A pair of scandals involving political meddling by conservatives at Texas A&M have rocked academia across the state recently - an esteemed journalism professor whose hiring was publicly celebrated found her arrangement with A&M curtailed following input from powerful Aggieland conservatives, and an adjunct professor who had dared to point out that state policies regarding fentanyl testing are exacerbating the death toll in Texas found herself in the crosshairs of none other than Lt. Gove...
Aug 01, 2023•39 min
The scene in Texas on the eve of crucial 2024 elections: defiance of Federal elections law in Galveston County. The inexplicable dumping of a solid national voter roll verification system. The monkey-wrenching of election procedures in Texas' largest county. Contradictory and confusing laws surrounding behavior at polling locations - some carrying felony-level penalties. Sensing imminent irrelevance, the Texas GOP has launched a full assault on the elections process in the Lone Star State - and ...
Jul 27, 2023•36 min
The entire nation has been shocked by the news of whistleblower allegations of cruel and inhumane treatment of migrants at the Texas border on the orders of Texas DPS commanders aligned with Governor Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star program. Both Texas State Senator (and U.S. Senate candidate) Roland Gutierrez and Progress Texas Executive Director Kathleen Thompson are in Washington D.C. on the invitation of the Biden Administration, but both took time out of that busy trip to discuss the horri...
Jul 19, 2023•20 min
With so much bad news surrounding the Texas Legislature, we think it's important to celebrate the good news when it comes - and from the otherwise-lamentable 88th Session came the overwhelming, bipartisan success of the CROWN Act , which was signed into law and takes effect on September 1, outlawing discrimination based upon ethnic and cultural hairstyles in Texas. When we celebrate these rare successes, it's important to learn as much as we can about how they were achieved - so we're proud to w...
Jul 17, 2023•34 min
We love nothing more than occasions to gather in person with our fellow progressives and raise a little hell - and that's exactly what we did at our brand new HQ in the Deep Ellum section of downtown Dallas a few days back. Proud to welcome back to the podcast Texas State Representative Venton Jones (as Kathleen loves to point out, HER State Rep) and brand new chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party, Kardal Coleman. A great discussion of what's now behind us, as well as the crucial work that...
Jul 09, 2023•33 min
If there was one silver lining in the dark clouds hovering over the U.S. Supreme Court last week, it was the ruling that requires Alabama to redraw electoral maps, finding likelihood that they were drawn to dilute Black voting power in that state. By popular demand, we've convened with Common Cause's Texas Voting Rights Program Manager Katya Ehresman to walk us through that organization's ongoing work for redistricting justice and describe what to expect on the path ahead nationally, including h...
Jul 06, 2023•29 min
This last Friday, we joined our friends at Unified for their June monthly meetup, which served as a wrap and summary of Pride Month 2023 with two of Texas' most prominent LGBTQ activists: Adri Perez of the Texas Freedom Network and Pamela Williamson-Wylie of the Human Rights Campaign. This taping happened to come within hours of the announcment of the SCOTUS 303 Creative decision - proof positive that this fight is by no means over. Learn more about Unified at https://www.joinunified.us/ . Learn...
Jul 02, 2023•33 min
The second of our two podcast episodes marking the first year beyond the fall of Roe v Wade focuses on efforts in one of Texas' most politically and culturally important regions: the Rio Grande Valley. We're proud to welcome Cathy Torres, Organizing Manager of Frontera Fund, and Laura Terrill, CEO of Planned Parenthood South Texas, two terrific orgs dedicated to providing medical, financial and emotional support to RGV residents in need of reproductive care. The Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline ...
Jul 01, 2023•29 min
This is the first of two podcasts episodes marking one year since the Dobbs decision, by which the Trump-stacked United States Supreme Court wiped away decades of precedent with the Roe V Wade decision that guaranteed the Constitutional right to an abortion for all Americans. That year has seen the redoubling of efforts by abortion rights organizations across the country to regain those rights and more, including Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, who held a terrific live event last weekend at The ...
Jun 30, 2023•48 min
The Asian American and Pacific Islander community are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States - but in Texas politics, they are ignored at best, and demonized at worst. Why have Republican lawmakers determined that AAPI Texans are a threat to be countered and dehumanized - and why have Democrats in Texas been so slow to fully embrace this rising political force? We had a fascinating conversation with Texas State Representative Gene Wu, who has represented a large part of Houston in...
Jun 23, 2023•48 min
For only the third year, Juneteenth is officially observed across the nation as a Federal holiday this Monday, June 19 - thanks to the tireless work of Black historians and activists across Texas. We're proud to welcome this week one of the pre-eminent authorities on Juneteenth: Donald Payton is president of the African American Genealogy Interest Group, former Dallas County Historical Commissioner, and a member of the special state committee that originally elevated Juneteenth to state holiday ...
Jun 16, 2023•37 min
The impeachment of long-indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton is being seen as a sort of consolation prize for Texas progressives, having been denied ANY meaningful political gains in the Republican-stacked legislature again this year - but how did we get here, what's really at stake, and what's likely to happen next? Our guests this week have had a front row seat for the Paxton soap opera for years: State Representative John Bryant of Dallas has just returned to service in the House and was pres...
Jun 08, 2023•48 min
After the wanton and seemingly inexhaustible ugliness directed towards the LGBTQ+ community during this year's legislative session, there's no better time for ALL Texans to express our solidarity than Pride Month, throughout the month of June. We're proud to welcome to the podcast James Poindexter, a public school teacher and board member of Pride San Antonio, for a look inside the planning process of this year's Pride events in Alamo City. Wherever in Texas you might be, make it a point to join...
Jun 03, 2023•22 min
NOTE - We recommend listener discretion for this episode, which contains graphic details of the crime scene at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. As the grim first anniversary of the Robb Elementary massacre arrives, and the closing days of the Texas legislative session creep by, not only have GOP lawmakers stonewalled any opportunity to prevent future mass shootings, but the pace at which those shootings happen in Texas has escalated. While we rarely re-publish our podcast content, we thought it an opp...
May 24, 2023•43 min
Not only has Governor Greg Abbott declared what he calls "school choice" (in reality, the undermining of funding for Texas public schools) a top priority for the current Legislature, he and other Republican schemers have wrapped it an intricate web of deceptive marketing designed to distract Texans - especially rural Republicans - from their true intentions. We set the record straight this week with two esteemed Texas education experts: welcome back Patty Quinzi, Director of Public Affairs and L...
May 18, 2023•39 min
You may have heard that HB 2744, otherwise known as the Raise The Age Act, has become a true rarity - a measure based on sensible, basic gun ownership regulation in Texas that has been voted out of committee. It would raise the minimum purchasing age of certain semi-automatic firearms from the current age of 18, to 21. We've rushed this episode of the podcast to encourage YOU to do all you can to help sustain this rare opportunity. We're proudly joined by Nicole Golden, Executive Director of Tex...
May 09, 2023•33 min
After a month of the heightened presence of Texas Department of Public Safety troopers in Austin, centered primarily on parts of the city that are home to a large percentage of Austin's non-white communities, concerns and questions are rising - and in parallel, the violent crackdown on transgender rights activists at the Texas State Capitol this week by DPS troopers may further illuminate the reality of the situation. We welcome two guests very close to the story: Austin City Council Member Zo Q...
May 06, 2023•59 min
A double-header this week! For our first segment, we're joined by famed Texas progressive political commentator and consultant Ed Espinoza - until just recently, president of Progress Texas - for a look into the recent recordings made public of Ted Cruz discussing the Republican plot to overturn the election of Joe Biden and keep Donald Trump in office. Not just the usual Cruz pinata party this time - we discuss solid steps YOU can take to prevent another term for the oiliest Congressman in Amer...
Apr 29, 2023•1 hr 9 min
NOTE - We recommend listener discretion for this episode, which contains graphic details of the crime scene at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. Senator Roland Gutierrez represents District 19 - a wide swath of South and West Texas, including Uvalde - and has been personally and continually immersed in the tragedy there since mere hours after the shooting began. Almost a year later, he's fighting to prevent future tragedies at the Capitol in Austin - and he's on the front lines against the heartless bu...
Apr 21, 2023•40 min
Efforts by Republican legislators at the Capitol to undermine the authority of local elected officials in our major cities - for the most part, Democrats - is not a new story. But this year, what has commonly been seen as right-wing bluster is threatening very real consequences for the larger municipalities of Texas. State trooper presence alongside local police departments in urban areas, takeovers of local independent school districts, and the recent threat by Governor Greg Abbott to pardon co...
Apr 15, 2023•42 min
Things move fast at the Texas Legislature - meaning, a lot of bad stuff can happen very quickly if advocates against the conservative agenda are not engaged - and environmental issues are certainly no exception. Joining us for a second episode this week is Luke Metzger, Executive Director for Environment Texas, with a rundown of the many issues and concerns at play, including new, nefarious trends in energy production in Texas, and an update on the upcoming Alliance For A Clean Texas Lobby Day, ...
Apr 07, 2023•30 min
It's near certain that one of YOUR family members, friends, co-workers or fellow church members is a member of the LGBTQ+ community - and right now, GOP lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are in the middle of a truly historic assault on their rights, with no sign of relent or restraint. What can we do to fight back? It turns out, quite a lot. We're proud to welcome back our friend Ricardo Martinez, CEO of Equality Texas, for an update on what has become a multi-session, multi-faceted and ever-es...
Apr 06, 2023•28 min
We've come a long way, baby! Hard to believe that we've made the 100 episode mark, and as we've said, we're also proud to say that over that time, we've grown the Progress Texas Happy Hour into one of the top 10% of all podcasts globally in listenership - which doesn't happen without YOU. And, we're also proud of the impact our organization has made since its founding - ample reason to invite two of our most esteemed alumni to look back in reflection, and to look forward in resolve. Founding boa...
Mar 31, 2023•34 min
We're in the midst of the 30th anniversary of one of the darkest moments in our state's recent history: the standoff at the Branch Davidian compount at Mount Carmel, just outside of Waco, which culminated in the deaths of dozens of men, women and children. This event captured the attention of the militant white supremacist movement then, and has served as a rallying cry for them ever since. Meanwhile, this weekend, former President Donald Trump is planning a rally at Waco in a blatant pledge of ...
Mar 22, 2023•22 min
We were proud to be invited to attend and roll tape on the second annual Unified Jam during SXSW in Austin, and this week's podcast includes portions of two of the day's panels. The first will be of interest to listeners who have considered jumping into the fray: "I Ran For Office - AMA", moderated by former Progress Texas Executive Director Ed Espinoza and featuring former Texas State House Representative and recent Austin Mayoral candidate Celia Israel, Austin City Council Members Paige Ellis ...
Mar 17, 2023•1 hr 2 min
The horror stories that were predicted by Texas Democrats - and ignored by Texas Republicans - have become reality. A growing number of Texas women have been left at death's doorstep as doctors in our state shy away from the threat of punishment for administering lifesaving medical care related to pregnancy. The first lawsuit representing plaintiffs who have been denied essential care due to Texas' cruel and vaguely-written new laws regarding abortion has been filed. Joining us this week to cele...
Mar 10, 2023•39 min
If you're like us, you may not have believed your eyes when you first read of a new bill that seeks to ban voting locations on college campuses in Texas . HB-2390 was authored by Texas Rep. Carrie Isaac (who herself recently got her clock cleaned via massive turnout at Texas State University) and continues to be considered by the Republican-dominated House. Joining us for a tour of the dozens of reasons this is a terrible idea are three esteemed allies, all directly involved in the fight to prot...
Mar 03, 2023•39 min
We wanted to take a moment to tell our listeners a bit about ourselves as this year's Amplify Austin Day arrives! It's Central Texas' biggest day of giving for a wide variety of worthy charities and nonprofits. On this short bonus episode, we hope you'll take a moment to learn a bit more about what Progress Texas does and what your support helps accomplish (in short, a lot!). We're proud to be joined by Dick Lavine, a founding Progress Texas board member, who takes us through the early days and ...
Mar 01, 2023•13 min
The Republican assault on the reproductive rights of Texans continues, with a lawsuit in Federal court in Amarillo poised to strike a blow against medication abortion access not only here in the Lone Star State, but across the entire country. Meanwhile, the current legislative session, thus far, indicates no relief in sight - but we're joined this week by representatives of two Texas advocacy organizations who continue to give us hope. Delma Catalina Limones is Communications Director for AVOW, ...
Feb 23, 2023•41 min
The filing deadline for Texas' May elections is coming up at the end of the day this Friday, February 17 - and this episode is directed at Texas progressives who have considered running for local office but have hesitated, thinking the fight in a "red state" will be too difficult. Using as an onramp recent controversies involving the current Mayor of the otherwise-sleepy D/FW suburb of Colleyville , investigative journalist Steven Monacelli guides us through a deep dive into how troubled George ...
Feb 16, 2023•31 min
