Here's why Texas counties issued disaster declarations ahead of total solar eclipse
To prepare for Monday's total solar eclipse, 16 cities and counties in Texas have issued disaster declarations — including Van Zandt and Kaufman Counties. We speak with the Kaufman County Judge Jakie Allen about what this means. Texas and the Biden administration try to convince the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals whether the state's new immigration law violates the U.S. Constitution. And Jack goes one-on-one with Democratic Congressman Marc Veasey to discuss the situation at the border, help for Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war.
Jack Fink covers these stories and more in the latest edition of Eye on Politics (original air date: April 7).
Eclipse Excitement
Communities across the state are preparing for the historic event of a lifetime — Monday's total solar eclipse.
As you know, a good part of the state, including North Texas, is in what's called the path of totality. This means, weather permitting, we will get to see the moon completely block the sun.
It's set to begin around 1:30 p.m. in south Texas and last up to four minutes, 26 seconds. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk.
According to Great American Eclipse, the total solar eclipse enters Texas from Mexico at Eagle Pass and Del Rio. It continues on a northeasterly track through Fredericksburg, San Antonio, Austin, and Waco, right through the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Totality will start in our area at 1:39 p.m. It leaves Texas through Paris and Texarkana and heads into Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The Texas Comptroller's Office says 12.8 million Texans live in the path of totality — and that as many as 1.1 million people are expected to visit our state to watch the eclipse.
To prepare for this, the state tells us 16 cities and counties in Texas have issued disaster declarations. They include two counties in North Texas: Van Zandt and Kaufman.
Jack spoke with Kaufman County Commissioners Court Judge Jakie Allen about why he ordered it and what this will mean for residents, businesses and visitors.
Watch that interview below:
Just because most counties in North Texas didn't issue disaster declarations, doesn't mean they didn't plan. Take Johnson County for example: leaders have placed more ambulances on call, and all first responders are working.
CBS News Texas is getting you ready for the total solar eclipse. Our team is covering this special event from all angles, and all corners of the state. Join us for 'Into the Darkness: A Texas Total Eclipse', a live drone show. Tune in for that Monday at 12:30 p.m.
Order in the Court
On Wednesday, a three-judge panel at the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard more arguments about whether the state's new controversial immigration law, SB 4, is constitutional.
The judges already stayed the law, keeping it from going into effect. Texas argued its legislation will help uphold the existing federal law, while the Biden administration said SB 4 interferes with the federal government's sole jurisdiction over immigration.
Under the legislation, it's a state crime for a migrant to cross into Texas illegally. It would allow state judges to order a migrant to be returned to their home country after they serve time in jail — or if they agree to it before being prosecuted.
There's also uncertainty over how the state's law would work in some circumstances. We spoke with Dallas appellate attorney David Coale, who's not involved in the case. He said one judge, who previously sided with Texas, indicated he felt it's too early for the feds to block the state's law.
"Is federal law actually in conflict with anything in the state law, and since we haven't put the law into effect yet, and there are a lot of questions about what exactly Texas is going to do, we don't know if there are going to be any conflicts yet," he said.
Coale also said two judges who have previously sided with the Biden administration asked questions indicating they disagree with that point:
"Why should we let you do this when we already have a federal policy, we may not like the federal policy, but we at least need to know what your alternative is."
The three judges could rule on this case as early as next week. It could then go to all of this appeals courts' 17 judges or to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Jack spoke with one of the author's of the state law, Republican State Rep. David Spiller of Jacksboro. He was in the courtroom for the hearing. Watch their discussion below:
Jack also spoke with Democratic State Rep. Ramon Romero of Fort Worth who voted against SB 4:
One-on-One with Democratic Congressman Marc Veasey
Jack spoke with Democratic Congressman Marc Veasey of Fort Worth about a range of topics — the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war and the fight over SB 4.
Watch that interview below:
Every week, CBS News Texas 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 watch new episodes every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on air and online.