Cornyn campaign launches ad buy accusing Paxton of ‘funding the left'
Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) campaign is rolling out four new ads attacking Texas Attorney General and Senate candidate Ken Paxton (R) for money his office gave to several Texas entities, accusing Paxton of 'funding the left.'
The ads, roughly 30 seconds each and shared first with The Hill, criticize Paxton for issuing grant money to Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, the Tahirih Justice Center, the Montrose Center , and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, insinuating that the organizations run counter to Republicans on issues related to immigration and gender.
For example, a narrator in one of the ads accuses the Montrose Center of offering 'gender programs for children as young as seven,' noting that they have hosted 'child-accessible drag shows.'
The Montrose Center, a group serving the LGBTQIA+ Houston community, offers various services, including case management and counseling. The group has previously hosted events that have included drag shows – events that have nationally drawn scorn and scrutiny from some Republicans.
The ad is also likely referencing the center's Hatch Youth, which the center describes as 'Houston's oldest, currently active social group dedicated to empowering LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults between the ages of 7 and 24.'
Cornyn's team told The Hill that the ads are part of a five-figure digital buy.
Cornyn campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak alleged that the grants had cost millions of taxpayer dollars 'approved that went to radical left organizations that do not share our conservative Texas values,' describing Paxton as 'crooked' and suggesting that 'Texans cannot trust Ken Paxton.'
Paxton's campaign did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by The Hill regarding the ads.
The different groups mentioned in the Cornyn campaign ads were approved for different types of grants in the past, largely under the 'other victim assistance grant,' whose service areas include direct victim services, victim services training, outreach and education, victim assistance coordinator and crime victim liaison.
That hasn't stopped some of those groups from receiving scrutiny, however. Paxton investigated the Tahirih Justice Center, a recipient of Texas Bar Foundation funding, in 2022 to see 'whether these funds are being used to exacerbate the current crisis at the border and to thwart the efforts of federal and state law enforcement to secure the border.'
Republicans are bracing for a bitter primary between Cornyn and Paxton as Cornyn vies for a fifth term in the Senate. Paxton has described Cornyn as a 'RINO' or 'Republican in name only' while Cornyn's campaign has called Paxton a 'fraud.'
The primary is already laying bare divisions within the Texas GOP and could threaten Republicans' chances of holding the seat. A poll commissioned by the Senate Leadership Fund, released this month, found Paxton leading Cornyn 56 percent to 40 percent.
When Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) is added into the mix, the polling finds 44 percent behind Paxton, 34 percent behind Cornyn and 19 percent behind Hunt. But the polling also showed that Cornyn did the best among the three Republicans in a hypothetical matchup against former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), who could launch a second Senate campaign.
President Trump has notably not weighed in on the Texas Senate GOP primary.
'They're both friends of mine. They're both good men. And I don't know. We don't know who else is running, but these two— Ken, John —they're both friends of mine. So I'll make a determination at the right time,' the president said on Air Force One last month.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Washington Post
5 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Trump's FTC takes a ‘family values' approach to internet regulation
Happy Tuesday! Who's excited for liquid glass? Send news tips to: Trump's FTC wants to regulate the internet to protect kids. A recent all-day Federal Trade Commission workshop on kids' online safety hammered home a focused message: The internet has become a dangerous place for kids, and strict new laws are required to protect them from its harms. Panelist after panelist at the Wednesday event agreed on the need for laws mandating age checks to identify minors online; more robust privacy protections for teens; and holding online platforms liable when they fail to protect kids from unwanted sexual content, advances or exploitation. 'The 30-year experiment on a frictionless, child-facing internet is a complete and devastating failure,' said Wes Hodges, director of the conservative Heritage Foundation's center for technology and the human person, kicking off a panel on how the FTC can better protect kids online. The goal, he went on, should be to give parents more control of their children's and teenagers' online lives so they can be 'the leader in their household for how their kids engage online.' The workshop heralded a conservative internet policy agenda centered on 'family values.' But that wasn't the initial idea behind it. Planned in the waning weeks of the Biden administration, the workshop was originally titled 'The Attention Economy: Monopolizing Kids' Time Online,' people involved told the Tech Brief. The title was a nod to the FTC's focus on the links between the market power of Big Tech platforms and the alleged harms that flowed from their outsize role in young people's digital lives. But the event was postponed and reworked after President Donald Trump took office and chose Andrew Ferguson to replace Lina Khan as FTC chair. Panelists who had planned to bring free-speech or antitrust lenses to the conversation were disinvited in favor of right-leaning think tankers and child safety advocates. It was rescheduled for June with a new title: 'The Attention Economy: How Big Tech Firms Exploit Children and Hurt Families.' The FTC said the event was reconfigured to align with the Trump administration's priorities. 'It is true that the Biden administration was in charge of a previous iteration of the attention economy workshop,' agency spokesman Joe Simonson told the Tech Brief. But 'the Biden administration's vision for the internet was rejected at the ballot box.' Shielding minors online is a cause with bipartisan appeal, though attempts to regulate online speech can run into industry opposition and roadblocks in the courts. In Trump's second term, Republicans have taken on the mantle, passing age-verification laws in several U.S. states as well as the federal Take It Down Act, which requires online platforms to promptly remove sexual deepfakes and revenge porn. The FTC event highlighted that emerging bipartisan coalition, even as several panelists framed it in conservative terms. Rejecting the idea of 'progress for progress's sake,' Ferguson spoke of a 'God-given right and duty' to ensure that technological innovations benefit 'ordinary families.' Another speaker was Louisiana state Rep. Laurie Schlegel (R), a sex addiction therapist who helped pass laws there requiring adult websites to verify users' ages. Joseph Kohm, director of policy for the conservative Christian group Family Policy Alliance, said he was optimistic that the Supreme Court would uphold such laws in the face of First Amendment challenges. (The justices are expected to rule on a similar law in Texas in the coming weeks.) 'For generations, right-minded people in America have been looking for something to push back against the malign influence of both pornography and technology as both have become ubiquitous in our society,' Kohm said. Age verification tools, he suggested, could be part of the answer. Among those left out were not only left-leaning advocates and academics but pro-industry groups and free marketeers. A staffer at a nonpartisan nonprofit, who spoke on the condition of anonymity after being disinvited from the event, had planned to discuss how tech platforms' design choices impact children. That theme, which the FTC had emphasized under President Joe Biden, passed with little mention at last week's event. 'It was disappointing but not totally shocking, in that the leadership of this FTC was being pretty clear they wanted to put their stamp on everything,' the staffer said. Also rescinded was an invitation for David Inserra, a fellow for free expression and technology at the libertarian Cato Institute. He said he had planned to put the current wave of concern for kids' online safety in the context of historical 'panics' over new communication technologies. While some of the harms are real, he said, government intervention isn't the answer. 'Even in the current administration, there are people who talk about unleashing American innovation and technology,' Inserra said. 'The fact those views weren't represented in the panel is a missed opportunity.' The App Association, a trade group for app developers, wrote a letter to Ferguson criticizing the event for overlooking the interests of smaller tech businesses and start-ups. But sidelining those interests was probably no accident. 'The lineup could be taken as a targeted message at the very people who have previously stood in the way of kids online safety reform: fellow Republicans,' The Verge's Lauren Feiner wrote Monday. She noted that the U.S. Senate passed the sweeping Kids Online Safety Act 91-3 last year, but the House's Republican leadership never brought it to a vote. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) reintroduced KOSA last month. LA clash over ICE raids fuels viral battle online (Drew Harwell, Tatum Hunter and Naomi Nix) A diminished DOGE reels from the departure of the 'Dogefather,' Elon Musk (Faiz Siddiqui, Hannah Natanson, Cat Zakrzewski, Alex Horton and Elizabeth Dwoskin) NASA, Pentagon push for SpaceX alternatives amid Trump's feud with Musk (Christian Davenport) Musk and Trump are over. Silicon Valley is just getting started. (Elizabeth Dwoskin and Nitasha Tiku) Why Musk is vulnerable in conflict with Trump (Trisha Thadani and Faiz Siddiqui) Fired FTC commissioner Bedoya formally resigns (Politico) UK regulator investigates possible online safety breaches at 4chan and other platforms (Reuters) All the iOS 26 changes and new updates for your Apple devices from WWDC (Chris Velazco) Waymo suspends service in parts of L.A. after its robotaxis torched (Aaron Gregg) Meta is creating a new A.I. lab to pursue 'superintelligence' (New York Times) YouTube loosens rules guiding the moderation of videos (New York Times) US chipmaker Qualcomm agrees to buy UK's Alphawave in $2.4bn deal (Financial Times) Meta in talks for Scale AI investment that could top $10 billion (Bloomberg) Getty images and Stability AI face off in British copyright trial that will test AI industry (Associated Press) DOGE wins at Supreme Court; conservative majority ends limits on data access (Ars Technica) Sam Altman's eyeball-scanning digital ID project to launch in UK (Financial Times) Bill Atkinson, who made computers easier to use, is dead at 74 (New York Times) That's all for today — thank you so much for joining us! Make sure to tell others to subscribe to the Tech Brief. Get in touch with Will (via email or social media) for tips, feedback or greetings!


Newsweek
13 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Greg Abbott Issues Warning to Texas Protesters: 'You Will Be Arrested'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a warning to protesters in his state as people gathered to rally against immigration enforcement, foreshadowing the potential for scenes similar to the riots in Los Angeles following demonstrations there. "Between the Austin Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, more than a dozen protesters were arrested in Austin," Abbott, a Republican, posted to X on Tuesday morning. "Peaceful protesting is legal. But once you cross the line, you will be arrested. FAFO." This is a developing news story. Updates to follow.


Newsweek
13 minutes ago
- Newsweek
What Americans Think of Donald Trump's ICE Deportations, According to Polls
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration agenda is drawing fierce backlash in cities like Los Angeles—where protests have turned violent—but polls show Americans are divided over his approach, particularly along party lines. Why It Matters The Trump administration has pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history and has conducted numerous ICE raids, some of which have swept up people with proper documentation. The president on Saturday evening announced that he had authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles after reported violence against law enforcement, specifically ICE agents carrying out deportation raids in the city. While the raids are following a legal directive from federal authorities, protests have erupted amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, with a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles." The clashes highlight deepening conflicts between sanctuary jurisdictions and federal immigration policy, as Trump has implemented sweeping changes through executive orders and utilized the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expand deportation authority. Protesters demonstrate against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on Monday, June 9, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. Protesters demonstrate against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on Monday, June 9, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. Jae Hong/AP What To Know As Trump intensifies his immigration crackdown, Americans remain sharply divided over his deportation agenda, with public opinion fractured along political, demographic, and generational lines. A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted June 4–6 found that 54 percent of Americans approve of Trump's deportation policy—higher than his approval ratings on the economy (42 percent) or inflation (39 percent). The poll was completed just days before the president deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles on June 8, following escalating protests. Trump's strongest support on immigration comes from within his party, with 93 percent of Republicans backing his deportation policy, compared to only 18 percent of Democrats. Independents are more split, with 49 percent in favor. But beneath those partisan lines lies a more complex picture. While over 50 percent of Americans say they support Trump's overall goals on deportation, 56 percent disapprove of how those goals are being carried out. Asked who the administration is prioritizing for removal, 53 percent said "dangerous criminals," while 47 percent believe the focus is on people who are not dangerous. Many Americans also say Trump's tactics have gone further than they expected. Forty-nine percent believe he is attempting to deport more people than he suggested during the campaign; only 10 percent say fewer, and 41 percent think the numbers are about the same. There is strong support for due process in deportation proceedings. Sixty-three percent believe non-citizens should be guaranteed a court hearing or other legal protection. An overwhelming 79 percent say it would be unacceptable for a U.S. resident to be mistakenly deported under Trump's program. Despite the administration's push to roll back birthright citizenship, 70 percent of Americans say the constitutional guarantee should remain in place. A separate YouGov poll conducted June 9 among 4,231 U.S. adults showed similar discontent with how deportations are being handled. Just 39 percent said they approve of the Trump administration's approach, while 50 percent disapprove. Demographic divides remain stark. White Americans were the only racial group where a plurality—44 percent—approve of Trump's handling of deportations, with 46 percent disapproving. Among Black Americans, 63 percent disapprove and only 25 percent approve. For Hispanic and other nonwhite respondents, approval stood at just 35 percent, with 55 and 53 percent, respectively, disapproving. Age is also a key factor. Only 34 to 35 percent of adults under 45 approve of Trump's deportation policy, compared to 41 percent of those aged 45–64, and 46 percent of seniors. Younger Americans were also the most likely to disapprove: 52 percent among both 18-to-29-year-olds and 30-to-44-year-olds. A significant gender gap has also emerged. Forty-eight percent of men said they approve of Trump's handling of deportations, compared to just 31 percent of women. While 45 percent of men disapprove, a majority of women—55 percent—oppose his approach. Women were also more likely to say they were unsure. Partisan divisions remain deep. Eighty-four percent of Republicans approve of Trump's actions on deportation, compared to 10 percent of Democrats and 30 percent of independents. Amid federal intervention in Los Angeles, most Americans say state and local governments—not Washington—should lead the response. That view is held by 56 percent overall, including 72 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents. Just 25 percent believe the federal government should take charge. Americans are also divided over the protests that erupted in Los Angeles in response to ICE activity. Forty-five percent disapprove of the demonstrations, while 36 percent support them. Among Democrats, 58 percent approve, compared to just 15 percent of Republicans. Asked whether the protests were mostly peaceful or mostly violent, Americans were nearly evenly split—38 percent said peaceful, 36 percent said violent. Two-thirds of Republicans said they believe the protests were mostly violent. Since Trump ordered the National Guard into Los Angeles, protests have at times descended into riots, with reports of arson, vandalism, looting, and attacks on law enforcement. However, many protesters continue to demonstrate peacefully, and critics say Trump's heavy-handed response is inflaming tensions. Overall, voters remain split on the president's broader immigration agenda. A Morning Consult poll conducted June 6–8 among 1,867 registered voters found 51 percent approve of Trump's handling of immigration—matching his lowest rating of the term. In the CBS/YouGov poll, Americans were evenly divided: 50 percent approve of Trump's immigration policies, while 50 percent disapprove—a balance that has held steady since April. What People Are Saying Governor Gavin Newsom posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: "I have formally requested the Trump administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to my command. "We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty—inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed. Rescind the order. Return control to California." President Donald Trump, in a post to Truth Social on Monday: "We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California. If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated." What Happens Next Demonstrations against ICE actions are expected to continue in Los Angeles and other major cities in the coming days. Coordinated nationwide protests against Trump and his administration's policies are also planned to take place in cities in all 50 states on the president's birthday on June 14.