The Brief: After controversial survey, lawmaker hosts summit on 'radical Islamic terrorism'

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Tribune today

Late appeals denied, man's execution set for murder he says he didn't commit
A man who claims he is innocent is set to be executed Thursday evening in a robbery turned double murder in Dallas County.

Meet the new members of the Texas Legislature
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U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady is in the perfect spot to reshape the American economy
Kevin Brady, an eleven-term congressman from the Woodlands, is at the center of the biggest political debates unfolding in Washington, D.C., right now as chairman of the U.S. House's pivotal Ways and Means Committee.

Texas university leaders warn of dire consequences if Senate budget is implemented
In a day-long hearing, university presidents and chancellors said their schools might have to lay off faculty and cut classes if hundreds of millions of dollars worth of "special items" aren't put back in the budget. 

Austin lawyer Trey Trainor joins Trump administration
Trey Trainor, an Austin lawyer well known in Texas politics, has joined the administration of President Donald Trump.  

Trump's anti-voter fraud crusade revives issue in Texas
Following President Donald Trump's latest unsubstantiated claim that voter fraud cost him the popular vote, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said "voter fraud is real" in an interview on Fox News Wednesday morning.

In addition to border wall, Trump's executive action targets detention space
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Texas Senate's ethics reform plan unveiled, targets revolving door
Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano, unveiled his ethics reform plan on Wednesday. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the Republican Senate leader, was on hand for the unveiling and announced that there were enough votes to pass the proposal out of the 31-member chamber.

Abbott proposes removing any officeholder who "promotes sanctuary cities"
Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that he and state lawmakers will pursue legislation that would "remove from office any officeholder who promotes sanctuary cities."

What you need to know

State Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-New Braunfels, is holding a "homeland security summit" this morning at the Capitol "to thoroughly understand the critical threat of radical Islamic terrorism in Texas.” But a controversial survey the lawmaker sent out to "Islamic Leaders" polling their beliefs may overshadow the event. 

• The letter to mosque leaders and Muslim student associations asked if they support the “Declaration of Muslim Reform Movement,” among other things. Biedermann said in a statement the survey was sent to gather responses ahead of his forum.
• But Texas chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called it Islamophobic, suggesting it was intended to limit participation in next week's Texas Muslim Capitol Day.  
• This isn't the first time a lawmaker has caused controversy around Texas Muslim Capitol Day. In 2015, a different state lawmaker instructed her staff to ask Muslim visitors to declare allegiance to the United States. 
• The forum begins at 8:30 a.m. and the press conference at 9 a.m. Follow Texas Tribune reporters Sanya Mansoor and Alexa Ura for updates. 

News from home

Join the engineers who keep our site buzzing! We’re hiring a software developer. Apply here. 

What we're reading

(Links below lead to outside websites; paywall content noted with $) 

850 miles of US-Mexico 'wall' not needed, ex-border officials say, The Center for Investigative Reporting

Criminalizing abortion makes women 'more personally responsible,' Texas lawmaker said, The Houston Chronicle

McAllen courts Trump visit, The Monitor

Former mayor is latest to join city's mayoral race, Corpus Christi Caller-Times 

Republicans look to scrap Michelle Obama school lunch plan, Fox News

Trump's approval of Keystone XL could bolster SETX economy, Beaumont Enterprise

Steve Bannon, Tiffany Trump, Steven Mnuchin all registered to vote in two states, Austin American-Statesman ($) 

House Science Committee chairman: Americans should get news from Trump, not media, The Washington Post ($)

Muslims and supporters call for understanding in 'friendship, not suspicion', The Dallas Morning News ($)

For your calendar 

This morning, The Texas Tribune will moderate a conversation on mental health with State Reps. Joe Moody and Four Price. Watch online. 

Photo of the day

Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz watches House proceedings from the public gallery at the Capitol on Wednesday morning. Saenz is concerned about President Donald Trump's efforts to build a border wall near the city of Laredo. Photo by Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune. See more photos on our Instagram account. 

Quote to note

"If we continue to deny the problem, we will never be able to marshal the energy and resources needed to create a solution. Without an A-F system like this, we won’t know if more money in the system is actually making a difference."

— Tom Torkelson, CEO of IDEA Public Schools about the A-F grading system for public schools via TribTalk

The Brief is written and compiled by your morning news baristas, Bobby Blanchard and Sanya Mansoor. If you have feedback or questions, please email thebrief@texastribune.org. We're a nonprofit newsroom, and count on readers like you to help power newsletters like this. Did you like what you read today? Show your appreciation by becoming a member or making a donation today.