Biden visits Austin; Texas polling shows school voucher support

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- President Joe Biden's visit to Austin to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 came at another historic moment that's not without precedent.

Sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Biden told the nation in a televised address last week that the "best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation." Five days later, the president visited the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, where the landmark Civil Rights Act is currently on display. It's Biden's first major trip since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and Biden's bout with COVID-19.

It also echoes another Oval Office exit.

On March 31, 1968, Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson, from the Texas Hill Country, gave a nationwide address from the Oval Office announcing he wouldn't seek a second term.

"I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president," Johnson said in a surprise decision that came amid anger over the Vietnam War.

Political expert Joshua Blank watched Biden's speech last week. He and other historians see parallels between the two former senators-turned VP-then president. Both Johnson and Biden faced doubts over their electability and pressure from their own party to step aside. Both were also praised for their decision to not seek reelection.

Biden said he has "always admired" LBJ's philosophy and the purpose he found in public service.

"I thought, in and of itself, it was historical," said Blank, when asked about Biden's rare, but not unprecedented Oval Office speech. "It was a moment of living history."

New poll shows most Texas voters support private school subsidies

A new survey of Texas voters revealed contradictory feelings about school vouchers, a contentious issue that could dominate next year's legislative session.

These results came out Monday from the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs and the Executive Master of Public Administration Program in the Barbara Jordan–Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. The survey sought to find out how a group of 2,257 voters felt about both school vouchers and education savings accounts (ESAs).

The survey showed 65% of Texans support the adoption of legislation that would provide school vouchers to all parents in Texas, with 33% strongly supporting this legislation. Meanwhile, 69% of Texans said they'd support a plan to create ESAs for all parents in the state.

"What we found is roughly two-thirds of Texans support school vouchers or ESAs for all parents, and that's across all racial and ethnic groups, with support being a little stronger among African Americans and a little lower among white Texans — although the gap among white Texans is due mostly to partisanship," said Mark Jones, one of the survey's principal investigators.

At the same time, though, pollsters found similar amounts of voters agreed with long-held criticisms of such measures. For instance 66% of Texans agreed that vouchers as well as ESAs funnel away money from already struggling public schools.

"I think what it reflects is that it's not that Texans aren't aware of these critiques that are lodged against vouchers, and in fact, many of them agree with these critiques," Jones said, "but in spite of those critiques, they still support voucher legislation because in their cost-benefit analysis, the pros outweigh the cons."

Multiple efforts to approve ESAs failed during the 2023 regular legislative session because of an unwavering blockade from Democrats and some rural Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives. This led to Gov. Greg Abbott backing GOP challengers during the March primaries and May runoffs to unseat some incumbents who opposed his push for private school subsidies. The governor ultimately came out successful in most races, claiming he should now have the votes in the Texas House to pass his priority item.

State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, serves as the chairwoman of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee. She said this issue could give her party's candidates an opening, particularly in tough swing districts.

"Yes, the governor took out some of his pro-public school Republican candidates, and that left us with opportunities," Hinojosa said Tuesday. "Now, as Democrats, we need to pick up about three more seats to defeat the governor's voucher scam yet again and to save our neighborhood public schools."

She also said she's skeptical of the survey's findings, claiming it doesn't match what she's hearing from Texas voters.

"What I have heard from Texans — Republicans, Democrats, rural, urban, and that is strong support for our public schools and a desire to finally invest the taxpayer dollars that we already send to Austin into our neighborhood public schools," Hinojosa said.

On Tuesday afternoon Abbott's press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, released a statement celebrating the survey's findings.

"When it comes to education, parents matter, and families deserve the ability to choose the best education opportunities for their children," Mahaleris said. "Governor Abbott will not rest until Texans have their voices heard and school choice is the law of the land."

An August 12 committee hearing could provide a preview of what’s to come on the issue during next year’s regular legislative session. According to an agenda posted online recently, members will in part look into “the use of education savings accounts in other states and make recommendations for a Texas program, including suggestions on eligibility and prioritization of applicants.”

'He's not stopping!' investigation leads to new look at crosswalk crash, Texas law

Krystal Morris grabbed Rudy's leash; He knew instantly it was time for their morning walk, something the two did every day before Morris went to work. 

"He was jumping up at me and ready to go," she said of her rescue pup.

She remembers the warm June morning and clear blue sky — the calmness of her eclectic neighborhood tucked away in east Dallas away from the hustle and bustle of downtown.

As she made her way back to her apartment, she crossed a four-way stop. The next few moments were chaotic. She dropped the leash. 

"He's not stopping! He's not stopping," Morris remembers repeating in her head. "I threw my hands up and I screamed!"

Police body camera video, which Morris shared with KXAN investigators, showed the driver explaining to an officer what happened in that crosswalk. 

"It was the sun," he said. "I didn't see her."

In the crash report, police explained that the driver struck Morris with his white pickup in June 2022 — almost a year after Texas passed a new law making it a crime to kill or hurt someone in a crosswalk.

Meta agrees to $1.4B settlement with Texas for biometric data usage in Facebook images

Meta has agreed to pay Texas a record $1.4 billion in settlement funds over the state’s lawsuit claiming the tech giant used biometric data of users without their permission, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday.

The lawsuit said that Meta violated a Texas law that prohibits capturing or selling a resident’s biometric information — which includes facial recognition technology or fingerprints — without their consent. The legal challenge dates back to 2022.

“This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the world’s biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans’ privacy rights,” Paxton said in a statement.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Meta said: “We are pleased to resolve this matter, and look forward to exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers.”