More Water
What to know: Early voting has begun for the November elections.
The TPPF take: Texas faces serious water challenges.
“Consider that Texas’ population will increase by an estimated 73% by 2070 to 51.5 million, while water supplies are projected to decrease by about 18%,” says TPPF’s Larry French. “Inaction is not an option. Cities, farms, and industry need water, and must plan and work together with state policymakers to ensure that Texas continues to succeed.”
For more on water issues, click here.
Driverless Cars
What to know: Uber is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in driverless technology.
The TPPF take: Just as with all other technology, self-driving vehicles are a tool that can induce positive and negative outcomes.
“As a first principle, and for the sake of innovation broadly, it is crucial that Texas continue to hold the line on the regulation-heavy instincts of states like California and Illinois,” says TPPF’s David Dunmoyer. “With responsible guardrails in place and the ingredients for an innovative hotspot, Texas will continue to lead the nation as the exemplar of responsible technology that seeks to serve humanity, and not the other way around.
For more on the “No Kings” protests, click here.
Illegal?
What to know: The BBC is asking whether U.S. military strikes on criminal Mexican and Venezuelan cartels are legal.
The TPPF take: It’s time to treat drug cartels as the terrorist organizations they are.
“For decades, Washington approached cartels as criminal enterprises,” says TPPF’s Ammon Blair. “That framework was too slow and too narrow. Cartels are no longer just criminal networks. They are hybrid threats: they control territory, coerce populations, corrupt institutions, and wage psychological warfare.”
For more on the cartels, click here.