Sabbath lineup, including Azzy, is

(55:54):
reuniting for a final show in England this summer.

Speaker 4 (55:58):
Who's going to push his wheelchair? Wow?

Speaker 6 (56:00):
Get the latest news anytime at KTRH dot com. There's
a crazy train joke just begging to be said. Our
next update is at six thirty Pasadena living clearly reliable
KTRH traffic and weather.

Speaker 2 (56:14):
Next on the ten.

Speaker 4 (56:18):
You know, I don't know that we've lost the definition
of what a hypocrite is, or if hypocrites don't care
that they're hypocrites, or somehow in their alternative reality, they
don't believe their hypocrites. But if you are a Texas
Democrat and your name is Jeane Wu and you go
out of your way to tell parents that you don't
support school choice and that you shouldn't be sending your

(56:41):
kids to private school, and then you send your own
kids to private school, that it doesn't seem like that's
quite a message to me. I'm glad Davidio joined this
political consultant. Do Democrats no longer understand the definition of
a hypocrite or do they just not care anymore?

Speaker 11 (57:00):
Democrats apply the label of hypocrites to everyone else except
for themselves. They view themselves as outside of those boundaries,
and so they don't see themselves as hypocrits. Democrats, especially
people like Gene lou If you remember, you know, when
Obamacare was passed. Congress exempted itself from having to pass
to use Obamacare, and when COVID mandates were implemented, Congress

(57:26):
Gavin Newsom, Nancy Pelosi Democrats exempted themselves from those mask
mandates or those vaccine mandates. Democrats in the left, people
like Gene Louve. They are the definition of what George
or Will described as everyone is equal, but some more
equal than others. They have elevated themselves. They considered themselves

(57:47):
an elite, and they're not. They're not subject to the
rules they impose on everyone else.

Speaker 4 (57:52):
It really is quite amazing. Do they do they how
do they maintain credibility with their own voters? Are are
are there? I mean not all Democrats are the elite? Yeah,
a lot of them are, but many of them are not.
I mean, is there nobody within their own party that
can point this out?

Speaker 11 (58:14):
Well, what you have to remember is that Democrats are
governed based on ideological agenda, not based on real substantive outcomes.
And so what what they govern on is good intentions,
not actual implementation. And what they rely on they rely
on their followers. They rely on their supporters buying into

(58:38):
with a religious cult like fervor the idea behind the
rules that they're implementing, and the lower level supporters, people
who are in the trenches, people who are in the grassroots,
look up to those in power, look up to those
who are elected officials, and rely on them as people

(59:00):
who know best, and so they don't hold them accountable.
They very rarely hold them accountable for any of their
shortcomings or any of their failures or any of their
obvious acts of hypocrisy that we can all see, because
they really they're they're true believers. They believe in the mission.

Speaker 4 (59:16):
You know he at one time he said, I, you're
talking about himself. I went to private school for high school.
My family would have loved to have money back, but
they didn't need it. I would love to get twelve
K of state money for my kids in private school.
But that doesn't seem fair in the least bit. Well,
what's fair about people, you know, paying for their own
child's education or private school, but still paying for their

(59:38):
child's education in the public school. Is that fair?

Speaker 11 (59:42):
It's not fair. And what's worse is that people like
Jean Wu have created the failed system that people are
trying to escape from. The far left has completely militarized
and politicized our school system to the point that children
are not getting educated, unqualif fight unfit people in the classroom,

(01:00:02):
and the vast majority of money we're spending goes to administration.
And so Jean Wu is complaining about a system he
himself has created reminiscent of doctor Frankenstein, and the fact
that he has no problem at all sending his kids
to private school, knowing full well the disaster he's avoiding

(01:00:22):
by sending the public school sends a clear message to
every single Texan. They know what they've done, but they're
imposing on everyone else.

Speaker 4 (01:00:29):
You know. I have a message for gen Wu. It
comes from my divorce attorney who once told me, you
create the monster, you pay for the monster. So if
you created, if you created that monster public school system,
then you can pay for us to have a school choice.
Jean's cowards. That's their message to you. Geen Wu, all right, thanks,
is always glad to good to talk to your political consultant,
Lad Davidiot, it's todd now to take a look at

(01:00:51):
your money. Here's Denise Fellow Greeny.

Speaker 25 (01:00:54):
Yeah, good morning. Some optimism on Wall Street this morning,
triggered by Treasury Secretory Scott Vessant says the Trump administration
is focusing on bringing down treasury yields. On the other hand,
shares of Google parent Alphabet they are under pressure after
the company reported quarterly results. Right now, DAL futures up
twenty one s and p futures up five. Nasdaq futures,

(01:01:14):
though they are down twenty three And just what you
always wanted a Duncin Donuts the lure Juicy Kurtuur ben
affleck orange or pink tracksuit Jimmy along with your six
dollars Duncan meal the breakfast and tracksuit special part of
the Donut Chains promotion ahead of the Super Bowl. Those
tracksuits go on sale this morning. You better hurry up.
It's being described as fairly limited. I'm Denise Pelly Greeny

(01:01:37):
Bloomberg Business on News Radio seven forty k t R eight.

Speaker 2 (01:01:42):
You are Old Houston's News.

Speaker 26 (01:01:45):
Why there are traffic plus breaking news twenty four to seven.
This is News Radio seven forty KTRH five Everywhere with
the ir app more of what's happening now from the
John Morris Services Studio.

Speaker 4 (01:01:58):
Six thirty one. Is our time here or in Houston's
morning News I'm Jimmy Barrett. Among our top stories this
half hour. The final Lina staffer in court today, Well
they get a sweetheart deal. The left still hating on
America and coming up at six point forty eight al
Green Channels is best ec DC details in the minutes ahead.
You're in Houston's Warning News. First, we're checking out that

(01:02:20):
morning drive again with sky make.

Speaker 5 (01:02:22):
Forty five North freeways completely shut down. This is a
police investigation. All lanes at Crosschimbers southbound. And Andrew from
Spring says, we've got an eighteen wheelers same spot going
the other way now. The hov By the Way is
also shut down. South Sam. It's Kyle from Friendswood.

Speaker 39 (01:02:38):
Hey, good morning, Scott Mike.

Speaker 18 (01:02:40):
Eastbound before the exit ramp to get onto the Golf Freeway.
You've got a disabled dementra left lane block up.

Speaker 5 (01:02:49):
All right, watch out heading over toward Pasadena and Southwest Freeway.
That's still a lot of habitashree now inbound University this
wreck hash you backed up from the bridge from Rozenberg
further back. I'm Skymike on the Generator Supercenter dot Com
Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:03:04):
From our KTRH Generator Supercenter twenty four our weather center
becoming partly Claudie once we have a little light morning
fog lifting. Of course, the close you are to the coast,
the thicker that is, just like it's been for the
last few days. Right about eighty for the high temperature today,
and that's pretty much the forecast through Sunday. But we'll
get some elaboration on that from Terry Smith at the
Weather Channel in eight minutes. Right now, it is sixty

(01:03:24):
nine at your officials, Severe Weather Station, News Radio seven
forty KTRH. It's time now for the news. Here's Cliff Saunders.
Thank you, Jimmy.

Speaker 6 (01:03:33):
It is six point thirty two on KTRH. Last week,
charges against two of Harris County Judge Lena Hidalgo's former
staff members were dismissed. Today, Hitdogo's former chief of staff,
Alex triant To Phyllis, is due in court for a
hearing of his own.

Speaker 28 (01:03:48):
All eyes will be on this court appearance that scheduled
to see what happens next. Some sources have indicated that
they think perhaps his charges could be dismissed or that
she may have some sort of deal in the work.

Speaker 6 (01:04:02):
Reporter Holly Hansen with the text in three years ago
Hidalgo staffers. We're charging a multi million dollar COVID bid
rigging scheme. We'll talk to former Harris County DA Kim
oug At seven twenty. That's not the only case of
local corruption we're following. According to our TV partner Channel two,
six of the seven charge in connection to that Houston

(01:04:23):
water contract corruption scheme have pled out. Three got misdemeanor deals.
One of them won't go to jail at all. It's
now six thirty three. Governor Greg Abbott meeting with President
Trump about border security at the White House yesterday, and
he says that immigration illegal immigration has slowed to a
trickle since Trump returned to the White House, and the

(01:04:44):
construction of a border wall continues.

Speaker 29 (01:04:46):
Texas has completed more than fifty miles of border wall.
We're going to be adding another about twenty miles of
border wall here in the coming days. It's on a
construction right now, and we've acquired more than one hundred
miles of easmon. I'll let the President know so that
all of that is available for the United States of
America elsewhere.

Speaker 6 (01:05:03):
A second federal judge blocks Trump's executive order on birthright
citizenship Judge Deborah Boardman is a Biden appointee, and Mexico
deploys the first of what will be ten thousand National
guardsmen to the border. American pride used to be common,
both among natural born Americans and immigrants into the country.

(01:05:24):
Today it's more rare.

Speaker 9 (01:05:26):
But why this didn't happen on accident. It's the result
of year's worth of indoctrination.

Speaker 21 (01:05:31):
This all goes back to the education system and the
control that the American left has over education.

Speaker 9 (01:05:39):
Political commentator Jeffrey Lord says that those leftists have pushed
a villainized version of America that isn't in line with reality.

Speaker 21 (01:05:46):
They want to live in a dictatorship. I do think
that that's a problem that Americans will pay for now
and will pay for it down the road.

Speaker 9 (01:05:54):
Lord says, thankfully, the tight is turning here, but it's
going to take time to reverse this anti American attitude.
Ethan Beginning News Radio seven forty ktr E.

Speaker 6 (01:06:02):
At six thirty five the President signing an executive order
yesterday to ban men from women's sports, fulfilling yet another
campaign promise. Of course, the mainstream media threw a tantrum
over this.

Speaker 27 (01:06:14):
We begin tonight with a full on crisis in our democracy.

Speaker 6 (01:06:19):
That was MSNBC's Joy Reid. More mainstream media hypocrisy. Remember
how they lost their minds on tariffs last week. But
Joe Biden kept tariffs on China and even increased them,
not a peep from his mainstream media protectors. They are
not our friend.

Speaker 32 (01:06:36):
Their sole goal in life is to take us down
because they want to be number one. We are the
number one economy. They are close at number two. They
haven't done that yet. It could be another five to
ten years, but they're close.

Speaker 4 (01:06:47):
They want to take us out.

Speaker 6 (01:06:49):
Fox Business host Taylor Riggs the President's transparency, well, it's
already changed the media game.

Speaker 4 (01:06:55):
The dying mainstream media just can't keep pace with Trump.

Speaker 33 (01:06:59):
Media that has changed. It's a very fast and full agenda.
I imagine it's very tough for news executives and producers
to keep up with everything and to make all the
hard decisions about what to cover.

Speaker 40 (01:07:09):
Jeff McCall of DePaul University says they've been elbowed out
and reliance on other outlets is a good thing.

Speaker 33 (01:07:15):
The Trump administration recognizes that a lot of American citizens
are not going to the establishment media anymore, and if
they want to reach those people, they've got to go
to different avenues.

Speaker 4 (01:07:24):
He says.

Speaker 40 (01:07:25):
This also lets him reach people who have given up
on the news. Andre Perard News Radio SEVN forty KRH At.

Speaker 6 (01:07:31):
Six thirty six, School Choice passes the Texas Senate by
a nineteen to twelve vote. We'll have more in that
at seven. Governor Abbott wants more money going towards property
tax cuts ten billion dollars to be specific. State Senator
Paul beckincourts Is Harris County using a loophole keeps raising
taxes following severe weather declarations, having a county judge saying

(01:07:54):
something is an eight percent increase when all the math
really points.

Speaker 1 (01:07:57):
To a fifteen needs to be stopped.

Speaker 6 (01:08:00):
This year's budget surplus is twenty four billion dollars. While
car insurance rates across the country are rising at fast rates,
they're rising slower here in Texas. And that's despite the
major weather events we've had.

Speaker 22 (01:08:12):
We have everything, hurricanes, tornadoes, we in hell, you name it,
we got it, you know. So, so it's one of
the highest risk states in the United States of America.

Speaker 6 (01:08:22):
State Farms Michael Johnson says Texas has allowed companies to
raise weights rates when needed, which has allowed more companies
to stay in business, which does keep the prices low.
Six thirty seven, The rebranding of the Astros Ballpark has begun.
The Minimate signs are coming down, dik In Park sign
is just going up, and the Astro spring training truck
is being loaded up and shipping out to Florida. This morning,

(01:08:45):
I'm Cliff Saunders on Houston's news, weather and traffic station KTRH.

Speaker 3 (01:08:50):
Stay in touch on your drive in with Jimmy Barrett
and the Houston Morning News teams.

Speaker 24 (01:08:59):
JATOs.

Speaker 4 (01:09:00):
Where the Reverend al Green in Memphis? I think I
would seriously petition with the State of Texas to force
our Al Green Representative Algreen to change his name, because
I'm sure the Reverend al Green does not appreciate any
confusion that may occur in identify identification as to who
he is versus who our Al Green is. He's picking

(01:09:22):
up where he left off during Trump term number one.
He's the first Democrat to propose impeaching. Here we go again,
which of course is going nowhere. But he's wants to
go on record and says he wants to impeach Trump,
and he's accusing Trump of he didn't say dirty deeds,
dastardly deeds. So here's the Reverend al Green doing, I'm sorry,

(01:09:43):
the Representative al Green preaching what he likes to preach.
Like I said, the good news with al Green is
it's not going anywhere? Is he the heir parent is
Shila Jackson Lena? Is he going to take over her role?
I don't think even she was on the you know,

(01:10:04):
trumpet piece from Vanwigen the way he's always been on it.
Of course he's he's got company just in Texas alone.
Jasmine Crockett. I won't even play some of her comments
because she's just she's she's totally mental. She's like crazy
six forty time for traffic and weather together, crazy, hold
my beer a crazy women in U sky, Mike, what

(01:10:25):
would you know about that?

Speaker 5 (01:10:26):
It's a good matchup. Actually, let's do some North Freeway.
Of course, the North Freeway things started. This was a
wrong way driver. How in the world do you get
on the North Freeway backwards? Someone found a way and
we had a crash at cross Timbers and of course
it's a fatality.

Speaker 4 (01:10:42):
So police investigation has the whole.

Speaker 5 (01:10:44):
Thing shut down. Now we're going to back up all
the way from the Beltway. Just don't do it this morning.
I jump on the hardy if you have a big shot.
If you're not, do the East Text. I know Albert
from Kingwood's like, how long can you keep people rerouting
to the east Text. It's getting thick, but it's still
a better alternate. I like, I like the North Sam.
If you can get past all that business at Aldean Westfield,
get around to two ninety that way, also six to

(01:11:07):
ten north.

Speaker 4 (01:11:07):
We're getting loopy. Not at the squeeze.

Speaker 5 (01:11:09):
This is going to be right around the East tex
and then East text outbound at Bennington. We've got a
problem here. Back to forty five in just a moment.
Let's do Southwest Freeway. Uh, that is just two lanes
getting by inbound at University and that Rex got you
backed up all the way from Rosenberg Andrew from Spring.

Speaker 23 (01:11:26):
I mike northbound.

Speaker 18 (01:11:28):
This is an outbound coming from downtown after the Parker
Yelle as it solved eighteen Miller on the right.

Speaker 23 (01:11:33):
Scott has triangled out, but he does not have any
life on him.

Speaker 4 (01:11:36):
All right, that's North Freeway.

Speaker 5 (01:11:38):
Mark from Spring has rerouted to the Hardy Toll Roads.

Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
Hardy Road.

Speaker 4 (01:11:43):
You were worried about tug and so far out. Oh yeah,
we've got visibility golf Freeway, Daniel Santa Fe.

Speaker 7 (01:11:50):
Got my ball, big ball Santa Fe.

Speaker 4 (01:11:54):
To as the road war all right, So north and
south totally different. Terry.

Speaker 5 (01:11:58):
I'm Skymike and the Generator Supercent dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:12:01):
From our KTRH Generator super Center twenty four hour Weather Center.
Terry is here with a day just like yesterday and
the day before and the day before that.

Speaker 20 (01:12:10):
Yeah, there's not a lot of overall change in our
weather pattern. There seems to be a little less fog
today than there was yesterday, though I am seeing some
fog near the coast around the Bay as well, so
there may be some visibility at least brief visibility issues.

Speaker 4 (01:12:27):
We're going to turn out.

Speaker 20 (01:12:29):
Partly cloudy today and another warm day, flirting with some
record high temperatures again probably through the weekend. Mid seventies
to low eighties today and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday dry
upper seventies to low eighties, and then Monday a little
bit cooler and we have a little bit of rainer.
Thirty percent chance of some showers and temperatures load to
mid seventies Monday temperature.

Speaker 4 (01:12:50):
Right now, we're stuck at sixty nine here at your
official severe weather station, News Radio seven forty KTRH. You
are commute, you are forecast, you are news.

Speaker 3 (01:13:00):
It's Houston's Morning News, brought to you, buying you southway
to those solutions six.

Speaker 4 (01:13:05):
To fifties our time here in Houston's Morning News. Coming
up in just a moment, an executive order you guessay
from President Trump. That was for the girls and it
made certainly made Riley Gaines happy. We'll share that with you.
Coming up next, first, though, traffic and weather together old
timeline's coming up two Sky Michael, we've got you and
little weather forecast.

Speaker 5 (01:13:23):
First, we've got Southwest Freeway now still they've opened up
a lane university with this wreck.

Speaker 4 (01:13:28):
Has Matt is there.

Speaker 5 (01:13:29):
It's going to be there a while, packed up all
the way from Rosenbergy, jump on Graham Parkway and hit
all ninety. Get around that business the other side of
I sixty nine. And while I'm talking about the Southwest,
I do have a new wreck at Beach Nut inbound.
So that's about a six minute Scooch, East tex southbound.
That sure looks like a wreck at the North Loop.

Speaker 4 (01:13:47):
Six ' ten.

Speaker 5 (01:13:47):
We've got a lot of suckage coming down from the
Beltway down past the graveyards. And of course the North
Freeway is completely shut down southbound at cross Timbers. Police
investigation here, and the backups all the way from West
Hardy Toll Roads looking good. Skip, but you know it's
almost worth it to go around the Beltway and do
two ninety instead. I'm Skymike the Generator Supercenter dot Com

(01:14:08):
Traffic Center from r KTRH Generator super Center, twenty four
hour weather center becoming partly claudi today with the high
eighty morning clouds and then partly cloudy eighty tomorrow, part
of Klaude Saturday and Sunday about eighty both days.

Speaker 4 (01:14:21):
Current temperature still sixty nine at your official severe weather station,
News Radio seven forty k TRH. All right, let's check
out some more of our top stories on a Thursday morning.
Here's Cliff, Thank you, Jimmy.

Speaker 6 (01:14:32):
We're brought to you by Morrow Mechanical. The Texas House
gets school choice passed after, or rather, the Texas House
gets school choice after its passage in the Senate. According
to reports, Frontier Airlines won't press charges against the man
who was detained for literally punching the window of a
flight from Denver to Houston this week, and rub Hub

(01:14:52):
says it suffered a data breach. At risk your contact
information and your partial credit cards score, partial credit card
number if the latest news anytime at ktis dot com
or next update is at seven o'clock, four more years?

Speaker 2 (01:15:08):
All right, got old John Trump?

Speaker 4 (01:15:09):
What happens next? Who knows what happens? Best happens here on.

Speaker 3 (01:15:13):
Youth Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 4 (01:15:18):
So President Trump didn't one for the girls, you say,
executive action banning men in women's sports. Here is President
Trump commenting as he signs the executive order, and some
follow up from Riley Gaines, who's a very happy young woman.

Speaker 13 (01:15:32):
Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition
of female athletes, and we will not allow men to
beat up, injure and cheat our women and our girls.
From now on, women's sports will be only for women.
When we're putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars, or notice that,
if you let men take over women's sports teams or

(01:15:56):
invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violation
of Title nine and risk your federal funding because with
this executive order, the war on women's sports is over.

Speaker 41 (01:16:07):
For the past three years, we have been stonewalled, and
when I say we, I mean women. We have been
stonewalled by the previous administration, and actually not just stonewalled.
They actively worked against us as women and required these
men into our sports, into our locker rooms, into our
single sex spaces, and reprimanded us as women if we

(01:16:27):
even dared.

Speaker 2 (01:16:28):
To question this.

Speaker 41 (01:16:29):
So to see the moral clarity in the decisive action
of of course, President Trump, who has made this a priority.
It was issue number seventeen on his platform within the
first you know, two three weeks of his presidency. Making
this a priority. It sends a very strong, clear message
to women and girls across the country that we matter.
And again that could not be more stark from the

(01:16:50):
message that Joe Biden and his administration said.

Speaker 4 (01:16:54):
Certainly a popular move. I'm sure there'll be plenty of
school systems around the country. We'll try to under way
to circumvent it. This one may well end up in court,
as many of his executive actions will, but ultimately I
think he will prevail. It is six fifty five. Time
for the timeline. We have another four pack of tickets
to this weekend's Houston Home and Garden Show. It's February

(01:17:16):
seventh of the ninth at NRG Park. A great deals,
new ideas, practical advice with trusted local experts. Kitchens, baths, landscaping,
all that stuff. Visit Houston homegardenshow dot com for more
information than to save two bucks off tickets right now,
but you can win four from us. Just tell us
what year today's timeline's front.

Speaker 19 (01:17:33):
Those are through no fault of their own, must depend
to the rest of us.

Speaker 18 (01:17:37):
It was February Ronald Reagan outlined his new economic plan and.

Speaker 22 (01:17:40):
Rest assured that the social Safety Net of programs they
depend on are exempt from Andy Cutts.

Speaker 4 (01:17:46):
Lieutenant mart the movie breaker Morant. What's big at the
box office?

Speaker 23 (01:17:50):
That Lieutenant Morant has an intrinsically boberous nate margin.

Speaker 4 (01:17:56):
Fas office their flarity Hill Street Blue was in its
first season on A. Washington and Felker and the number
one hit cooling the Gang Celebrations Race seven. What year
was if you know seven? One three, two one two

(01:18:17):
fifty eight seventy four. That is seven one three two
one two k t RH. Good luck. Oh hey, my turn.
We have a winner. That'd be James and Katie knew
the right year was nineteen eighty one. James to get
a four pack of passes to the Houston Home and
Garden Show this weekend through February ninth, the NRG Park.
Enjoy the show and thank you for listening to Houston's
Morning News.

Speaker 1 (01:18:40):
This is Huge Radio seven forty kt RH Houston.

Speaker 26 (01:18:45):
Drive everywhere with now the latest news, weather, and it's
more of what matters to you.

Speaker 3 (01:18:52):
From the John Morris Services Studios.

Speaker 4 (01:18:55):
Seven am is our time here in Houston's Morning News.
I'm Jimmy Barrett. Among our top stories, this school choice
has passed the Texas Senate, but how long will it
linger in the House? Meet the Houston Democrat who opposes
school choice for you while he sends his kids to
private school. And coming up at seven o eight, some
of your ideas and how we could reduce Houston traffic deaths.

(01:19:16):
We said an all time record last year. Details coming
in the minutes ahead. You're in Houston's Morning News. First,
we're checking out the Morning Drive once again. Here's sky Mike.

Speaker 5 (01:19:24):
Two wrecks on your Southwest Freeway northbound at University. We
now have a center lane open, but we're still missing
to the backups go all the way back to Rosenberg.
That wreck at beech Nut has you backed up from
the beltway and we're running out of alternates from my
North Freeway Crosschimbers wreck, that's all lanes blocked here southbound
east texts Trenstar just found a wreck in three right

(01:19:44):
lanes right before the south loop or before the north
loop at Kelly Street.

Speaker 4 (01:19:49):
And then I've got a vet from Spring.

Speaker 39 (01:19:51):
Mike taking the Hardy col Roads looking horrible right at
nineteen sixty and everybody's starting.

Speaker 4 (01:19:56):
To hop on h and then Kelly from the.

Speaker 23 (01:19:58):
Mark's sky Mike, all the extra travelers there just was
an accident at Little York and Shepherd, So.

Speaker 5 (01:20:05):
There went Hardy, There went Shepherd. As alternates. Hey, the
good news is my Schulenberg festivals over this morning, Jimmy,
I'm in the Generator Supercenter dot Com traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:20:13):
From our KTRH top tax Defenders twenty four hour weather
center becoming partly cloudie with the high today about eighty.
We'll get you the complete forecast when we talk to
Terry Smith at the Weather Channel in eight minutes. Right now,
still sixty nine dead, your official severe weather station. News
Radio seven forty k TRH. It's time now for the news.
Here's Cliff Saunders. Thank you, Jimmy.

Speaker 6 (01:20:33):
It is seven o two on KTRH, sponsored by i
SO Farmac LC top story this hour.

Speaker 7 (01:20:38):
Nineteen eyes and twelve nays. Center Creighton.

Speaker 4 (01:20:42):
Your bill has passed.

Speaker 6 (01:20:44):
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick in Austin school choice passing.

Speaker 4 (01:20:48):
The bill now goes to the House.

Speaker 8 (01:20:50):
I hope that the House takes this legislation and passes
the Senate bill quickly, and we go to conference and
we continue to work to improve this bill every way
we can.

Speaker 6 (01:21:02):
New Speaker Dustin Burroughs says he plans to vote on
this during this session. The new leader of the Texas
House Democrats, a Houston Democrat, is being called out for
opposing school choice. And that is even though Gen Wu
puts his kids in private school.

Speaker 9 (01:21:20):
This is what Democrat Gen Wu had to say about
private schooling parents.

Speaker 10 (01:21:23):
They can send their kids to private school so they
don't have to have their kids with your kids.

Speaker 9 (01:21:30):
Political strategist led to Vidik says, this is exactly the
kind of hypocrisy that progressive Democrats have become known for.

Speaker 11 (01:21:36):
What we have seen historically from the left is rules
for thee but not for me. Everyone is equal, but
we're more equal than you are.

Speaker 9 (01:21:46):
Ktrh reached out to Wu's office by both phone and email,
and he has not responded to a request for comment.
Ethan Buchinnan News Radio seven forty K.

Speaker 4 (01:21:54):
Thank you, Ethan.

Speaker 6 (01:21:55):
You Palling from the University of Uston finds that the
majority of Texans support legalizing marijuana and casino gambling, so
why won't the legislature get it done?

Speaker 12 (01:22:05):
In twenty twenty three, it actually had sufficient support in
the Texas House, as well as the blessing of Governor Rabbit,
but it ran a followed the Texas Senate along with
the ten Governor Dan Patrick, that the costs of gambling
outweigh the benefits that they provide to Texas.

Speaker 6 (01:22:21):
Rice As Mark Jones says, they're unlikely to pass again
this session.

Speaker 4 (01:22:25):
It's now seven oh four.

Speaker 6 (01:22:26):
In Washington, President Donald Trump signs an executive order banning
biological men from competing in women's sports.

Speaker 13 (01:22:34):
Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition
of female athletes, and we will not allow men to
beat up, injure.

Speaker 6 (01:22:43):
And cheat our women and our girls.

Speaker 13 (01:22:45):
From now on, women's sports will be only for women.

Speaker 6 (01:22:50):
The order requires the immediate enforcement of the rules and
delivers on yet another campaign promised that Trump made, but
the Trump arrangement syndrome continue. He's only been in office
for about two and a half weeks. Democrats like Houston
Congressman Al Green well, just listen, I will bring.

Speaker 14 (01:23:09):
Articles of impeachment for destarly deeds proposed and destardly deeds done.

Speaker 6 (01:23:14):
You might remember that he did this in twenty seventeen
and didn't go anywhere. That derangement extends to Elon Muskin Doze,
with Democrats like Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett literally becoming unhinged
during an anti Elon protest in DC.

Speaker 15 (01:23:31):
We work for the American people, and what we not
gonna do is stand around. What I'd pull this bull
that they trying to pull right now.

Speaker 6 (01:23:38):
Meantime, the House Overside Committee, of course backing Doge, held
a hearing yesterday on right sizing government. And here's the
proof that Doze is necessary. Millions of your taxpayer dollars
went to subscriptions for the left leaning Politico.

Speaker 16 (01:23:53):
I can confirm that the more than eight million taxpayer
dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to politic
than I'm the American taxpayers dying will no longer be happening.

Speaker 6 (01:24:03):
White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt seven h five on
KTRH also on Capitol Hill, assented hearing on the impacts
of deep banking that took place during the Obama Biden years.

Speaker 17 (01:24:14):
Many small, perfectly legal businesses are no longer in operation.
The people that ran those businesses lost their jobs, lost
their bank accounts.

Speaker 4 (01:24:23):
Not sure what they're doing today.

Speaker 6 (01:24:25):
Lawyer Steven gannon there Another cabinet member is confirmed, HUT
Secretary and former Texas State Rep. Scott Turner fifty five
to forty four vote.

Speaker 36 (01:24:34):
Seven h six.

Speaker 6 (01:24:35):
Now, we told you yesterday that Governor Appid would support
online sports betting if that legislation reaches his desk.

Speaker 4 (01:24:42):
Now the question is will it.

Speaker 18 (01:24:45):
State lawmakers are added again with considering online sports betting
in Texas.

Speaker 19 (01:24:49):
Texas could generate up to five hundred and fifty six
million dollars per buy in them as the market matures.

Speaker 18 (01:24:56):
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry is part of the Texas
Sports Betting Alliance trying to bring legalized online sports wagering
to the lone Star state.

Speaker 19 (01:25:03):
Legalizing mobile sports betting in Texas will finally allow the
state to protect consumers from illego offshore betting sites while
keeping the money generated from betting in Texas to benefit Texans.

Speaker 6 (01:25:15):
Char Lewis News Radio seven forty KRH and on Sunday,
you might be asking yourself while you're watching the Super Bowl,
where's the funny? Super Bowl adds this year are taking
a shift. More brands are focusing on things like body shaming,
health and wellness.

Speaker 7 (01:25:30):
Last year, women represented forty eight percent of Super Bowl viewers,
which was the highest ever. Expected to be hired this year,
and there's an expectation that within a few years there
will be more women watching the Super Bowl than men.

Speaker 6 (01:25:44):
Get this though, seventeen of the fifty one commercials are
coming from fast food, snack and alcohol brands like Taco Bell, Doritos,
and Budweiser, so they're still hope, but less than half
of those commercials are going to be from those brands. Finally,
the Rockets look to snap the four game losing streak
in Minnesota Tonight pregame at six on Sportstock seven ninety.

(01:26:04):
I'm Cliff Saunders on Houston's News Weather in Traffic station KTRH.

Speaker 2 (01:26:09):
Stay Informed, Stay on time.

Speaker 3 (01:26:12):
Houston's Morning News continues with Jimmy Verrett and the Houston
Morning News Team.

Speaker 4 (01:26:19):
Oh yeah, expressways, they're all crowded this morning, seven or eight.
This is our time. It's been a bad morning for driving,
and twenty twenty four was a bad year for driving
in Houston. Three hundred and forty five traffic desks. This
is an all time record. Isn't it funny? Sylvester try
to sign on to that pledge for no traffic desks
by the year twenty thirty. Is if somehow signing some

(01:26:44):
sort of a wish list, he is going to make
driving in Houston any easier. So what would lead to
fewer traffic desks? And we're never going to get to zero?
That's pine the sky. Why would you even sign something
like that? Stupid? The Houston Chronicle was asking the this morning,
what can may or what Mayer do? I don't know.
Can he give you a ride? How is he supposed

(01:27:06):
to reduce traffic desk. I mean, he's not really in
charge of of the roads. I mean, I guess maybe
there's some road improvements in the city itself that might
help get rid of a few traffic desks, make a
few intersections safer. But at the end of the at
the end of the day, what do you think what
would actually improve dangerous roads? Asked you that question, you
went to the iheared radio app ktr H, hit the

(01:27:30):
microphone button and this is what came out.

Speaker 21 (01:27:32):
Jimmy, Jimmy Uber, Mike, very simple, get an uber that way,
you sit here and playing your phone in.

Speaker 3 (01:27:40):
The back, let us do the driving, and you're good
to go.

Speaker 15 (01:27:45):
Well, Jimmy, First of all of the three hundred and
forty five deaths, I would like to know how many
of those were actually called by illegal migrants without any
driver's license. Then we could divide it from there, because
if we can eliminate half of those from people with
no licenses, that we'd be doing okay.

Speaker 4 (01:28:05):
And of course there may be plenty of people who
have a license. Did we give them a road test
if they came from a foreign country, how do we
know that they are qualified drivers other than by age.
And here's the other thing I was thinking of today.
For all of us who still live in Harris County,
you still had to have a small test right on

(01:28:28):
your vehicle, but they didn't do any other safety check.
I'm not big into paying the government, you know, a
fee to go ahead and have my vehicle check to
make sure it's safe. But it's funny to me that
the only thing that we're worried about is how much
smog are vehicles putting in the air. We're not worried
about ball tires, We're not worried about headlights that are out,

(01:28:51):
we're not worried about turn signals that don't work. That
seems to be a little bit more important to me
than the SMAG test seven eleven time for traffic and
whether to go agree with that.

Speaker 5 (01:29:00):
And I've never seen so many I've never seen so
many vehicles without headlights driving around Jimmy and wrong way drivers,
wrong way drivers, people that shouldn't be on the road
at all. And that lady was onto something. I really
truly believe. When you fix the immigration thing, that's gonna
help the freeways quite a bit too. All right, By
the way, do you do you chew tobacco. Have you
ever chewed tobacco? Jimmy chewed, never chewter tipps some. I

(01:29:24):
need some after this Nord Freeway inbound totally shut down,
cross Chimbers. This has been here since the five o'clock hour.

Speaker 4 (01:29:30):
A wrong way driver. I don't know how you did that.

Speaker 5 (01:29:32):
But now we're backed up from Green's Point down Hardy
Toll Road. Inside the from the airport connector is still good.
Outside I'm hearing bad things. Event from Spring says it's terrible.
Around nineteen sixty all the people re routing east text.
We just cleared a wreck inbound before the loop six
' ten. I call that back up all the way
to the north, Sam And if you do the Hardy

(01:29:54):
or the East text, you're still going to hit some traffic.
If you can hit Shepherd, that's better. I understand. We
have a wreck now at Little York. I've got two
different Southwest Freeway problems. Terry, do you smoke cigarettes? Spoony
Chance him bound? I need some. At beech Nut that's cleared. Now,
we have that wreck that's still been there at University.
We're opening up a center lane and that solid breaks

(01:30:15):
from Rosenberg West Park is looking nice this morning. If
you want to do that instead, you'll hit some brakes
at fourteen sixty four, Katie. Not bad for the Katie.
I think I'm gonna stress Seed. I'm backed up from
Graham Parkway on the KDE Skymike. It's your generator Supercenter
dot Com traffics on to.

Speaker 4 (01:30:30):
Day away from the tobacco. You already have stunded growth
from our Katie urh top tax Defenders twenty four hour
Weather Center. Terry is here. No, she doesn't smoke.

Speaker 6 (01:30:41):
I can't smoke.

Speaker 4 (01:30:42):
She might pop a pill or two, but oh honey,
a crazy day mainly mainly pain relief, right.

Speaker 6 (01:30:49):
Or pop a cork or two.

Speaker 4 (01:30:51):
Oh, there you go, liquid pain relief.

Speaker 20 (01:30:53):
Yes, yes, yeah, it's not too bad. Yes, we do
have some fog and spot but it's not everywhere. It's
not tremendously problematic. The closer you are to the coast,
to the Galveston Bay area, that's where we're seeing some
lower visibility and that's what you would expect.

Speaker 6 (01:31:11):
Now here's the thing, folks.

Speaker 4 (01:31:13):
This is going to be going.

Speaker 20 (01:31:13):
On through the rest of this week, likely and a
Sunday as well, before we start to get some rain
and so things will improve in that regard by Monday.

Speaker 6 (01:31:23):
We're dry through Sunday.

Speaker 20 (01:31:25):
Mid seventies to low eighties today and tomorrow upper seventies
to low eighties Saturday and Sunday, and then a thirty
percent chance of showers Monday.

Speaker 4 (01:31:33):
Jepitcher right now remains at sixty nine at your official
severe weather station. News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 3 (01:31:40):
It's Houston's Morning News, brought to you by New South
Windows Solutions. Now back to Jimmy Barrats and the Houston
Morning News team.

Speaker 4 (01:31:48):
All the info you need did take on the day.
So there's a couple of court cases that have me
scratching my head a little bit. One of course, is
all these charges that have been dropped again defendants that
Harris County DA former Harris County DA kim Ogg had
brought indictments against tossed out by the Attorney General. That
one shocked me a little bit. And then we have

(01:32:10):
another case that our friends over at our television partner
KPRSU have been KPRC two partner have been working on
involving the water department where six out of seven and
maybe after today seven seven get a plea deal. And
in many cases, the charges were reduced from felonies to misdemeanors.
I mean, is this like standard operating procedure. I'm kim
Ogg knows the ins and outs of the DEA's office,

(01:32:32):
so we're going to ask her about that in just
a moment. First, though, traffic and weather together, short and cute,
please do Skymike all right, Big.

Speaker 5 (01:32:39):
Rex forty five North, total shutdown at cross Chambers inbound
southwest inbound University both sides of itent Advisor's your slope
from Graham Parkway, hardhats your slope from Lockwood. I'm Skymike
on the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:32:53):
From our KTRH the top tax defenders. Twenty four hour
weathers under becoming partly cloty about eighty for the high
today warning clouds and then partly codi with a high
eight tomorrow right now sixty nine at your officials Severe
weather Station News Radio seven forty k TRH. We're checking
out some of our top stories this morning.

Speaker 6 (01:33:10):
Here's Cliff, Thank you, Jimmy, brought to you by DNM
Auto Leasing. A hearing set for today for the third
of the former Lena Hidalgo staffers charged with rigging a
COVID contract. Aldnist is reportedly considering shutting down seven schools
because of a drop in enrollment. And we told you
yesterday that one hundred thousand organic eggs we're stolen from

(01:33:31):
the back of a Pennsylvania truck. We have an update.
Police are still looking for the robbers. Get the latest
news anytime at KTRH dot com. How do you hide
one hundred thousand eggs? Our next update is at seven
thirty for once on our.

Speaker 26 (01:33:45):
Under construction two eighty eight sixty.

Speaker 3 (01:33:47):
Ten accidents and alternate next on the ten on seven
forty KTRH.

Speaker 4 (01:33:53):
Good one seven twenty three. Our time here in Houston's
boy News, former Harris County DA Kim Obb joins us
to talk about hopefully a couple of cases here. I
guess let's start with the ones where you had broad
charges against members of Lena Hildago's staff that they got
ended up getting tossed by the Attorney general. Did that
surprise you, Yeah, I would say it's a shocker, Jimmy.

Speaker 42 (01:34:15):
The cases were strong against all those staffers. It's pretty
clear that the communications they wrote each other and criminated themselves.
You know, make sure that ut Health doesn't get this bid.
Nothing super complex, just bid rigging at the cost of
about eleven million dollars a million four which went out

(01:34:36):
the door and taxpayers didn't get back. So no restitution, dismissals,
and we'll see some sweet plead deal I'm sure for
Alex Trent Phillis today. I you know, I think that
the taxpayers of Harris County deserved to hear the facts
of those cases. So it's disappointing, But prosecutors see things

(01:34:58):
different ways, and we don't ca control each other. It's discretionary,
and so that's evidently what the assigned prosecutor from the
Attorney General's office thought of these cases. You see a
similar trend though in Shawn Tier's new administration, putting these
water department cases out for no restitution, no money coming
back to taxpayers, even though many of the vendors made

(01:35:21):
a lot of money, and of course Patrice Lee and
her family did very well. You take the money they
stole and divided into the time she's doing, and I
wouldn't call that much of a deterrent to people who
are stealing from taxpayers.

Speaker 4 (01:35:36):
Absolutely not. I mean, that's the sad part of both
of these cases. What kind of message does that send,
not even to taxpayers, but to would be criminals, Hey,
just go ahead and do it. It looks like it's
worth it.

Speaker 42 (01:35:49):
Yeah, I mean, I know that Mayor Whitmyer is really
trying to clean up corruption leftover from the last administration
under Mayor Turner, and these were prime examples of very
simple schemes that netted a lot of criminal proceeds. Over
eight hundred thousand dollars to the principles involved, but the

(01:36:09):
vendors got contracts worth millions and they were direct bribery cases.
So why they're not being ordered to pay back the
people of Harris County. That is remarkable, And I think
that's just part of the relationship based plea dealing that
you're going to see under this new administration instead of
evidence based prosecution, which was my administration's hallmark. You know,

(01:36:33):
these charges were brought after regular people who live in
Harris County indicted these folks on crimes. So it's not
a strong message. It's a low bar for criminals. And
I just want people to know that we think public
corruption is one of the biggest problems in America, whether
it's elections whether it's sealing from the government, whether it's

(01:36:58):
taking advantage of other people. Well, this is a way
that it's a crime that really hurts people and hurts
their trust in.

Speaker 4 (01:37:04):
Government, and more than often enough they get away with it.
And that's of course the big problem. Let me quickly
ask you because we're as usual running out of time,
but I do want to kind of pick your brain
here as a former DA, what goes into the decision
making or what went into the decision making process for
you about whether or not you would do a plea
deal on a case.

Speaker 42 (01:37:24):
It's the strength of the evidence, and that's why prosecutors
can see it differently. Some are less aggressive than others.
I rely a lot.

Speaker 4 (01:37:31):
On our community response.

Speaker 42 (01:37:33):
Since I'm never personally in the grand juries, I have
to rely on what our prosecutors say and about how
regular people receive the information. But I'm a big believer
in regular people deciding the fate of other regular people
who decided to commit crimes. So strength of the evidence

(01:37:54):
is the main one. But I think here you're seeing
a lot of relationship based decisions by this new administration.
Look to who the lawyers are and you'll see a
lot of commonality in the Elevate Strategies case. Sean Tier
and Dan Cogdale were in business together, and of course
mister Cogdale represented General Paxton.

Speaker 4 (01:38:13):
And it just looks wrong, even if it's not.

Speaker 42 (01:38:16):
It appears, like you know, it appears.

Speaker 4 (01:38:20):
Appears to be a conflict of.

Speaker 42 (01:38:21):
Interest, improper it does it does all right?

Speaker 4 (01:38:25):
Thanks, is always good to talk to you appreciate it.
Former Harris County DA Kim Ogg. Seven twenty seven Here
on News Radio seven forty ktrh.

Speaker 26 (01:38:34):
A Houston's News, Why there were traffic plus breaking news
twenty four to seven. This is News Radio seven forty
kt RHILD Everywhere.

Speaker 1 (01:38:44):
With the IRF.

Speaker 3 (01:38:46):
More of what's happening now from the John Morris Services Studios.

Speaker 4 (01:38:50):
Seven thirty our time here on Houston's Morning News. I'm
Jimmy Barrett. Among our top stories this f are that
final Lina Staffer we were just talking about. We'll be
in court today, probably getting a sweetheart deal. The Left
still hating on America. And at seven thirty eight, State
Senator Daniel Creighton makes the case for school choice. Details
in the minutes ahead. First, as you can tell, we're

(01:39:11):
going to check in with Sky Mike it's.

Speaker 5 (01:39:12):
Forty five North Freeway inbound and I've got codals shutdown
at cross Timbers. This reck's been with us since the
five o'clock hour.

Speaker 4 (01:39:20):
Nothing good's happening there.

Speaker 5 (01:39:21):
That was a major head on wrongway driver from this morning,
and I think this will continue to be shut down
at least another hour or so. We've gone to the
Hardytail Road. Hardy is a little thick, but it's moving.
It's a good alternate.

Speaker 4 (01:39:34):
Still.

Speaker 5 (01:39:35):
East TeX's gotten pretty crazy from the Beltway and then
the Southwest Freeway northbound at University. This rex still blocking
two lanes, pure suckage all the way northbound from Rosenberg.
I'm Skymike from the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:39:49):
From our Katie rh Generator Supercenter twenty four hour weather
center becoming partly Claudie today with a high temperature right
about eighty. It's pretty similar forecast throughout the rest of
the work week right into the wee Can temperature right
now still sixty nine at your official severe weather station.
News Radio seven forty k TRH. It's time now for
the news. Here's clip Sanders.

Speaker 6 (01:40:09):
Thank you, Jimmy seven thirty two on KTRHR.

Speaker 4 (01:40:11):
Top story.

Speaker 6 (01:40:12):
Even though charges against two of Harris County Judge Lena
Hidalgo's former staff members were dismissed, there's still one case remaining.
But as we heard moments ago, former Harris County DA
Kim Ogg doesn't expect a different story.

Speaker 29 (01:40:26):
What Texas is seeking.

Speaker 42 (01:40:30):
No restitution, dismissals and we'll see some sweet plead deal,
I'm sure for Alex Trent Phyllis.

Speaker 6 (01:40:36):
Today, reporter Holly Hansen with The Texan has heard the
same thing from her sources.

Speaker 28 (01:40:41):
It could be that his charges are also dismissed, or
it could be that there's some sort of deal in
the works to avoid a jury trial.

Speaker 6 (01:40:49):
These charges have been pending for two plus years now.
Court begins at nine o'clock this morning. More local corruption,
our TV partner Channel two reports that six of the
seven people charged in the City of Houston's water contract
corruption scandal have also made plea deals. At least three
were misdemeanors. One of those came with zero jail time.

(01:41:10):
Seven thirty three on KTRH, Texas Governor Greg Abbott meets
with President Trump in the White House to talk border security.
The governor says the state is still looking for compensation
from the federal government for paying out all that money
to deal with Joe Biden's open borders.

Speaker 29 (01:41:26):
What Texas is seeking is reimbursement to the state of
Texas of about eleven billion dollars have costs incurred over
the past four years because of the unprecedented illegal crossings
that took place that has never before happened.

Speaker 6 (01:41:41):
Abbott says illegal crossings have slowed to a trickle under
President Trump, and after backing down to Trump over tariffs,
Mexico deploys the first of what will be ten thousand
National Guardsmen to the border.

Speaker 4 (01:41:53):
Seven point thirty three.

Speaker 6 (01:41:54):
The President is speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast this morning,
and he delivered on more campaign promises yesterday, signing an
executive order banning men from women's sports. The mainstream media, well,
they have their own spin on this. ESPN called these
athletes a signed bail at birth instead of you know men.

Speaker 30 (01:42:15):
What is so I think particularly pernicious about what ESPN
is doing is buck This ISN'TN eighty twenty nationwide issue,
but it's ninety ten probably for sports fan.

Speaker 6 (01:42:26):
Are On Klay Travis putting ESPN on blast at seven
thirty four. You're certainly seeing a lot of Trump derangement
out there and a lack of love for America by Americans,
especially those in the mainstream media.

Speaker 21 (01:42:39):
What that really says is they want to live in
a dictatorship, where there's a dictatorship or the left that
tells people what to do, like they have in Tuba,
or having the old Soviet Union.

Speaker 6 (01:42:49):
Political analyst Jeffrey Lord told KTRH the good news here
is that Americans are rejecting this ideology. The bad news
is it will take years to root it out completely.
Another mainstream media double standard was exposed this week by
the controversy over the Trump tariffs.

Speaker 31 (01:43:06):
Well, left wing media has been sounding the alarm over
President Trump's new tariffs, even though Joe Biden not only
kept tariffs on China but raise them. Box Business owst
Taylor Riggs says, even Biden couldn't ignore our trade deficit
with China.

Speaker 32 (01:43:17):
The data today's show that we consume double what we produce.
China produces double what they consume. They are just an
advanced manufacturer, We are just a consumer.

Speaker 6 (01:43:28):
You have to fix that.

Speaker 31 (01:43:29):
The Biden administration increased tariffs on fifteen billion dollars of
Chinese imports just last year, but you probably didn't hear
as much about that. Corey Eelsen New's Radio seven forty
KTR eight.

Speaker 4 (01:43:39):
Thank you, Corey.

Speaker 6 (01:43:40):
The Trump Administration's transparency has the mainstream media struggling to
keep up. Jeff McCall with DePaul University says, the media
has a bad seat at the table now and other
platforms are stealing the show.

Speaker 33 (01:43:53):
I think it's probably good for the nation to have
the Trump administration encouraging new media to get a voice
in the game number one, because that's where the audience is.
But also it allows them to reach a lot of
people who've just given up on establishment media.

Speaker 4 (01:44:07):
He says.

Speaker 6 (01:44:07):
The administration recognizes these new avenues like podcasts are their
way to get the news out to people. Seven point
thirty six In Austin, the state Senate passes school Choice
nineteen to twelve. It now goes on to the House
where Speaker Dustin Burrows claims he'll take it up more.

Speaker 4 (01:44:23):
At eight o'clock.

Speaker 6 (01:44:24):
The governor says he wants to see at least ten
billion dollars more put towards property tax cuts during this
legislative session, and the squeeze put on counties like Harris
for using loopholes to jack up your rates by more
than eight percent.

Speaker 34 (01:44:38):
If a taxing unit wants to raise your property taxes,
say eight percent, as Harris County, actually raise it more
than that, and I think the governor was alluding to
Harris County. I think a super majority of voters' approval
makes a lot of sense.

Speaker 6 (01:44:54):
Jennifer rab with the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association on
Austin television. Car insurance rates are rising across the country.
That's the bad news. The good news is those hikes
are coming at a slower rate in Texas thanks to
light regulation.

Speaker 22 (01:45:10):
So they have allowed the insurance comings of the world
to add a little bit, take a little rate here
on the homes, on the auto because all that stuff
has went on.

Speaker 6 (01:45:18):
State Farm's Michael Johnson there seven thirty seven. The Astro
spring training truck is being loaded up today and then
sent off to Florida. The first workout for pitchers and
catchers is next Thursday. The first full team workout, whether
or without Alex Bregman Jimmy, is on the eighteenth. I'm
Cliff Saunders on Houston's News Weather in traffic station News

(01:45:39):
Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 3 (01:45:42):
The very latest on your way to work. This is
Houston's Morning News with Jimmy Barrett.

Speaker 4 (01:45:50):
Well, keep being true to your school, of your school's
being true to your kid and giving them a decent education.
Otherwise you should have school choice and only it has
not had a problem working its way through the Texas Senate.
Yesterday it got up vote. Here is State Senator Brandan
Creighton making the case in the Texas Center for School Choice.

(01:46:13):
Hanging on a second, where'd he go? Let me find
him real quick? Oh, they could lose him one moment. Please, Well,
I attempted. There it is. Here is State Senator Brandan Creighton.

Speaker 8 (01:46:24):
We're going to provide more money for public schools, but
in Houston Independent School District without new funding and with
two thousand less administrators since the state has taken over
the district, with new processes, new curriculum, incredible accountability, teachers

(01:46:44):
that are bought in because those that weren't are gone,
and everyone working together as a team. One hundred and
thirty nine DNF rated schools, a year later one hundred
and twenty one DNF rated school and a year later
less than thirty nine.

Speaker 4 (01:47:05):
Oh and a bond went down. Don't forget that. I
think the.

Speaker 8 (01:47:07):
Classrooms that I've been sitting in were built in nineteen
forty nine and have had a couple of chillers since then.

Speaker 1 (01:47:16):
Yes, they didn't need that help, but with two.

Speaker 8 (01:47:19):
Thousand less administrators and not much new funding, the outcomes
for those kids that have been left behind for years
and years are skyrocketing, and we have a chance to
provide opportunities for more that are trapped in a zip
code because politicians arbitrarily decided that.

Speaker 4 (01:47:44):
Maybe I'm being picky, but it sounds to me he's
kind of more made the case for state run schools,
a state school takeover, than he did for school choice.
But no, I understand what he's saying. Here's the question,
what is the House going to do? That's where it
got stuck last time. That's that's where it got left
to die. There's been a comment evidently for it to

(01:48:05):
come up for a vote, but not necessarily right away.
In fact, he's just been promised that it will come
up sometime this session. If they were really serious about
passing school choice, I would like to think that they'd
be voting on the Senate bill like today or tomorrow,
but they're not seven forty. Time for traffic and weather together.
Let's check out that drive again. You've been a busy

(01:48:26):
boy this morning, sky Man. I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:48:27):
Who's more stress this morning, me trying to keep up
with your accidents. Are you actually in all these spackles?
But even the golf weall's got some problems. Our big story, Terry,
can we smoke cigars? Nord Freeway inbound at cross Timbers
that is, let's see, all lanes are still blocked here.
It's nothing but a pack up from the Beltway. A
lot of you diverting over to the Hardy toll road.

(01:48:48):
And he vet from Spring says the Hardy. I vet
from Spring tells me the Hardy.

Speaker 39 (01:48:53):
Looking horrible right at nineteen.

Speaker 5 (01:48:55):
It's just everybody moving to the side here East Text.
It's awfully thick too, from the Beltway down to the Loop.
At least we cleared that wreck that helps. This North
Freeway problem at cross Timbers isn't going away soon. Southwest
Freeway northbound, we're still holding that University call it too
right lanes, it's easing a little. From Rosenberg. I would
still jump on Grand Parkway. Take alt ninety instead and

(01:49:17):
when you're in that backup even before the Beltway, the
forty five North Freeway.

Speaker 4 (01:49:21):
Roger from Magnolia Accordion. Things like Mama spleebop.

Speaker 5 (01:49:25):
No daddy never sleeps at night. East Sam, it's all
packed up now. From ninety down Chris from Rosenberg Mike,
Dude south bound at this net there's two car scrunch
up West Sam.

Speaker 2 (01:49:35):
No Ninja's on the scene.

Speaker 5 (01:49:36):
Oh, extra points for Verbiage and Katie Freeway even the
Katie Freeway time from Katie.

Speaker 23 (01:49:41):
Hey, Good morning, sky Mike, IM ninety nine.

Speaker 6 (01:49:45):
The main lanes look like some major suckeings.

Speaker 4 (01:49:47):
How about a peace pipe inbound?

Speaker 5 (01:49:49):
That's all breaks now to Barker Cypress make that Eldridge
Parkway and we are dragging it.

Speaker 4 (01:49:54):
You lose twenty minutes this way.

Speaker 5 (01:49:56):
Skymike on the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:49:59):
From our KTRH Generator super Center twenty four. Our weather
Center Terry Smith is here. The weather is pretty stress
free today.

Speaker 20 (01:50:06):
Oh yeah, yeah, my job is fairly easy by comparison
to sky MIC's because our weather's quiet. There's not a
lot of change. So here's your cigar. Skymike you need
one today. Yeah, we'll see the clouds then out turn
out partly cloudy today, same thing tomorrow, clouds early on,
then some sunshine. Temperatures today and tomorrow mid seventies to

(01:50:27):
low eighties.

Speaker 6 (01:50:28):
Springtime continues.

Speaker 20 (01:50:30):
The weekends still dry, even warmer, upper seventies to low
eighties over the weekend. Now starting Monday, we've got summarin
a thirty percent chance of some showers. Temperatures load to
mid seventies Monday, and looks like we could see a
little bit more in the way of some cooler temperatures
early next week. But we're going to keep an eye
on that situation.

Speaker 4 (01:50:50):
Okay, right down sixty nine, did your official severe weather station?
News Radio seven forty KTRH what you need to know
for the day ahead.

Speaker 3 (01:50:59):
This is Houston's Morning News, brought to you by New
South Windows Solutions. So a recent poll surveyed twelve hundred
Texas adults found more than seventy percent of Texans support
the legalization of destination resort casinos and more than sixty
percent in the state support the sale and use of
marijuana for recreational purposes. We'll talk to Mark Jones at

(01:51:22):
Brice University. He was part of the study. We'll talk
to him about the results next. First, though, traffic and
weather togethers we check out with Skymike.

Speaker 5 (01:51:29):
We still have that problem and it's going to be
around North Freeway inbound. All lanes are shut down at
cross Timbers. This was a head on from a wrong
way driver. Hots All breaks from Greens Road southbound. Hartington
Road is improving somewhat. Southwest Freeway hold that wreck at
University northbound.

Speaker 4 (01:51:44):
A lot of breaks coming up from Rosenberg.

Speaker 5 (01:51:46):
I'm Skymichael the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:51:49):
From our KTRH Generator Supercenter twenty four hour weather Center.
Becoming partly cloude already on our way there about eighty
degrees for the height today morning clouds than partly clotte
eighty tomorrow partly about eighty on Saturday and Sunday both days.
Right now, temperature is still at sixty nine at your
official severe weather station, News Radio seven forty KTRH. Time

(01:52:09):
to check out some of our top trending Thursday morning stories.
Here's Cliff, Thank you, Jimmy.

Speaker 6 (01:52:13):
We're sponsored by Tomorrow Mechanical As expected, school choice passes
the Texas Senate Attorney General Ken Paxton requests a list
of documents from two state isds, Dallas ISD and Irving ISD,
to make sure that those districts are not allowing boys
to compete in girls sports. And the iconic Willie Nelson
Mural in Austin has been torn down. The building demolished

(01:52:36):
to make room four a high rise. Get the latest
news anytime at KTRH dot com. Our next update is
at eight o'clock.

Speaker 1 (01:52:44):
I live in clear Lake.

Speaker 4 (01:52:45):
Humble, reliable KTRH traffic and weather.

Speaker 2 (01:52:49):
Next on the ten. Well, there you.

Speaker 4 (01:52:53):
Go, seven fifty two, our time here on Houston's morning.
This survey's rather interesting. Now it's only twelve hundred Texans.
Obviously we have a lot of people live in Texas,
so I wanted first we should talk about the methodology
here because I think some people will be surprised to
find out that sixty percent support the sale and use
of marijuana for recreational purposes and seventy percent of Texans
support destination resort casinos. Mark joined Jones with us from

(01:53:18):
Rice University. You're part of the study, I guess let's
start with the sample size. Is twelve hundred enough to
get a good field. These weren't all in Austin, were they?

Speaker 23 (01:53:26):
Now they're They're representative of all Texans. So yeah, in
survey research, at twelve hundred is a very good number
to give you a representative sample of what Texas adults
think about an issue.

Speaker 4 (01:53:37):
Okay, were you surprised at the results that they did?
Support was so high?

Speaker 23 (01:53:42):
This is a little higher than we've seen in the past,
but it's pretty much trending in that we see we've
seen strong support for both destination resort casinos as well
as for particularly medical marijuana. And then let's support a
little lower in majority, but not a substantial majority, favoring
the legalization of recreational marijuana and things like online sports betting.

Speaker 4 (01:54:04):
Okay, So, was the study done just to take the
temperature of Texans? Are you? Or maybe is there some
hope here that once these results are shared with the
state legislature, they may get off the dime on these
two issues.

Speaker 23 (01:54:18):
Well, No, this survey isn't done for any advocacy. This
is something the Hobby School at the University of Houston
does every two years at the start of the biennial
legislative session, and it asked Texans about issues that have
on bills that have already been filed or are likely
to be filed. And in this case, we already have
legislation filed to legalize marijuana, to legalize recreational and medical marijuana,

(01:54:42):
and to legalize destination resort casinos as well as online
sports betting. And the goal of the survey is to
sort of understand, Okay, where do Texans stand on these issues? Well,
of course we asked about a host of other issues
like education, savings accounts, and property text relief, but this
report was focused on on marijuana legalization and gambling legalization.

Speaker 4 (01:55:03):
Okay, do you break it down to ask any questions
about political affiliations? In other words, do we know what
percentage of this would be Democrats for example, versus Republicans.

Speaker 23 (01:55:11):
Well, and so there's some pretty strong differences if we
depend on whether we're talking about gambling or marijuana on
casino gambling, and there's pretty much strong bipartisan support. Three
quarters of Texans support it, three quarters of Democrats support it,
three quarters of Republicans support it. It's very different though,
if we say, look at the legalization of medical look

(01:55:33):
at the legalization of recreational marijuana. A large majority of
Democrats support that. Republicans are split pretty much fifty to fifty.
Half oppose it, half support it. And then if you
look at groups like Evangelical Protestants, Evangelical Protestants, a majority
of them oppose the legalization of recreational marijuana.

Speaker 4 (01:55:52):
Okay, the Evangelicals, how did they come down on gambling,
because you would think they probably would oppose that too.

Speaker 23 (01:56:00):
It's not. The support isn't as strong for gambling as
it is among other groups, But a majority of Evangelical
Christians are in favor of the creation of destinations our casinos.
They tend to be a little more lukewarm on online
sports betting.

Speaker 4 (01:56:14):
It's interesting. It makes you wonder why it's been so
difficult for the you know, for the state legislature to
deal with that particular issue because they lieutenant governor won't
even bring it up.

Speaker 23 (01:56:25):
Well, yeah, I think the lieutenant governor there's looks at
when he when he looks at the issue of casino gambling,
he looks at the pros and benefits, things like more
jobs and more tax revenue. But then he also looks
at the costs, that is, there are negative social costs.
Whenever you legalize gambling.

Speaker 5 (01:56:41):
Uh.

Speaker 23 (01:56:42):
The governor uh, and I think the House Speaker see
more pros than cons to casino gambling. The Lieutenant Governor
and the majority of the of the Republicans of the
Texas Senate still see more costs than they see benefits.

Speaker 4 (01:56:55):
Interesting stuff. Thank you as always, Mark, good to talk
to you from Rice University. Mark Jones, I'll have a
great day. We'll see tomorrow morning, bright and early at five,
and I'll see you, I hope this afternoon four on
the AM nine fifty KPRC