Teacher Pay Raises, Hillary Clinton's Dallas Mayoral Endorsement, Beto O'Rourke on the Trail

Good morning!Here are the top political headlines from Austin, the campaign trail, Washington and Dallas.Points from Austin1. A Texas House committee delivered a blow this week to proponents of giving teachers raises based on merit. Heeding concerns from teachers' groups, the author of the leading House bill to overhaul public school education across Texas struck a controversial plan to create a $140 million program that offered raises to only top-rated teachers.Austin correspondent Rebekah Allen reports where the money will be funneled instead, with a nod to a Dallas ISD program.2. Underage lemonade peddlers would be safe from the law under a new bill the Texas House passed Wednesday. House Bill 234 would legalize temporary lemonade stands or stands selling other nonalcoholic drinks that are run by minors. "Today is lemonade freedom day," Fort Worth GOP Rep. Matt Krause said when his bill received initial approval Tuesday. "It's a great day for our Texas entrepreneurs."3. Facebook penalized a post promoting an anti-abortion bill in Texas because it was considered "clickbait" or "engagement bait," according to a company spokesman.The Texas Senate Republican Caucus posted on the social media site Sunday promoting a bill that would require doctors to provide "appropriate medical treatment" in the event that a fetus lives through an attempted abortion. Caucus chairman Sen. Paul Bettencourt took to social media to complain, tweeting, "Why did @facebook flag and limit this pro-life post/picture for possibly causing a "negative experience"?!? There is absolutely nothing distasteful about this post!"4. The part of North Central Expressway that runs through Richardson could be renamed, thanks to a bill the Texas House is expected to approve today. Plano Rep. Jeff Leach, the bill author, and McKinney Sen. Angela Paxton, who is carrying the bill in the Senate, seek to honor a person with a connection to the city.5. The Texas Senate has passed a bill to prohibit schools from rejecting controversial speakers. Houston GOP Sen. Joan Huffman's push to codify college free speech rules comes after several colleges grappled with how to manage controversial speakers and regulate student organizations. For example, Texas A&M University canceled a rally in 2017 featuring white nationalist Richard Spencer, citing safety concerns.6. At our legislative coverage site, the Texas Tracker: Your Guide to the State Legislature, you'll find stories, analysis and more from the Capitol. If you're a Dallas Morning News subscriber, you can customize your feed. Sign in, click the issues you want to follow, and you'll see only posts matching those topics.Points from the trail1. With two Texans in the presidential race, we decided to have a little fun. We created a quiz asking how much you know about Beto O'Rourke and Julián Castro, from their days as a punk rocker and the San Antonio mayor, respectively. Are you as blind about these two as O'Rourke's daughter's blind squirrel, or are you a Texas political junkie? Find out here.  Continue reading...