Eye on Politics: Rep. Tony Tinderholt on his bid for Texas House Speaker
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The FBI in Dallas is warning universities across Texas about intellectual property theft of the research they're conducting. Plus, political reporter Jack Fink talks to Republican State Rep. Tony Tinderholt about why he's challenging the Speaker of the Texas House Dade Phelan in January. All these stories and more in this week's edition of Eye on Politics (original air date: Dec. 15).
Every week, CBS 11 political reporter Jack Fink breaks down some of the biggest political stories grabbing headlines in North Texas and beyond. Watch the latest episode of Eye on Politics in the video player above and stream new episodes live every Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. on CBS News DFW.
Intellectual Property Theft Warning
The FBI in Dallas recently warned about 100 administrators and faculty members at universities across Texas about the threat of intellectual property theft by the Chinese government.
The Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas FBI at the time, Matthew DeSarno, said what's being targeted is the research being conducted on college campuses.
"There are adversaries out there who are trying to steal as much intellectual property as they can to accelerate their own advancement," he said.
DeSarno retired from the FBI at the end of October after 25 years of service.
On the same day his agents at the Dallas headquarters welcomed dozens of university officials, DeSarno discussed with reporters his top concerns.
Dr. Tedd Mitchell, Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, addressed the conference.
Jack spoke with Dr. Tedd Mitchell one-on-one about the problem. Watch their full discussion below.
Rep. Tony Tinderholt's Bid For House Speaker
Republican State Rep. Tony Tinderholt from Arlington is set to challenge the Speaker of the House Dade Phelan when the new legislative session begins Jan. 10.
Jack spoke with Tinderholt about his efforts and priorities. Watch the full interview below.
Other Political Headlines
- Title 42 is set to end next week, and it's already creating an impact at the southern border. According to the Texas Tribune, officials at the El Paso border sector, including all of New Mexico, report they've encountered more than 15,000 migrants in the past week. Title 42 was instituted during the Trump Administration to quickly expel migrants who crossed the border illegally because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Gov. Greg Abbott has called for the Texas Attorney General's Office to investigate whether non-governmental organizations are facilitating illegal border crossings.
- Texas Sen. John Cornyn, Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales and Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar, who represent border communities, along with West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin sent a joint letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to extend Title 42 beyond next Wednesday's deadline to expire.
