(Talk1370.com) -- The race to become Texas' next Attorney General is back down to one, after John Bash drops out. That and more in your Morning Headlines for May 1.
Bash Drops Out Of AG Race: The race for Texas Attorney General is back down to one; less than a month after becoming the first person to declare his candidacy, former U.S. Attorney John Bash is withdrawing from the race, citing a family health scare. That leaves State Sen. Mayes Middleton as the only candidate who has announced a campaign to fill the seat being vacated by Ken Paxton, who announced his own campaign to face off against Sen. John Cornyn in next year’s Republican Primary.
HHSC Identifies More Improper Access: Officials with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission continue to investigate a series of breaches by its own employees; late Wednesday, the agency said it discovered another 33,000 benefit recipients who had their data improperly accessed by at least one of nine HHSC employees between June 2021 and January of this year. It’s not clear how many of those recipients may have had benefits compromised. At least two of the employees are alleged to have stolen funds from recipients’ food stamp cards. In addition to the nine state employees, at least one contractor is also facing allegations of improperly accessing benefit information. HHSC’s office of inspector general is leading the investigation into the improper access incidents.
Texas House Bans Minors From Social Media: The Texas Legislature is taking new steps to try and limit social media access for children across the state. House Bill 186 passed the lower chamber with 116 votes on Tuesday; the bill would prohibit minors from creating accounts on social media sites and would require those sites to perform age verification on new users. While the bill is expected to gain support in the Senate, opponents of the bill say it goes against the First Amendment, with legal challenges expected from tech companies if the bill becomes law.
24/7 Weather Center Forecast: Strong to severe thunderstorms moved through the area Wednesday evening, dropping tennis ball sized hail in some parts of eastern Williamson County. More chances for storms again later this afternoon... high of 92. Storm chances continue Friday, then fall slightly for the weekend before ramping back up next week.