The Texas Report 8/18

The Texas Report 8/18

What’s Happening:

• Texas Grid Operator asks Texans to reduce energy use and deploys emergency response services (More here)

• New allegations from the House impeachment managers regarding suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton (More here)

• Kyle Rittenhouse launches nonprofit with fair-right Texans. (More here)

• Man accused of shooting Harris County deputy taken into custody after standoff (More here)

  The Texas State Library & Archives Commission cuts ties with American Library Association (More here)

Texas Grid Operator asks Texans to reduce energy use and deploys emergency response services

Yesterday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) was forced to engage its emergency system after electricity reserves dropped below the critical 3,000 megawatt level due to increased power demand.

Power usage was projected to hit 87,083 megawatts today, which would be a new record high amidst a summer of several record highs.

The Emergency Response Service (ERS) helps decrease the likelihood of system-wide load shedding by paying qualified entities to make arrangements with residential, commercial and industrial participants to either reduce consumption or increase generation across the grid.

"ERCOT is requesting Transmission Operators to implement distribution voltage reduction measures if available," it said in a notice.

ERCOT said it expected lower power reserves due to reduced wind generation.

Discount Power, the largest U.S. retail electricity provider and ERCOT have both urged consumers to conserve in preparation for high demand.

This the second request by ERCOT this summer to lower demand, and while the call doesn’t mean the grid is in emergency conditions it’s a way for operators to still lower demand when conditions are tight.

Electricity users have exceeded the record for power demand on the state’s main grid 10 times so far this summer, according to ERCOT data. This is in part because the state has continued to grow, but it also reflects how the extreme heat has tested the state’s power system.

New allegations from the House Impeachment Managers regarding suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton

Texas House impeachment managers have submitted nearly 4,000 pages of exhibits before next month's impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The Texas Senate published the exhibits Thursday night, and the documents provide more detail regarding Paxton's alleged abuse of office to help Nate Paul, an Austin real estate developer and campaign donor.

Some of the new accusations include Paul setting up a fake Uber account on Paxton's behalf so that he could visit his mistress. The account was under the name "Dave P." House impeachment managers said that Paul hired Paxton's mistress in his Austin firm so Paxton wouldn't have to travel to her home in San Antonio.

In total, from the recent data dump, there are:

• 150 exhibits across three documents totaling 3,760 pages.

• Interviews with Paxton's former personal aide said he ferried documents to Paul on Paxton's behalf and witnessed conversations about the renovations to Paxton's home that suggested Paul had paid for it.

• Emails show Paul directing a special prosecutor authorized by Paxton (at Paul's request) to investigate Paul's business rivals and law enforcement officials that raided his home.

• Memoranda documenting instances where Paxton's senior advisers unsuccessfully urged him to cut ties with Paul, whom they suspected was a liar and criminal.

The Senate posted the exhibit records Thursday night, and they can be found here https://senate.texas.gov/coi.php

The trial begins September 5th, and a special committee is reviewing the motions and responses. That committee has until August 28th to prepare a report with recommendations for "trial judge" Dan Patrick. Assuming all 12 Democrats oppose Paxton's motions to dismiss, impeachment managers must convince at least four of the 19 Republican senators to side with the Democrats and clear the way for the trial.

Paxton's lawyer has called for 19 of the 20 articles of impeachment to be dismissed. They argue that all but one charge occurred before he began his new term, and voters had information on those issues but voted for him anyway.

In the new information, the House alleges that Paxton allowed Nate Paul "to hold the OAG hostage for his gain" by insisting top OAG officials work with him "to harness the OAG's criminal powers to derail a federal criminal investigation into Paul and his companies."

This is shaping up to be one of the most important moments in Texas history, and depending on the result, Paxton still faces state and federal charges with an upcoming October 6th state court hearing in Harris County.

Conservative activists, including the leadership of Empower Texans (now Defend Texas Liberty) and the Texas Scorecard, recently released a documentary alleging the Texas House is run by Democrats.

The 35-minute documentary interviews Ken Paxton, current and former conservative Texas House members, and other advocates. Essentially, the premise is to paint the Texas House since its leadership under Joe Strauss as controlled by Democrats. It targets current Speaker Dade Phelan and twelve other Republican allies as the major enablers behind the "perceived control by Democrats."

The misconception that Democrats run the Texas House is probably a conversation for another day. This documentary does give a firm idea of which legislators are most at risk for high-profile Republican primaries against Empower Texan-approved candidates. Republicans have had some of their most successful legislative sessions under Phelan's leadership, and many of the issues that the documentary blames for not getting done are because the votes aren't there amongst members of the Republican Party.

Kyle Rittenhouse launches nonprofit with fair-right Texans.

Kyle Rittenhouse, the conservative activist well known after being acquitted of killing two Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020, has decided to up his political involvement in Texas politics through a new nonprofit.

In his filing with the Texas Secretary of State's office, he described "The Rittenhouse Foundation" as a nonprofit that "protects human and civil rights secured by law, including an individual's inalienable right to bear arms" and "ensures the Second Amendment is preserved through education and legal assistance."

The foundation's directors include Shelby Griesinger, current treasurer for Defend Texas Liberty Pac, and the law firm of Tony McDonald. Defend Texas Liberty Pac is run by former State Representative Jonathan Stickland and is essentially the new version of Empower Texans. The PAC focuses on primarying Republicans seen as moderate and has also spent thousands in a campaign against the decisions of the Texas House to impeach Ken Paxton.

Amid some speculation, Stickland confirmed his and Rittenhouse's partnership on X:

Rittenhouse moved to Texas last year and quickly got involved with anti-gun control groups like Texas Gun Rights. Additionally, he recently endorsed Andy Hopper, who's the primary challenger for Representative Lynn Stucky (R-Denton).

There's not much more information about this new group. Still, conservatives in Texas led by oil billionaire Tim Dunn have begun investing in organizations to try and bring more youth into the conservative movement.

Man accused of shooting Harris County deputy taken into custody after standoff

Officials said that the man accused of shooting a Harris County sheriff's deputy was taken into custody after a standoff on Thursday.

Terran Green, 34, is now charged with three counts of attempted capital murder. He spent hours barricaded in a residence near a high school after shots were fired Thursday evening, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

At the time of the standoff, the Harris County Sheriff said a hostage negotiation team and SWAT team were working to get Green out.

"Right now, we've got him located and a tight perimeter around him," said Sheriff Gonzalez.

According to HCSO, two law enforcement officers were shot and transported to hospitals.]Officials issued a Texas Blue Alert Wednesday evening after 29-year-old Harris County sheriff's deputy Joseph Anderson was shot during a traffic stop. Police said they were looking for 34-year-old Terran Green and 37-year-old James Green in connection with the shooting.

The injured deputy was transported by air ambulance to a Houston-area hospital in critical condition. According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Anderson underwent successful surgery on Wednesday night. While he remains in critical condition Thursday, he is stable and is said to be improving.

According to Houston Crime Stoppers, James Green was apprehended sometime Thursday morning, questioned, and released. The second man, Terran Green, remained at large Thursday and is considered by law enforcement to be armed and dangerous.

The cash reward issued for the man wanted in connection with the shooting of a Harris County sheriff's deputy is now at $45,000.

The deputy has been with the sheriff's office for about 15 months, Gonzalez said.

Meanwhile, law enforcement across the state continues the search for Terran Green.

Green is Black, 5 feet, 4 inches tall, and 180 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a gray shirt and green shorts.

Additionally, Governor Abbott announced a reward of $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of individuals involved in the shooting.

To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities using one of the following methods:

• Call the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477)

• Submit a web tip through the Texas 10 Most Wanted website

• Submit a tip through the DPS Mobile App

All tips are anonymous regardless of how they are submitted, and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office also said anyone with information about the incident or the suspects involved can call the department at 346-286-2192.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/the-cash-reward-issued-for-a-man-wanted-in-connection-with-the-shooting-of-a-harris-county-sheriffs-deputy-is-now-at-45000/3318453/