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Republican gov slams city for considering 'antisemitic' resolution, threatens to pull funding

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Republican gov slams city for considering 'antisemitic' resolution, threatens to pull funding

A city in Texas could lose its state funding over a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo against Israel. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott wrote a letter to San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson admonishing the City Council, which voted to bring the resolution to a formal vote on May 6.

In his letter, Abbott pointed out that while the council was considering a resolution for a “permanent ceasefire in occupied Palestine,” it had not done the same to condemn Hamas following the Oct. 7 massacre.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott makes an announcement on the future of the space industry in his state at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on March 26, 2024. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images)

UT AUSTIN ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS FREED AFTER GOVERNOR SAID THEY ‘BELONG IN JAIL’

“Israel is a stalwart ally of the United States and a friend to Texas. I have repeatedly made clear that Texas will not tolerate antisemitism. Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies,” Abbott wrote.

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The governor said he was “proud” to have signed a law banning Texas government entities from supporting efforts to boycott, divest from and sanction (BDS) Israel. The BDS movement argues that Israel should not receive financial support due to its actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

ABBOTT SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO CURB ANTISEMITISM ON TEXAS CAMPUSES, DEMANDS ‘APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENTS’

Texas law, specifically Code § 2271.002, states that government entities are prohibited from entering into a contract worth $100,000 or more without a written guarantee that the contracting entity does not boycott Israel. Under the law, “boycott Israel” is defined as “refusing to deal with, terminating business activities with, or otherwise taking any action that is intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations specifically with Israel…” Government entities that violate the law put their funding at risk.

Abbott wrote in his letter that his office had already begun “reviewing active grants with San Marcos to determine whether the city has breached terms by falsely certifying compliance with Texas law.” Additionally, he said that if the city moves to pass the resolution, his office would not enter into future grant agreements with the city and would terminate active grants.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at an event following Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott delivers remarks during a solidarity gathering for Israel at the Dell Jewish Community Campus in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 9, 2023. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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The City Council agenda description of the April 15 discussion read: “Hold a discussion regarding a possible resolution calling for the immediate and permanent ceasefire in occupied Palestine, an arms embargo on Israel, recognition of Palestinian sovereignty, and the protection of constitutional rights for all people under national and international law.”

San Marcos City Council member Alyssa Garza, who apparently put the resolution on the agenda, spoke at the April 15 meeting, framing the resolution as a way to fight big government. Garza listed the ways in which she believes larger government entities are threatening smaller ones and insisted that Texans could not rely on the same government “to stop a genocide.”

“[It’s] clear to me that when they fund bombs, but cut aid for housing and education and so on here, that’s connected. When they silence protests here and crush dissent abroad, that’s connected. When they defund local governments and nonprofits and they call us ‘distractive’ for standing up, that’s absolutely connected,” Garza said.

gaza

Palestinians return to Beit Lahia, a city in northern Gaza, on March 8. (Khalil Ramzi Alkahlut/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Another council member, Amanda Rodriguez, said the resolution wasn’t political, but rather a “moral litmus test.” She also described the war in Gaza as a “genocide.” Additionally, Rodriguez made a plea to Jews who did not attend the meeting because “there has been such a conflation with this resolution being compared to antisemitism.” As part of the plea, she then said, “You cannot tell me that Judaism as a religion supports this.”

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In just five days, the San Marcos City Council is set to vote on the resolution and if it passes, Abbott’s office is expected to evaluate its grants to the city.

Hughson, Garza and Rodriguez have yet to respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

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Supreme Court to hear arguments on school choice case involving Catholic charter school

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Supreme Court to hear arguments on school choice case involving Catholic charter school

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday in the case of a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma that is seeking the support of public funds.

St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would be the nation’s first religious charter school, setting a precedent sure to be capitalized on by other religious institutions. Both the Oklahoma Supreme Court and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, have argued funding the school is unconstitutional. 

Oklahoma Gov. Gov. Kevin Stitt, also a Republican, argues the First Amendment allows funding for the school.

For Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing, the St. Isidore case has been consolidated with the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board, another similar case.

Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the school In the brief, the Republican senators flipped Drummond’s First Amendment argument on the attorney general, arguing Oklahoma violated the First Amendment by denying St. Isidore a charter because it’s a religious school. 

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The Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding the establishment of the nation’s first religious charter school on Wednesday. (Anna Moneymaker)

“It’s no secret that parents want to educate their children in line with their values. And a public good shouldn’t be denied to anyone based on their religion. The outcome of this case will be revolutionary for religious liberty and education freedom, and Oklahoma is at the forefront,” Stitt’s office said in a statement.

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The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which opposes St. Isidore’s effort, argued the case is a slippery slope that would have a far-reaching impact.

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“We strongly believe the Supreme Court should maintain that charter schools are public, which is based on 30 years of law. To allow a religious charter school, the Court would be redefining charter schools as private, thereby putting charter school funding at significant risk and dramatically reducing access to school choice for millions of families across the country,” the organization’s president, Starlee Coleman, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved St. Isidore’s contract request in June 2023, allowing them to receive public funds. Lawsuits soon brought the case up to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which ruled against the school last year.

Stitt and Drummond

Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., (left) and Oklahoma Attorney General Drummond (right) disagree on whether the First Amendment allows the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board to grant St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Charter School public funding.  (Getty/AP)

The Supreme Court is now reviewing that ruling by Oklahoma’s highest court, which found that funding the school violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”

“Charter schools no doubt offer important educational innovations, but they bear all the classic indicia of public schools,” Drummond argued in SCOTUS filing.

Advocates of the school point to the Free Exercise clause, which has been used in recent Supreme Court rulings to defend public funding going to religious institutions. 

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“A State need not subsidize private education,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue in 2020. “But once a State decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious.”

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 7: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (L) and Associate Justices (L-R) Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh stand on the House floor ahead of the annual State of the Union address by U.S. President Joe Biden before a joint session of Congress at the Capital building on March 7, 2024 in Washington, DC. This is Biden's final address before the November general election. (Photo by Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (L) and Associate Justices (L-R) Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh stand on the House floor ahead of the annual State of the Union address. (Getty Images)

The amicus brief from GOP lawmakers made a similar argument, claiming the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling was ill-considered.

“Upholding the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act with the included exclusion of religious organizations would set a dangerous precedent, signaling that religious organizations are not welcome in public projects. This would not only violate the First Amendment, but it would also deprive society of the valuable contributions that these organizations make,” the Republican senators wrote. 

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Fox News’ Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report

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Crews work to retrieve 8 million dimes that spilled onto Texas highway: report

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Crews work to retrieve 8 million dimes that spilled onto Texas highway: report

Texas authorities were spotted on video shoveling and individually picking up $800,000 worth of dimes that spilled across a highway early Tuesday.

Alvord Fire Department officials confirmed to FOX 4 Dallas that eight million loose dimes were being carried by a tractor-trailer when it overturned on U.S. Highway 287 in Wise County, Texas.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the truck veered off the road, over-corrected and flipped, according to FOX 4.

An official is spotted gathering dimes by hand at the scene. (KDFW)

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The highway was shut down for nearly 14 hours as crews shoveled, hand-picked, and vacuumed the loose coins from the road and nearby brush.

Two people were taken to the hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the report.

Crews gather dimes

Crews were spotted sweeping and shoveling dimes from the Texas highway. (KDFW)

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It is unclear why the coins were not in bank rolls.

The Wise County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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A photo of the truck at the scene

The dime-carrying truck reportedly over-corrected and then flipped. (KDFW)

The Alvord Fire Department could not be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.

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Rodeo legend Roy Cooper, the 'Super Looper,' dies in fire at 69

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Rodeo legend Roy Cooper, the 'Super Looper,' dies in fire at 69

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Roy Cooper, nicknamed the “Super Looper” during his legendary rodeo career, died this week at the age of 69.

Cooper, considered the greatest roper of all time, died in a house fire on his property in Decatur, Texas, Tuesday.

“It is with great sadness that our family shares the passing of our Dad, The Super Looper, Roy Cooper,” Cooper’s son, Tuf, wrote in a Facebook post. “We’re all in shock and at a loss for words from this tragedy at the moment.”

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Roy Cooper, considered the greatest roper of all time, died Tuesday in a house fire. (Texas Department of Agriculture)

Cooper launched his career in 1976, when he won a world championship in his first national finals. He won eight titles overall and was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979, just three years into his career.

Tuf is a third-generation rodeo star. Cooper’s parents were also ropers. Cooper’s mother was born on a ranch, and the family lived in New Mexico when he was growing up.

The rodeo world mourned Cooper’s death.

Roy Cooper headshot

Roy Cooper joined the ProRodeo Hall of Fame just three years into his career. (Texas Department of Agriculture)

“Heartbroken to hear of the passing of Roy Cooper. … He inspired generations of cowboys, and his legacy lives on,” Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame inductee Andra Estes Beatty said in a statement, via The Express Tribune.

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“The rodeo community mourns a tremendous loss today with the passing of rodeo legend and Super Looper, Roy Cooper,” the Texas Department of Agriculture added. “Commissioner Sid Miller and his wife, Debra, are lifting the Cooper family up in prayer as they navigate this heartbreaking time.”

“When anyone referenced the ‘Super Looper,’ every rodeo fan knew exactly who you were talking about,” Professional Bull Riding CEO Sean Gleason wrote.

Rodeo

The Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center during the Reno Rodeo June 25, 2024, in Reno, Nev.  (Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Cooper became the first roper to earn $2 million in ProRodeo in 2000.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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