The federal agency accused Miller of disregarding proven strategies to combat the parasitic pest “in favor of clickbait publicity stunts.”

In May 2023, Miller wrote a letter urging university leaders to reconsider admitting a student whom he described as a “biracial Latina,” who was also the daughter of his political associate.

In this week’s episode, Matthew and Eleanor speak with Texas Tribune reporter Kate McGee about her recent investigative reporting in to Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and his staff.

Todd Smith was Miller’s longtime political consultant when he admitted to soliciting bribes for licenses the agency typically issues for $100. Miller then put him on the payroll at $218,000 per year.

Miller denies wrongdoing after allegations surfaced during an investigation into one of his aides, who pled guilty to bribery. The agriculture commissioner has not been charged with a crime.

Screwworm is a parasitic fly that targets warm-blooded animals and has the potential to disrupt Texas’ $15 billion cattle industry.

As lawmakers work to close loopholes that allow minors access to cannabis consumables, hemp farmers warn a total THC ban would strangle a once-hailed crop.

The historical bipartisan legislation includes a bevy of policies from crop insurance to food stamps.

So far Trump has looked elsewhere for his earliest cabinet and high-level staff appointments, in some cases passing over Texans who were in the mix.

Donald Trump has built close ties to many Texas Republicans, from judges to elected officials to policy experts.

Farmers say they want the water, but not if it goes against the allotment they need for the spring planting season.

Todd Smith’s plea comes days before he was set to go to trial, where Miller was subpoenaed to testify.

Todd Smith was indicted in 2022 on felony charges of theft and commercial bribery related to taking money in exchange for hemp licenses that are issued by Miller’s office.

Federal officials said the nation’s milk supply should be not at risk after a bird flu outbreak hits dairies in Texas, New Mexico and Kansas.

The USDA estimates the families of 3.8 million children could have received $120 per child to cover summer lunches if the state participated in the new $2.5 billion program launching this summer. Texas is one of 15 states opting out.

Big spending and anger surround reelection bids for state House members like Glenn Rogers, who’s facing heat for votes on vouchers and Ken Paxton’s impeachment.

While polls once showed Trump and DeSantis tied in Texas, they now suggest the primary is all but over here. Trump leads Nikki Haley by a landslide.

Woodfill has been endorsed by Attorney General Ken Paxton despite his connection to Paul Pressler, a prominent religious figure accused of rape.

After 70 years on the farm, Jimmy Drake retired from the cotton business. With no family stepping up to take over the farm, he turned to a young neighbor.

The Texas Department of Agriculture’s elected leader, Sid Miller, has fought protections for trans workers.

The amended bill is a dramatically watered-down version of an earlier proposal that sought to ban land and home purchases by citizens of China and three other countries.

The policy comes as LGBTQ advocates are fighting a wave of hostile legislation at the Capitol, including proposals to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender children.

Sen. Lois Kolkhorst filed a bill that would ban citizens, governments and entities from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from purchasing land in the state, part of what she and other Republicans have said will help stem foreign influence in Texas.

Gov. Greg Abbott, who Trump endorsed for his reelection, has not commented about the former president’s announcement to run for the White House a third time.

Securing a third term with strong support across rural Texas, the Republican pledged to expand medical use of cannabis and funding for rural health care.

The state’s agriculture commissioner oversees a vast portfolio including farming and ranching, rural health care and the scales you use at grocery store checkout.

Watchdog groups fear the film will fuel chaos in the upcoming midterm elections and could be a pretext for more restrictive voting laws in the future.

For example, members of the Railroad Commission don’t deal with railroads. Here’s what the many officials elected statewide do with the power voters give them.

According to the National Conference on State Legislatures, 37 states allow medical marijuana while 19 states allow adults to use it for non-medical reasons.

Experts said the plan, announced at the state GOP convention on Saturday, is not realistic and possibly not legal.

Abbott’s new policy has resulted in hourslong delays and protester blockades at border crossings. The state’s agriculture commissioner criticized the measure as an “economy killing action.”

The incumbent avoided a runoff. State Rep. James White had tried to unseat Miller with criticisms centered on controversies under Miller’s leadership.

Patrick urged former Gov. Rick Perry to mount a challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a third term. He’s taken the already considerable power concentrated in the state’s No. 2 job to another level, forcing opponents from races and tightening his grip on the Senate.

The statewide races on the March primary ballots are sprinkled with the names of state and federal legislators from Texas. You might think they have the upper hand in those contests. Maybe, and maybe not.

Miller’s top challenger is state Rep. James White, a Hillister rancher, who is running a hard-charging campaign calling out the incumbent for creating a scandal-prone culture at the commission.

Early voting starts on Monday, and the primaries are on March 1. But some recent polling foreshadows May runoffs for some offices high on the Texas ballot.

The rally in the Houston suburbs put on full display how much of a grip former President Donald Trump still has on Texas Republican leaders.

For three of the state’s most experienced politicians, bad news comes with the territory. But bad news in the critical stages of an election is another, more serious, kind of trouble.

Sid Miller is challenging a debt relief program that the U.S. Department of Agriculture saw as a way to correct historic discrimination. An advocate for Black Texas farmers says the challenge “pushes us back even further.”

Todd Smith will no longer work for Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller following Smith’s indictment on charges of felony theft and commercial bribery.

Attorneys for Smith said he has not broken any laws. Miller, who is seeking reelection and facing a competitive primary, said Tuesday evening he's "not ready to throw [Smith] under the bus" and believes the indictment was politically motivated.

Miller is running for a third term.

Miller was seen as a potential challenger to Abbott because of his vocal criticism of the governor's restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19 last year.

The endorsement comes as Abbott faces a primary challenge from former state Sen. Don Huffines of Dallas and as other fellow Republicans eye the race.

The top political consultant to Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller was arrested Thursday on allegations that he participated in a scheme to solicit money and campaign contributions for state hemp licenses issued by Miller’s Texas Department of Agriculture.

Maybe the latest announcement from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller was just the sound of a political gnat hitting the windshield. Miller was unveiling his response to the blackouts that knocked Texas off its feet last month. Miller hasn’t said what he’ll do in 2022, but it was notable when he joined Texas GOP Chair Allen West in a demonstration outside the Governor’s Mansion before last year’s elections. (That assessment goes double for West, a one-term congressman from Florida who has never run for government office in Texas.) Ad“Mandating masks was associated with a decrease in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates within 20 days of implementation,” they wrote.

From farm to table, freezing temperatures and power outages are crippling the supply chain that people rely on for food every day. Some are storing their remaining rations in coolers outside, and trips to the grocery store often do little to replenish pantries. Several food banks affiliated with Feeding Texas have also started providing food supplies to emergency warming shelters in the state’s major cities. AdFor Texas residents, disruptions to the food supply chain, often combined with continued power outages, mean eating non-perishable canned goods or leftover items like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Residents around the state have also taken to social media to share their stories about struggling to find food or an open grocery store.

With only two weeks before the funding expires, Texas’ state government still hasn’t spent about a quarter of the $8 billion it received from the federal coronavirus relief bill. In March, the U.S. Department of the Treasury assigned $11.24 billion to local and state governments in Texas. The state distributed $1.85 billion to smaller jurisdictions and has been distributing the remaining $8 billion through its health, education and emergency agencies, among others. The funds can pay for expenses incurred only until Dec. 30, according to federal guidelines. On Monday, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the remaining funds should be used to help rural hospitals and food banks.

If approved, shots could begin within days for health care workers and people in nursing homes. Shots would then begin for health care workers and nursing home residents. ___CANBERRA, Australia — Australian researchers say they have abandoned development of a potential coronavirus vaccine because it produced false positive results on HIV tests. A health ministry statement says the government will first vaccinate health care workers, particularly those who deal with COVID-19 cases. ___HONOLULU — Hawaii expects to receive 80,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine in December for health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.

It is unclear how Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller contracted the coronavirus or whether he has received medical attention. Credit: Juan Figueroa for The Texas TribuneTexas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said Wednesday evening that he has tested positive for COVID-19. He is the second known statewide elected official to test positive for the coronavirus. "Friends, I just got news that I have tested positive for COVID-19, and as a result, will be quarantining at my ranch,” Miller said in a written statement. The first statewide elected official to publicly confirm a positive coronavirus test was Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann in May.

India’s health ministry says some coronavirus vaccines are likely to receive licenses in the next few weeks. ___THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:About 50% of Americans will take the new coronavirus vaccine, according to The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey. — EU drug regulator hacked, data on COVID-19 vaccine accessed— UK probing if 2 allergic reactions linked to vaccine— Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf tests positive for coronavirus___Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak___HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas state official who has been critical of measures ordered by Gov. According to the state’s coronavirus dashboard, COVID-19-related hospitalizations on Tuesday reached 3,287, up 130 from Monday.

Texas Republican Party Chair Allen West speaks to a crowd gathered at the Governor’s Mansion on Saturday to protest business closures and mask mandates. The "Free Texas" rally featured speeches from Texas GOP Chair Allen West and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, both of whom invoked the governor critically. "And if the governor did not get this resolution, I'm gonna leave it right here, at the gates of the Governor's Mansion." Alt text: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller speaks to a crowd gathered in front of the Governor’s Mansion to protest statewide business closures and mask mandates. "I told him that true leaders don't pick and choose when they do what is right," West said.

Early voting in Texas can begin Oct. 13, following the timeline the governor laid out months ago, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, rejecting a request from several top Texas Republicans to limit the timeframe for voters to cast their ballots. Greg Abbott ordered that early voting for the general election in Texas begin nearly a week earlier than usual, a response to the coronavirus pandemic. Abbott added six days to the early voting period through an executive order, an exercise of the emergency powers he has leaned into during the virus crisis. Abbott’s order to extend the early voting period has been the main way the state adjusted voting procedures during the pandemic. Abbott had also doubled the early voting period for lower-turnout primary runoff elections held in July.

An early voting location in Houston on Feb. 21, 2018. Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas TribuneNeed to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? In July, Abbott added six days to the early voting period, moving the start date up to Oct. 13 from Oct. 19, citing the coronavirus pandemic. West said in the same statement that he opposes the "extension of early voting through the decree of a single executive instead of through the legislative process." Using the same rationale, he previously extended early voting for the July primary runoffs. Abbott's expanded that option to the entire early voting period.

HOUSTON – Should Texas expand medical marijuana? Well, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller believes the state should. During a tour of the Austin-based marijuana facility Compassionate Cultivation on Thursday, Miller said he wanted to learn more about how hemp, THC and medical marijuana can help people. After meeting with a group of parents whose children use medical marijuana for autism and other conditions, Miller said he is in favor of expanding the use of medical marijuana, according to a report by Austin NBC affiliate KXAN. “I would certainly expand medical marijuana.

At least 187 Texans have reported receiving mystery packets of seeds in the mail from China. An invasive plant species might not sound threatening, but these small invaders could destroy Texas agriculture. Intentionally keeping or planting the seeds would be illegal, Miller said., because they are an illegal product. First, it was a China virus, then it was murder hornets. The phrase "China virus," used by President Donald Trump and defended by politicians including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, has been criticized as racist and anti-Chinese.

HOUSTON – Both the U.S. and Texas departments of Agriculture are advising people not to plant any unsolicited seeds they may have gotten in the mail. According to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, these seed packets, falsely labeled as jewelry, come from China and have been mailed to people all over the country, including Texas. People are being advised not to plant the seeds as it could contain a harmful invasive plant that could cause damage to the Texas ecosystem, Miller said. “An invasive plant species might not sound threatening, but these small invaders could destroy Texas agriculture. The TDA is asking anyone who may have received a packet to report it immediately at SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov.

The posts from those local officials have prompted calls for resignation from the states top GOP officials. One post from Miller on Sunday included an image of Soros with accompanying text that read, Climate change didnt work. The Anti-Defamation League has reported that hundreds of thousands of social media posts in recent days have falsely suggested that he is behind the recent protests. Fact-checkers have debunked multiple fake flyers circulating on social media purported to be from organizations linked to Soros that were offering people money to protest. Miller has a history of posting incendiary and false statements on his social media channels, including on a Facebook page that has more than 800,000 followers.

This panel features state officials and a former U.S. agriculture secretary talking about the state of agriculture in 2020 and beyond.

Abbott easily bested his Democratic opponent, Lupe Valdez. Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller faced rare single-digit contests before eventually besting Democratic challengers.

After a marathon 17-plus hour debate that started just after noon last Tuesday, the House finally gave its preliminary nod to its version of the state budget, so we start this week's playlist of the week’s news with “For the Love of Money” by The O’Jays.