The Brief: Texans Respond to Brexit

The Big Conversation

Texans responded this weekend to the stunning news of the United Kingdom’s referendum vote in favor of leaving the European Union — some with worries about the shake up’s impact on the local economy, and others with renewed calls for state secession.

The Austin American-Statesman writes that the uncertainty surrounding the impact of the vote — known colloquially as “Brexit” — will reverberate in Central Texas through its impact on oil prices and currency values. The Houston Chronicle reports that experts are divided on the vote’s ultimate effect on oil, with some worrying that “impact of the vote would unsettle already testy financial markets and weaken the global economy, lowering demand for oil, and stalling crude's recent climb from historic lows” and others expecting “the hit to oil prices to be temporary.”

The Guardian, meanwhile, reports that advocates for Texas secession watched the U.K.’s vote closely. Daniel Miller, the president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, told the British newspaper ahead of the referendum that he hoped a vote to leave could inspire Texans to support seceding from the United States. 

Even Donald Trump weighed in on the secession question from Scotland, the Tribune’s Khorri Atkinson writes. 

But as the Tribune’s Aneri Pattani notes, a “Texit” would not be legal.

The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia put suggestions otherwise to rest in 2006, writing that, “The answer is clear. If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede. (Hence, in the Pledge of Allegiance, 'one Nation, indivisible.')”

Trib Must Reads

A Closer Look at the Texas Twist in Fight Between Exxon, Virgin Islands, by Jim Malewitz — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to intervene in an effort to thwart an investigation into whether Exxon Mobil misled investors about the risks of climate change. Here’s a guide to Paxton’s effort and how it fits into the much broader climate change battle in the United States.

A Year Later, Gay Marriage Debate Shifts in Texas, by Madeline Conway — Hundreds of gay couples across Texas are reaching their one-year wedding anniversaries, but resistance to same-sex marriage hasn’t gone away, it’s just changed focus.

Austin-Based Pro Sanders PAC Raises Questions, by Jay Root — A pro-Bernie Sanders super PAC headed by an Austin businessman has raised more than $250,000, but it's unclear what the group is doing to help the Democratic presidential hopeful.

For UT Students, Fisher Ruling Marks End of Era, by Isabelle Taft — Since Abigail Fisher sued the University of Texas in 2008, nine classes have graduated from the university, their time on campus marked by debates surrounding affirmative action — a national issue that hit especially close to home. 

Ellis Wins Democratic Nomination for Harris County Commissioner, by Patrick Svitek — State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, has won the Democratic nomination for a vacant seat on the Harris County commissioner's court, putting the 26-year Texas Senate veteran on a path to leave the Legislature by next year. 

Proposed DMV Rules Could Put Firms Out of Business, by Madlin Mekelburg — The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Board will meet Monday to consider proposals drawing ire from popular private title service companies that operate in just a few counties in Texas.

Tom DeLay: I Would've Filed Ethics Charges Over Sit-in, by Abby Livingston — Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay says if he were still in charge, he would've had no mercy for the Democrats participating in this week's sit-in. The Sugar Land Republican also said he's still on the fence on Donald Trump.

Texas Board of Criminal Justice Selects New Prisons Chief, by Johnathan Silver — Second-in-command Bryan Collier will be the next executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the agency's governing board announced Friday.

Texas Land Office Reaches Settlement with Former Alamo Managers, by Patrick Svitek — Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has reached a settlement with the longtime managers of the Alamo, whom he fired last year in a move that set off a protracted fight over a library collection on the grounds of the state-owned monument.   

Elsewhere

(Links below lead to outside websites; content might be behind paywall)

Fate of Texas abortion law expected to be decided Monday, Austin American-Statesman

If Texas abortion law survives Supreme Court, minority, rural women will feel effect most, Dallas Morning News

Texans divided on effort to 'free delegates’ to deny Trump nomination, Austin American-Statesman

After Supreme Court deadlock on immigration, what's next?, Dallas Morning News

Houston area seen as a major hub for Medicare fraud, Houston Chronicle

Gay marriage, 1 year later: ‘Random people were happy for us’, Austin American-Statesman

One-year anniversary of gay marriage celebration also a call to action, Austin American-Statesman

Latino Victory group gears up for November election, San Antonio Express-News

As natural gas surpasses coal, opportunity for Houston, Houston Chronicle

Oil bust leaves Texas, other states with well cleanup costs, The Associated Press

Local family faces uncertain future after Supreme Court deadlock, Houston Chronicle

Austin doesn’t hold dubious 1st ‘mass shooting’ distinction, PolitiFact Texas

Federal effort targets students who frequently miss school, Austin American-Statesman

At Goodfellow, probe finds a ‘perfect storm’ of bad leadership, San Antonio Express-News

Quote to Note

“Texas will never do that because Texas loves me. Texas would never do that if I’m president.”

 — Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, on the topic of Texas secession in light of the United Kingdom’s recent vote to leave the European Union

Today in TribTalk

How the Brexit broke this Texan's heart, by Danni Evans — People had their reasons to vote the way they did, but I don’t know if they considered how many people they would hurt because of their decision. 

Step therapy puts patients' health in jeopardy, by Fehmida Zahabi — The practice can be beneficial for some diseases, but for specialized types of medicine blocking access to a specific type of drug can lead to pain, irreversible joint damage and permanent disability.

News From Home

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