News from the South - Texas News Feed
NY abortion provider ordered to stop sending pills to Texans
New York doctor ordered to stop providing abortion pills to Texans
“New York doctor ordered to stop providing abortion pills to Texans” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
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A Collin County judge has ordered a New York doctor to stop prescribing abortion-inducing medication to Texas residents and ordered her to pay a $100,000 fine.
Thursday’s ruling is the opening salvo in what’s expected to be a lengthy legal battle likely to end up at the U.S. Supreme Court, as Texas’ near-total abortion ban runs up against New York’s law protecting abortion providers from out-of-state legal action.
Dr. Margaret Carpenter is an abortion provider and co-founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, a group that helps doctors navigate legal and regulatory barriers to provide abortion medication through the mail. These so-called “shield providers,” located in states where abortion is still legal, are working under a set of yet-untested laws designed to stymie abortion bans in states like Texas.
In December, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Carpenter, accusing her of prescribing abortion medication to a Collin County woman in violation of Texas’ abortion laws. Neither Carpenter nor her lawyers responded to the suit. As expected, Carpenter did not attend the Wednesday hearing before Collin County District Judge Bryan Gantt, according to The New York Times.
On Thursday, Gantt ruled that Carpenter had violated Texas law by practicing without a license and facilitating an abortion, and “that an unborn child died as a result of these violations.” Gantt issued a permanent injunction against Carpenter prescribing abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents. Violating an injunction can come with additional penalties, including jail time.
Carpenter was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine and about $13,000 in attorneys’ fees. Paxton’s office is expected to ask New York state to enforce the judgement, which is typically standard practice between states. But New York is expected to try to block any of Texas’ efforts to hold Carpenter to its legal standards, a clash that will likely require the federal courts to intervene.
When New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the shield law in 2023, she said states like Texas “can continue hell-bent down your path on continuing this radical behavior. But we’ll be just as hell-bent on stopping you.”
Late last month, Louisiana went a step further, criminally indicting Carpenter based on similar allegations. On Thursday, Gov. Jeff Landry signed an extradition warrant, ordering New York to arrest Carpenter on behalf of Louisiana. Hochul has said she has no intention of doing so.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/13/texas-abortion-pill-district-court-ruling/.
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
News from the South - Texas News Feed
Dish Soap: The Versatile Cleaning Hero You Didn’t Know You Needed
SUMMARY: Dish soap is a versatile cleaning tool that goes beyond washing dishes. It can remove hair dye from skin, clean makeup brushes, reduce condensation on windows, stop squeaky doors, and even clear clogged drains. Dish soap works as a gentle insecticide for plants and is effective for cleaning various surfaces. Consumer Reports highlighted top picks, with Dawn Ultra praised for its suds and Gain Ultra Clean for affordability. However, dish soap shouldn’t be used in dishwashers or washing machines as it creates excess suds that can damage appliances. Additionally, excessive use on skin or hair can strip natural oils.

Discover the incredible versatility of dish soap, a kitchen staple that does more than just cut through grease. Consumer Reports unveils how this soapy superhero can tackle a variety of messes around your home, making it the secret weapon hiding in plain sight.
News from the South - Texas News Feed
Mostly cloudy, slight chance of storms west of SA tonight
SUMMARY:
Title: Mostly cloudy, slight chance of storms west of SA tonight.
Summary: Good Monday morning! I’m meteorologist Justin Horn sharing the forecast. Today will be mostly cloudy with temperatures near 90. Although there’s a slight chance of showers tonight due to potential storms from Mexico, it’s unlikely to impact the river parade. Tomorrow should remain quiet, but expect increased rain chances midweek, particularly Wednesday evening with possible strong thunderstorms. A 40% chance of rain is forecast for Wednesday, along with similar chances on Thursday and Friday. Stay weather-aware, especially with ongoing Fiesta events, but no need to cancel plans.

Better chances of rain by midweek.
News from the South - Texas News Feed
Texas may exempt police from deadly conduct charges
“Texas lawmakers want to exempt police from deadly conduct charges” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
When Austin police responded to a 911 call in a downtown high rise in 2019, they confronted Mauris DeSilva a few feet away from the elevator, in a mental health crisis holding a knife.
Christopher Taylor, an on-duty officer, shot and killed DeSilva that night. DeSilva’s father has said his son was not a threat to the police, only to himself. Prosecutors agreed.
Taylor last year was sentenced to two years in a prison for deadly conduct, a charge only a handful of officers have been convicted of in recent history. Lawyers for Taylor after the sentencing have called the prosecution an abuse of power.
Texas lawmakers are now working to make that kind of sentence impossible. House Bill 2436 would exempt law enforcement officers from being charged with deadly conduct for actions taken in the line of duty. The lower chamber is expected to vote on the bill Monday. The Senate approved a nearly identical bill, Senate Bill 1637, earlier this month.
The bill aims to strengthen protections for law enforcement officers. But critics say the bill gives officers unfettered authority to act recklessly and use an unjustifiable amount of force while on duty.
It’s one of several pieces of legislation this session that aim to increase protections for police officers five years after Texans took to the streets to protest police violence. The legislation aligns with the priorities of Gov. Greg Abbott and other GOP leaders who have been firm in maintaining local police budgets and have pushed Texas political candidates to sign pledges to “back the blue.”
Texas created the deadly conduct charge to help prosecutors around the state combat the rise of gang violence such as drive-by shootings in Texas. In recent years, a handful of police officers around the state like Taylor have been on trial for deadly conduct. Officers in Dallas were indicted on deadly conduct charges over how they launched rubber bullets against demonstrators in 2020. An ongoing case in Austin, where officer Daniel Sanchez shot Rajan Moonesinghe in his home while responding to a 911 call, hinges on the statute.
“It wasn’t intended for that at all,” Rep. Cole Hefner, the Mount Pleasant Republican who authored the bill, said in a committee hearing this month. “We want to protect [police officers] in doing the official duties of their job from these prosecutors that may be a little bit politically motivated sometimes.”
Republican lawmakers have clashed with local left-leaning prosecutors in recent years over their interpretations of the law and how they have used their discretion over which cases to pursue.
Jerry Staton was an Austin police officer for 25 years and now trains police officers in how and when to use firearms. Law enforcement officers regularly have to point and fire guns as part of the job. Staton said that means that officers are at risk of violating the deadly conduct statute everytime they go out and do their job.
Staton sat through much of Taylor’s trial, during which a grand jury went through 30 hours of deliberations before sentencing.
“I was in awe that this particular charge could be brought to a police officer … who did exactly what he was trained to do in a situation that he had very little flexibility in how to deal with it,” said Staton in committee testimony. “This has got to be fixed.”
Earlier versions of the House and Senate bills were written to be applied retroactively to cases like Taylor’s but that provision has since been removed.
Critics of HB 2436 argue an exemption like this shields police officers from accountability for recklessly discharging firearms. They worry the bill removes a mechanism for holding law enforcement accountable for misconduct or excessive use of force.
“Allowing police to shoot at people without justification will make our community and our law enforcement officers less safe,” said Travis County District Attorney José Garza.
“Bad actors and mistakes do happen in every profession and our police officers, our police force, is not an exception to that,” said Yasmine Smith, a vice president of justice and advocacy for the nonprofit Austin Area Urban League. “We must hold those bad actors accountable.”
Multiple critics raised concerns the legislation may have unintended consequences: Prosecutors may end up pursuing more severe charges against police officers, which come with harsher penalties.
The range of punishment is five to 99 years for murder, and two to 20 years for aggravated assault, compared to two to 10 years for deadly conduct. Taylor, the Austin officer, was initially indicted for murder over DeSilva’s death but that charge was later downgraded to deadly misconduct.
“If a police officer gets charged with murder now because he or she is a police officer, they don’t get the benefit of that very lesser offense because of this statute,” said John Creuzot, the Dallas County district attorney and a former judge. “That doesn’t make sense.”
Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas’ breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/28/texas-police-deadly-conduct-exempt/.
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
The post Texas may exempt police from deadly conduct charges appeared first on feeds.texastribune.org
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This article from The Texas Tribune reports on a proposed Texas law that would exempt law enforcement officers from being charged with deadly conduct for actions taken in the line of duty. While the article presents information from both supporters and critics of the bill, the framing and inclusion of details, such as the reference to GOP leaders’ “back the blue” pledges and the concerns raised by the Travis and Dallas County District Attorneys, suggest a slight leaning towards skepticism of the bill and a focus on police accountability, which aligns with a center-left perspective.
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