Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Developments continue in the aftermath of the violent police stampout of a pro-Palestinian protest at UT Austin: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2024/04/24/ut-austin-campus-student-protest-arrest-pro-palestine-protests-walk-out/73425149007/ ...Governor Abbott stands by the crackdown: https://www.chron.com/news/article/greg-abbott-ut-protests-19420650.php ...Reactions abound: https://twitter.com/ProgressTX An on-campus shooting in...
Apr 25, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The new law that has allowed an attempt by rural Republicans to oust Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza makes ALL DA's across the state vulnerable in the same way: https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2024/04/why-is-someone-suing-to-get-travis-county-da-jose-garza-out-of-office-and-what-comes-next/ Ted Cruz stuck with a small minority in the U.S. Senate voting against foreign aid for Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine: https://www.cnn.com/...
Apr 24, 2024•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Elected Democratic leaders are decrying Republican efforts to remove Travis County DA Jose Garza: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2024/04/22/lloyd-doggett-rogue-prosecutor-travis-county-district-attorney-da-jose-garza-texas-democrats/73412765007/?utm_source=statesman-newsalert-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsalert&utm_term=Hero&utm_content=naas-austin-nletter01 Ken Paxton calls off his quest against Seatt...
Apr 23, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Texas mom and reproductive rights activist Amanda Zurawski is on the trail with the Biden/Harris campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdBwynnn9HE Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza has been targeted for removal under a new state law by Comal and Bell County Republicans: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/20/texas-rogue-prosecutors-law-jose-garza-removal-attempt/ ...All as Ken Paxton is seeking to assert state prosecutorial au...
Apr 22, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: This 4-20, we recognize that while over half of the United States now enjoys either legal recreational cannabis or at least generous medical allowances, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants to take away even the inferior weed alternatives we have to settle for in Texas: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2024/04/18/texas-lt--gov-prioritizes-delta-8-ban-ahead-of-legislation-session Texas Representatives in the U.S. House are div...
Apr 19, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: After a 9-0 unanimous loss at SCOTUS in a property rights dispute for Texas, Ken Paxton curiously claims it was actually a win: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4600506-lawyers-for-texas-rancher-blast-paxtons-claim-of-supreme-court-win/ Recent Biden administration expansion of debt cancellation will benefit almost 217,000 Texans to the tune of $9.5 billion (with a B): https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Texas-4...
Apr 18, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A new poll shows Ted Cruz leading Colin Allred by less than the percentage of undecided voters: https://www.khou.com/article/news/politics/elections/texas-poll-cruz-allred-trump-biden-race/285-bcc3a200-0d18-448d-ba7a-90e8fa4996dd Texas Republican Congressmen Michael McCaul and August Pfluger are among the GOP gang who delivered the futile and stupid impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate ye...
Apr 17, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that protest organizers are liable for the actions of attendees, undermining the First Amendment right of gathering and demonstration: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/texas-right-to-protest-19403818.php ...While video of the death of another unarmed Black man while being restrained by police in Texas is released: https://www.expressnews.com/news/tex...
Apr 16, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Not only is it Tax Day here in mid-April, but we've also already started getting warnings of power failures from ERCOT: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-12/texas-warns-of-possible-power-emergency-next-week Hard right GOP Texas House lawmakers have written up a Contract On Texas, which would allow them to push through their most radical agenda items with little resistance: https://www.kxan.com/state-of-texas/state-of-texas-con...
Apr 15, 2024•8 min
Late last week, the Biden administration and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced a new rule designed to close the infamous "gun show loophole" - gaps in background check requirements that allowed basically anyone, regardless of criminal background or mental state, to buy a gun from a dealer outside of a brick-and-mortar shop. And - right on cue - our senior Senator John Cornyn has announced a fight to block it. We've invited our good friend Nicole Golden, Ex...
Apr 14, 2024•20 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Those "I'm In Control" pro-adoption billboards are not only misleading about the realities of adoption as an abortion alternative - they're also being paid for by YOUR tax dollars: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/misleading-ads-no-remedy-cruelty-texas-abortion-19324750.php ...While San Antonio officials argue over whether to use their Reproductive Justice Fund to pay for out-of-state travel for abortion care seek...
Apr 12, 2024•8 min
Any time a bright idea comes springing from the Republican-led Texas Legislature, alarm bells should go off for Texas progressives - and newly-created elected positions of oversight for county appraisal districts are certainly no exception. Should the GOP succeed in their plans to monkey-wrench the tax apprasal processes of large (and generally Democratically-run) cities, you can count on them to create as much havoc for us, and as much profit for themselves, as humanly possible. Which is why we...
Apr 12, 2024•25 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Two advocacy groups have asked the Federal Election Commission to look into Ted Cruz's podcast income, which may have been sent to a PAC supporting his re-election illegally: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/ted-cruz-podcast-campaign-finance-complaint/ The Texas Education Agency is planning to replace up to $20 million in human labor in STAAR Test scoring with AI: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/09/staar-artificial-intelligence-co...
Apr 11, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: With new developments in Arizona against reproductive freedom, now's the time for Texas abortion rights advocates to redouble our efforts: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/04/immigration-abortion-texas-greg-abbott-migrant-border-crisis-stunts.html H-E-B stores are stocking a new over-the-counter birth control medication: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/opill-birth-control-heb-19381763.php Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is calling fo...
Apr 10, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Yesterday's historic eclipse reminds us how far solar power infrastructure has come in Texas: https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/eclipse-overshadows-texas-solar-power-strength-2024-04-08/ A group of nine Houston-area state lawmakers are calling for a public hearing about potential violations of state law by Houstpn ISD, still under TEA control: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/texas-hisd-violations-19391789.php ...
Apr 09, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following thi s morning at Progress Texas: Happy Eclipse Day! Careful with your glasses and good luck with the weather. Eagle Pass is missing out on a huge, rare windfall with Operation Lone Star occupying Shelby Park, where a big eclipse festival had been planned: https://www.thedailybeast.com/texas-gov-greg-abbott-already-managed-to-screw-up-the-eclipse A video of Texas Supreme Court Justice John Devine went viral over the weekend in which he pushes election fraud misinformation:...
Apr 08, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: At a speaking event at the University of Texas yesterday, Republican and former House Speaker Joe Straus confirms that oil billionaire Tim Dunn told him during a 2010 meeting of his opinion that only Christians should hold positions of leadership in the Texas Legislature: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/04/tim-dunn-joe-straus-christian-texas/ ...New details of UT's mass-firing of former DEI employees this week: https://www.usatoday.com...
Apr 05, 2024•8 min
Progress Texas proudly endorsed Houston progressive activist and organizer Lauren Ashley Simmons in her race to replace fellow Democrat Shawn Thierry in the Texas House - and she came within half a point of unseating one of the least-reliable Democrats in that body in the primary last month. The runoff election is coming up on May 4 - one month from the publishing of this episode - and we're proud to bring Lauren back for an update. Follow the adventures of Lauren Ashley Simmons at https://www.l...
Apr 04, 2024•22 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Colin Allred on The Daily Show this week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtnYzqWtIKE After yesterday's hearing at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, SB-4 remains blocked for now: https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/crime/texas-controversial-immigration-law-remains-on-hold-shelved-by-3-judge-panel/ar-BB1l1WlU ...Meanwhile a Texas National Guard soldier has been arrested on human trafficking charges: https://abc13.com/texas-national-guard-soldier-...
Apr 04, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: SB-4 will see a hearing at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals today, with a focus on its constitutionality: https://www.npr.org/2024/04/03/1242451969/a-controversial-immigration-law-will-be-back-in-court-in-texas ...While the Southern Poverty Law Center discovers that Operation Lone Star has been paying a Texas hate group millions of dollars to bus migrants northward in terrible conditions: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2024/04/02/texas...
Apr 03, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Colin Allred trails Ted Cruz in some polls, but has beaten the odds against established Republicans before: https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2024/03/qa-senate-hopeful-colin-allred-says-november-election-is-larger-than-our-own-problems/ ...Allred highlights Ted Cruz's lockstep support for Texas' abortion ban and the potential for a national ban: https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/-that-s-not-freedom-allred-hits-ted-cruz-s-extreme...
Apr 02, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The chief judge of the Northern District of Texas says his court will not follow new rules from the Judicial Conference designed to curb "judge shopping": https://www.commondreams.org/news/judge-shopping-texas A Starr County woman has sued the Starr County prosecutor's office over false murder charges they pressed upon her over a self-induced abortion in 2022: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/30/us/texas-abortion-murder-charge-lawsuit.html S...
Apr 01, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: On Good Friday, we join reminders to President Biden of his campaign pledge to end capital punishment in America: https://www.newsweek.com/president-biden-should-follow-through-ending-death-penalty-opinion-1883271 On Easter Sunday, we also observe this year's Trans Day Of Visibility, and encourage a renewal of kindness and protection for that valued segment of our Texas family: https://glaad.org/tdov/ Fort Worth grandmother Crystal Mason, s...
Mar 29, 2024•10 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A Christian Nationalist group, with support from current elected officials, calls for women who have sought abortion care to be charged with murder: https://twitter.com/MrsAMartini/status/1773160427981070620?t=KYb98_RSF5BTJKpKpBe0pw&s=19 Rep, James Talarico's talk on Christian Nationalism: https://youtu.be/Blph_2RSBno?feature=shared Governor Abbott has issued an executive order equating pro-Palestinian protest with anti-semitism, orderi...
Mar 28, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: As expected, felony securities fraud charges delayed by a decade for Ken Paxton were dropped in a deal with prosecutors yesterday - but why? https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/ken-paxton-fraud-deal-19369122.php ...But our AG's legal troubles are far from over: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/ken-paxton-legal-battles/269-ceefcfd0-3ebb-4cff-8bf5-b7e5b7030ce7 ...Still, we learn yet again that justice is not equa...
Mar 27, 2024•7 min
As we continue observing Women's History Month this March, it may come as a surprise - and considering over-arching political circumstances in Texas, perhaps ironic - that the senior members of BOTH the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives are women. We are honored to be joined by State Representative Senfronia Thompson - known to her colleagues, constituents and fans as "Ms. T" - and Senator Judith Zaffirini, a trailblazer both for women and Hispanic Texans, for a deep dive into ...
Mar 27, 2024•48 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The public comment period has begun on the Texas Medical Board and their timidity on specifics regarding abortion ban exceptions in Texas - make your voice heard here: https://progresstexas.org/blog/protect-abortion-rights-provide-public-comment-texas-medical-board More from the Center for Reproductive Rights: https://twitter.com/ReproRights/status/1771262245562945696 Ken Paxon appears set to sign a deal allowing him to escape prosecution o...
Mar 26, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Attorneys for Ken Paxton appear close to cutting a deal with prosecutors that would bring the nine-year-long felony securities fraud charges against him to an end: https://abc13.com/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxtons-fraud-charges-could-be-dismissed-security-case-communnity-service-tribune/14559450/ There's a hearing on all of this set for tomorrow: https://www.fox26houston.com/video/1430473 A large march featuring dozens of social justice ...
Mar 25, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A large group of desperate migrants pushed through border fortifications at El Paso yesterday, highlighting the humanitarian crisis being created by Republican policy: https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2024-03-21/migrants-on-texas-southern-border-breach-wire-barriers-erected-under-operation-lone-star ...U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, on a diplomatic mission to Guatemala, calls SB-4 "unconstitutional": https://www.pbs...
Mar 22, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals was not successful in reaching a decision yesterday regarding whether to allow SB-4 to take effect while being considered by the courts: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68613083 ...Texas sheriffs appear enthusiastic about SB-4 but are inconsistent about their views on enforcing it: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-migrant-arrests-texas-8e232b8a0c2979943c87c7309652ed34 ...Dallas House Rep. Vi...
Mar 21, 2024•8 min
