Daily Dispatch 4/11/24: Ted Cruz Podcast Income Skirts Campaign Finance Law, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Two advocacy groups have asked the Federal Election Commission to look into Ted Cruz's podcast income, which may have been sent to a PAC supporting his re-election illegally: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/ted-cruz-podcast-campaign-finance-complaint/ The Texas Education Agency is planning to replace up to $20 million in human labor in STAAR Test scoring with AI: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/09/staar-artificial-intelligence-computer-grading-texas/ TODAY AT 11AM - Join Progress Texas and the Trade Justice Education Fund to rally against an oil polluter who is challenging a decision made in Quebec, Canada against a new LNG terminal: https://tradejusticeedfund.org/events/texas-rally-against-ruby-rivers-isds-attack-on-climate-action/ A lawsuit by three Black Texas DPS troopers, accusing the agency of racial discrimination, can move forward this summer: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/black-troopers-discrimination-lawsuit-19396537.php A Louisiana gun company, hired by multiple North Texas law enforcement agencies to destroy unwanted guns, has instead been stripping them for parts, which are then sold online: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/i-team-guns-sent-off-by-texas-police-departments-to-be-destroyed-were-stripped-of-parts-and-sold-online/ Solar energy deployment in Texas continues to lead the nation and is now closing in on natural gas as the most sensible source and solution: https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/04/09/solar-is-beginning-to-sunset-natural-gas-use-in-texas/ ...It's already a major component of the overall electical supply during daylight hours: https://cleantechnica.com/2024/04/09/texas-solar-power-growth-changing-the-shape-of-daily-electricity-supply-in-ercot/ Progress Texas invites progressive candidates to share their views with us - which we'll then share with our statewide audience - via our Certified Progressive questionnaire: https://progresstexas.org/blog/progress-texas-certified-progressives-2024-progressive-values-questionnaire Instagram users: be sure to enable political content on that platform, which has begun opting users out: https://x.com/ProgressTX/status/1771276124498100667?s=20 Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at https://progresstexas.org/.