Random Friday Morning Thoughts

And the brutal marathon began. 

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• We have an arrest and a confession in Wise County's newest murder case. Gift link. 
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
• There was a head-on wreck on FM 1810 just east of Chico last night. Two elderly people were transported by Air Evac while one child was transported by ground ambulance. 
  
  
  
• We almost had a school drowning yesterday morning. 
  
  
  
• Wise County needs an active and local Democratic Party with leadership.  It could be be called on to make suggestions for various appointments over the next four years by the governor's office. 
• It's not much of a consolation prize for him, but there were at least three not guilty verdicts in there: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Well, this is odd. Trump's Justice Department is snooping around in the internal workings of the Supreme Court about something that probably isn't even a crime. 
  
  
  
• Election Quick Hits: 
• The only person in this picture not kicked out of office was Dustin Burrows. 
  

  
  
  
•  Gina Hinojosa had her first press conference yesterday. 
  
  
  
• That's a really good question.  
  
  
  
• The borders will be fine, but state troopers will no longer see the overtime pay gravy train that was Operation Lone Star. 
  
  
  
• Incredibly surprising fun fact. 
  
  
  
• Crazy Ronny Jackson won re-election as expected, but the margin of victory was slashed by 16 points from 2024. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Ted Cruz was on Hannity and said that "I went to Best Buy this afternoon, I walked in and three people there were almost in tears expressing shock."
  
  
  
• Let's check on Trump yesterday and his messaging for damage control for the election disaster. 
  
  
  
• Pete Hegeth put out an embarrassing five minute video yesterday to try and save his job. It was al done for an audience of one. 
  
• The Business Second™. The ugliest vehicle on the road is no more. 
  
  
  
• He rejected a plea bargain of eight years in the pen. I can see why.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Legal stuff: The lone federal judge in the Amarillo Division went off on a lawyer this week for AI usage and for just being a bad lawyer. And he even mentioned her by name. (Full PDF.)
  
  
  
• Lauren Whitener Clock: 7 years and 126 days.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

And this was a Wise County case. 

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• I'm not sure I've ever seen a law enforcement agency release a photo of the face of an actual dead body before, but it happened yesterday.  It worked. 
  
  
  
• And they first met in Canada. 
  
• A couple of stories that got bumped yesterday because of election coverage here. 
• Horrible. This happened in a smaller town just south of Pittsburgh, PA. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• This is not what I was expecting him to look like. 
  
  
  
• How bad was the beating that Republicans took in Tarrant County? Well . . . 
  
  
  
• And this is the luckiest man in Tarrant County for the sole reason that he wasn't on the ballot on Tuesday. 
  
  
  
• So how did Trump respond to the political beating that he received on election day?
• And he appeared exhausted. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Then later he turned to a really serious issue.
  
  
  
• This will not be your mother's Texas attorney general: 
• No more being MAGA-driven. 
  
• And then there's this: 
  
  
  
  
• The Texas legislature will meet in just a couple of months and there's a whole lot of "back to the drawing board" going on right now. 
  
  
  
  
• Ok, that's a funny headline. 
  
  
  
• Yesterday, there were oral arguments before the nine member Texas Supreme Court when only hours beforehand four of the judges found out they will be out of a job on January 1st. All four dutifully showed up for work.
• Breaking sports news. Oh, my. 
  
  
  
• Sports which I bumped from yesterday:
• Momma let her daughter and her Tommy Boy husband buy out her part of the Mavericks. 
  
  
  
• A player who followed his coach to the coach's new gig in Argyle was disqualified because an assistant at Liberty coached the kid last summer on 7 on 7. That's apparently against the rules. 
  
  
  
  
• Messenger - Above the Fold

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

TEXAS, MY TEXAS!: I DON'T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW!

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• I don't think people fully realize what happened last night:
• Gov. Greg Abbott - Gone
  
  
  
• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick - Gone
  
  
  
• There is a new Democratic Attorney General ("MAGA" Mayes Middleton lost)
• There is a new Democratic Land Commissioner
• There is a new Democratic Comptroller
• There is a new Democratic Agriculture Commissioner
• There is a new New Democratic Railroad Commissioner (Bo French got blown out. )
  
  
  
• All four Republican Supreme Court Judges up for re-election - Gone
  
  
  
  
• Three Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge positions: All Republicans gone. 
• And maybe the biggest shocker at all: Democrats will now control the House in the Texas Legislature. (This graphic is unofficial.)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Wise County (and parts of Denton County) sent Rep. Any Hopper back to the statehouse. But if the guy can't even get a simple water bill passed when Republicans controlled Austin, he might as well not leave his office in the upcoming legislative session.
  
  
   
• My prediction was wrong. Kalshi was right. Texas elected a Democratic U.S. Senator for the first time since Lloyd Bentsen.
  

  
  
  
• Tarrant County was a complete Democratic sweep:
• County Judge Time O'Hare - Gone
  
  
  
• District Attorney Phil Sorrells - Gone
  
  
  
• Longtime Republican District Clerk Tom Wilder - Gone
• The Republican County Clerk - Gone
• Every Republican district judge who had an opponent - Gone
• Every Republican county court judge who had an opponent - Gone
• And I haven't even mentioned Congress yet!
  
• The House
  
  
  
• The Senate
  
  
  
• LOL.
  
  
  
  
  
• And this finally came true. If the normal and conservative Republicans don't rid themselves of the MAGA crazies, they may never win again.  
  
  
  
  
  
   
• It's amazing what, in less than two years, a needless Iran war, needless tariffs, and a cartoon character in the White House who lies to the American people every time he opens his mouth will do.