On Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump disclosed that he had appointed Brooke Rollins as the chief of the Department of Agriculture, thereby including another distinguished Texan in his cabinet.
Rollins, a Glen Rose native and president of the America First Policy Institute, has been a trusted ally of Trump since his 2016 campaign. She was a member of his Economic Advisory Council.Rollins was previously the director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank located in Austin.
Trump lauded her contributions during his first term, designating them as "incredible" in their capacity to advance his policy agenda.The USDA, a critical federal agency with a $213 billion budget and over 100,000 employees, has an impact on the food supply, agricultural practices, and nutrition assistance programs SNAP in the United States.
Rollins is the second Texan to be appointed to Trump's cabinet in the past few days. On Friday, President Trump appointed Scott Turner, a former Texas state representative, as the Housing and Urban Development Secretary.
Senate confirmation is required for both nominations to be effective.
Mary McCoy, the longest-serving female radio presenter in the world, will be honored with a statue in Conroe, Texas, on her 87th birthday, celebrating her 73-year broadcasting legacy.
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is rising in Texas and the United States, with 2024 cases exceeding last year's numbers. Health experts emphasize the importance of vaccinations, early diagnosis, and prevention measures to protect against this severe respiratory disease.
A Texas anesthesiologist has been sentenced to 190 years in prison after contaminating IV bags with dangerous substances at a surgical center, resulting in one death and several cardiac emergencies. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. was convicted of multiple charges after a series of incidents in 2022 that raised suspicions about the safety of the facility’s medical practices.