I'm just in Dane with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics
and policy from the Texas Tribune. A Texas A and M University department head
involved in the failed efforts to recruit a black journalism professor said Friday that then
President M Katherine Banks interfered in the hiring process and that race was a factor
in university official's decision to water down her job offer. Hart Blanton, head
of the Department of Communications in Journalism, said, I understand it to be
illegal for any employer, much less a public university, to subject a job
candidate to strict your scrutiny due to her race or caller. Doctor Kathleen McElroy,
a nineteen eighty one Texas A and M graduate and former director of the
University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism, turned down an offer to reboot
A m's journalism program earlier this month. After a fraught negotiation process, first
reported by The Texas Tribune, what originally was a ten year track offer was
reduced to a one year position, from which she could be fired at any
time. McElroy ultimately walked away from the negotiations, saying the final offer makes
it clear they don't want me here. The collapse of the hire sparked outraging
concerns about academic freedom from faculty and comes. As universities are facing scrutiny over
their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Some conservatives have recently labeled programs and
schools of thought that center on the perspectives of people of color as woke ideologies
that make white students feel guilty for the country's history of racism. Legislation to
purge state university's d EI offices was signed into law last month and goes into
effect in January. The A and M system recently began a system wide audit
of all d EI offices in response to the new law. As the entire
state sees blazing temperatures that only keep climbing, farmers are questioning whether the summer's
weather will lead to another busted year. The heat has been unrelenting across the
state. Last month, there were an unusually high number of days when temperatures
were above a hundred degrees. The High Plains region, which includes Lubbock,
has experienced whiplash first an astounding amount of rain earlier this year. Two hundred
percent of the normal rainfall in the Panhandle and one hundred and thirty percent in
the Lubac area. That early rain helped keep the region slightly cooler than the
rest of the state at the start of the summer. The current US rout
monitor shows most of the region is clear from drought, but now sweltering heat
waves are sapping the moisture from the ground. There are also concerns about how
crops and livestocks are getting relief from the heat at night. Victor Murphy,
Climate Service program manager with a National Weather Service says unless some rainfall appears soon,
these high temperature anomalies will increase through the end of July. That would
be devastating for the high plains. The region's economy took a big hit last
summer when the drought caused billions of dollars in losses, which has pushed farmers
to lobby for a dish disaster assistance in the twenty twenty three farm bill.
With Farm Bill discussions under way, Senator John Cornyan visited Lubbeck to talk about
the high stakes legislation that pays for crop insurance, as well as the usdya's
World Development programs and the nation's food subsidy program, known as SNAP. The
massive legislation is projected to reach one trillion dollars. The deadline for the farm
bill is September thirtieth, though Cornyan said that his colleagues are indicating they may
need more time. He said crop insurance funding is one of his priorities for
the legislation. We have a big favor to ask. Would you go to
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I'm Justin Dane for the Texas Tribune. You've been briefed. Today's brief
is brought to you by Educate Texas. Educate Texas stimulates creative solutions to key
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At the twenty twenty three Texas Tribune Festival, happening September twenty first through
the twenty third in Austin, one hundred newly announced speakers join an already stellar
lineup who will debate new ideas and take on big issues that matter to Texans
and the nation. Learn more at Tribfest dot org.