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Texas Republicans say they have a

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Texas Republicans say they have a


Starting January 20th, Republicans will have the trifecta in the nation’s capital. Senator Ted Cruz, who won re-election for a third term, discusses the main priorities lawmakers will tackle first. Congressman-elect Brandon Gill, who will represent the 26th Congressional District in North Texas, talks about how he will help pass President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda. Plus, for the first time since some controversial charter amendments passed in the City of Dallas, Mayor Eric Johnson is speaking out about the results. He also answers the question about whether he’s had conversations about serving in the Trump administration. Jack Fink covers these stories in the latest episode of Eye On Politics. (Original air date: December 8, 2024.) 

Looking Ahead 

On Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz spoke with political reporter Jack Fink about the most urgent priorities voters expect Republicans to work on in the new session of Congress starting next month. They include border security, deporting violent criminals in the U.S. illegally, reducing prices and boosting the economy.  

“We have a real obligation to deliver on our campaign promises,” said Cruz. “And if you lok at the election, there are a number of things that came out of the election that, I think are a real mandate and a mandate for change.” 

Watch Jack’s full interview with Senator Ted Cruz: 

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Texas Senator Cruz discusses upcoming legislative session expectations for Republicans

18:03

One on One with the youngest Republican in the next Congress

At the age of 30, the youngest Republican to serve in the next Congress will be Brandon Gill. He will represent the 26th Congressional District in North Texas. He was also elected Freshman Class President. 

Gill said he and his fellow Republican freshmen ran on the Trump agenda: securing the border, unleashing American energy and cutting wasteful federal spending to bring inflation down. He told Jack what he hopes to accomplish as the president of the incoming class in the House. 

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“I said I want to do everything I possibly can to make sure we are all in the best position to execute on the Trump agenda,” said Gill. 

Watch Jack’s full interview with Congressman-elect Brandon Gill: 


Congressman-elect Brandon Gill is the youngest Republican headed to Congress

11:00

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Dallas Mayor discusses controversial charter amendments

Jack also spoke with Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson in an exclusive interview Tuesday. 

He discussed the controversial charter election and his recommendation to residents to vote down all the propositions. He called two measures that were part of the Dallas HERO Initiative that passed “workable.” 

“The reality is, I’m not very worried about it,” said Johnson. 

He played down concerns by opponents, including former Mayors, that prop U will negatively impact the city finances and services by requiring the city to hire and maintain 4,000 police officers. It’s a move that city leaders and advocates for the measure estimate will cost between $175 and $185 million dollars. 

“It’s not going to destroy the city of Dallas,” said Johnson. “It’s not going to bring us to our knees financially. It does force us to put our money where our mouth is on public safety and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.” 

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He said Prop S, which allows residents to file suit against the city if it doesn’t comply with the charter, city ordinances, and state law. He did express concern about what he called “enforcement through litigation.”

“We don’t want to be tied up in court constantly of paying lawyers’ legal fees to bring lawsuits against us to do what we’re trying to do anyway. So that’s my concern about prop s – it’s a litigation bonanza potentially.” 

The Mayor said his recommendation to Dallas residents was to vote down all of the charter amendments, not just certain propositions. “If none of them passed, I had a legal opinion from our city attorney that said we’ve got to have an immediate do-over, an immediate do-over. That’s what I wanted. I wanted to be able to come right back and come up with some well-thought out charter amendments that actually would have accomplished what props S, T, U wanted to do but more effectively.”

One of the Mayor’s friends from serving in the Texas Legislature, former Republican Representative Scott Turner, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as HUD Secretary. Jack asked the Mayor if he’s had any conversations about joining the Trump administration. 

“I love my city, I’ve had no greater honor in my life being elected Mayor of this city,” said Johnson. “Whether or not I’d be willing to serve our country, I think that would depend on a lot, but my focus is on being Mayor of Dallas.”  

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The Dallas Mayor said that he told Turner that he would like Dallas to be at the front of the line for anything HUD will be doing to help cities. Johnson delivered his State of the City address Thursday. He said he wants the city’s progress reducing violent crime and reducing property taxes to continue. 

Watch Jack’s full interview with Dallas Mayor Eric Johson: 


Mayor Johnson discusses the vote on charter amendments in Dallas, including HERO Initiative

13:34

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Betting odds, predictions: Arizona Wildcats shocking spread vs. Texas Tech basketball

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Betting odds, predictions: Arizona Wildcats shocking spread vs. Texas Tech basketball


Despite seven consecutive wins and a top-12 national ranking, the Arizona Wildcats are not expected to beat Texas Tech on Saturday.

The latest betting odds for Arizona’s Big 12 matchup vs. the Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas, favor the home team by at least 5.5 points.

Big 12 road games are tough, but that’s still a shocking spread for a team that is playing as well as Arizona. Texas Tech (12-4, 3-2) has lost its last two home games — 85-84 in OT to Iowa State and 87-83 to UCF.

Arizona (11-5, 5-0) is 2-0 on the road in the Big 12 so far. The Wildcats beat Cincinnati 72-67 and West Virginia 75-56.

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Fifth-year senior Caleb Love leads Arizona in scoring at 15.3 points per game. Junior guard Jaden Bradley is averaging 11.7 points and sophomore guard KJ Lewis is averaging 10.6 points.

New Mexico transfer JT Toppin leads Texas Tech in scoring and rebounding at 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. But it’s forward Darrion Williams (16.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.9 apg) and guard Chance McMillian (14.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) that make the Red Raiders go. They’re both versatile defenders and will be difficult matchups for Arizona.

The Arizona at Texas Tech game is scheduled to tip off at 12 p.m. MST on Saturday. Here are the latest betting odds.

Arizona at Texas Tech Betting Odds, Spread, Predictions

(Rankings references are from the NCAA’s NET Rankings, which are used as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.)

The oddsmakers have Texas Tech as 5.5-point favorites. Here are the latest betting odds, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Who: No. 12 Arizona at No. 19 Texas Tech in Big 12 men’s basketball

Moneyline: Arizona +172, Texas Tech -210

Spread: Arizona +5.5 (-120)

Over/Under: 150.5

When: 12 p.m. MST/1 p.m. CT | Saturday, January 18

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Where: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas

Live Stream: Watch Arizona-Texas Tech live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)

TV Channel: ESPN2

ESPN FPI Prediction: Arizona has a 49.4% chance to win

Our Prediction: Arizona 73, Texas Tech 68

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Four-Star Recruit Tiki Hola Compares Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, Texas Longhorns, USC Trojans

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Four-Star Recruit Tiki Hola Compares Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, Texas Longhorns, USC Trojans


The USC Trojans are one of the top destinations for class of 2026 defensive lineman Tiki Hola. He visited USC last season when the Trojans hosted the Penn State Nittany Lions. 

Hola is a four-star recruit out of Bastrop, Texas and is ranked as the No. 30 defensive lineman in his class per 247Sports. He spoke to On3 about the top five schools on his list and he revealed what he looks for in a school.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley embraces offensive lineman Kilian O'Co

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley embraces offensive lineman Kilian O’Connor (67) after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Tiki Hola spoke to On3 on Jan. 12 about the update on his recruitment. Hola posted on his social media that his top five schools are currently the Texas Longhorns, USC Trojans, Oregon Ducks, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and SMU Mustangs. He plans to announce his commitment decision in July this year. 

Hola talked about what is the biggest factor in his decision.

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“I look at relationships. That’s always what I’ve looked at since my freshman year, since I started my recruiting process…not only does my relationship with the position coach matter, but also having a relationship with the head coach is big for me,” Hola said. “Also, I am looking at the development that a school can give me and how I can become a better person and a better player there.”

The chance to immediately start and play is low on the list of priorities for Hola. 

“The last thing is where I fit on the depth chart and how valuable I feel on the team,” Hola said.

MORE: Dallas Cowboys Interested In USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley To Replace Mike McCarthy

MORE: USC Trojans Pushing To Flip Georgia Bulldogs Four-Star Commit Vance Spafford

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MORE: Georgia Bulldogs’ Zachariah Branch’s NIL Valuation After USC Transfer

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans cheerleaders perform against the Notre Dame Fighting

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans cheerleaders perform against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Tiki Hola was asked about the visits he’s gone on to his top schools. Here’s what he had to say about his trip to USC.

“My visit to USC was great. I loved seeing all the different cultures and all the different things that they do. USC has a lot of history behind it,“ Hola said. “The stadium was beautiful. The Coliseum was a great environment to be in and the coaches made us feel welcome.”

Hola noted how good of a job the USC coaching staff has done throughout the recruiting process.

“Coach Shaun Nua (USC Defensive End Coach) and Aaron Amaama (USC Personnel Assistant), they’ve done a really good job recruiting me,” Hola said. “The enviroment and culture they have were great. Being able to see everyone in person there was phenomenal, from the facilities to the coaches. They treated us right.”

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Hola also had many good things to say about his other visits to schools, so USC is by no means the front runner. Hola raved about the Longhorns and Fighting Irish.

“The relationship that I’ve built with coach Baker, the defensive line coach there, is great,” said Hola about Texas to On3. “We talk about how valuable I am to them. Coach Baker really makes me feel welcome. He loves to talk to me about my family and loves getting to know me personally… They make me feel welcome. Another thing is Texas is not too far from home.” 

As for Notre Dame, which is competing in the College Football National Championship on Monday, Hola likes the traditions and coaching staff.

“Coach Marcus Freeman, coach Al Golden… and coach Al Washington, they’ve all done a really good job of keeping in touch with me, especially as they’re going on this national championship run,” Holsa said to On3. “They’ve consistently texted me every week about everything that they’re going through in practice for all these big games that they’re heading into… They have great culture, a great history and the development that they’ve had coming into this new year was great.”

Sounds like Hola is still very much weighing his options.

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MORE: USC Trojans Receiver Room Outlook After Transfer Portal Departures: Makai Lemon

MORE: USC Trojans Recruiting Class Soars In Rankings After Running Back Shahn Alston Commit

MORE: Minnesota Vikings Sam Darnold Future With Team Dependent on NFL Playoffs Performance?

MORE: USC Trojans, Lincoln Riley Building Momentum For 2026 Recruiting Cycle



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Texas Southern Makes A Statement In The SWAC After Rocking Jackson State, 69-54

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Texas Southern Makes A Statement In The SWAC After Rocking Jackson State, 69-54


Texas Southern University (5-10, 4-0 SWAC) sent shockwaves through the conference after defeating Jackson State University (5-10, 3-1 SWAC), 69-54, with 927 spectators at Health & Physical Education Arena in Houston, Texas.  

Thursday’s victory for the Lady Tigers of Texas Southern was the first in ten games. TSU had not defeated a Jackson State team since Jan. 21, 2019, at HP&E Arena.  

That was Tomekia Reed’s first visit to Houston as the JSU Tigers head women’s basketball coach.

“Taking care of home and protecting home is obviously important,” Coach Vernette Skeete said in her postgame interview. “I’m really excited to see our fans come out and support us. Some of those lows when they were going on runs and they were stopping us, and hurting our play with the play calls of the fouls and things like that, the fans really got us going and gotten us over the hump and helped us find our juice back. So we were able to stop some of those runs before they got really going. Super excited about the fans tonight.”

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Coach Vernette Skeete

Coach Vernette Skeete / Credit: TSU Athletics

Aylasia Fantroy led with 20 points, six rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in a commanding performance by the TSU Tigers. She has been a great addition to Texas Southern this season.

Deija Holmes was their top rebounder with 8 points. Treasure Thompson contributed 9 points and five rebounds and added three blocks.

“We just want to compete every night. We wanna execute every night. We want to get some of them to their best games, and we still have so much more in their games we’re trying to expand and get to…because we care about more statements they make in the postseason, not really during the season number 4.”

Coach Skeete’s team entered halftime leading, 41-25, with a scoring efficiency of 39.53% from the floor and 3-of-8 from 3-point range.   

The Lady Tigers finished scoring 29-of-69 (42.0%), 3-of-7 in treys, and 61.5% from the free throw line.

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Jackson State struggled with Texas Southern’s defense in the first half, scoring 26.5% and going 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.  

JSU completed the game, going 17-of-65 (26.2%) for the field, 11.1% in three-pointers, and 18-of-29 (62.1%) at the charity stripe.

Texas Southern excelled in the paint, scoring 46 points compared to Jackson State’s 28, with a points off turnovers differential of 16 to 6.  

The TSU Tigers also received 24 points from their bench, while JSU’s bench contributed only 13 points.  

RELATED ARTICLE: TSU Defeats Grambling State In SWAC Opener

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Texas Southern will host Alcorn State at 3 PM CT inside H&PE Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18, before next week’s games against Alabama State (Jan. 23) and Alabama A&M (Jan. 25).

Bowie State Defeats Howard

Bowie State Defeats Howard / Credit: HU Athletics

The Bowie State (9-7, 1-3 CIAA) men’s basketball team achieved a stunning upset defeating Howard (8-10,3-0 MEAC) by a score of 76-73 in front of 2,100 spectators at Burr Gymnasium.

The match was highly competitive as Warren Mouganda led the Bulldogs with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and a steal in the exciting crosstown HBCU showdown.

Justin Morrisey and Victory Noboya each contributed 12 points in the conquest over the Bison.

It’s the second Bowie State win this season against an HBCU Division I program. The Bulldogs beat Hampton 73-71 in the exhibition game this past October.

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Game Highlights

The game was exciting from start to finish, with both teams exchanging leads throughout the contest. Bowie State’s resilience and determination after trailing by two points to Howard at halftime, 42-40.

The Bulldogs shot 46.88% from the floor in the first half but increased their efficiency to 53.57% in the second half. BSU knocked 50% of its shots, drained 45.8% of three-pointers, and hit 71.4% from the charity stripe.

The visitors scored 32 points in the paint and 21 points from turnovers, dominating Howard, who only recorded 22 paint points and 12 points off turnovers.

READ MORE: HBCU Basketball: Bulldogs Stun Bison In A Nail-Biter Upset




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