Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Colin Allred consistently got Ted Cruz's goat during last night's debate: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/15/texas-senate-debate-ted-cruz-colin-allred/ ...Fact-checking finds a bunch of fudged facts (big surprise) from Ted Cruz: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/election-2024/2024/10/15/503107/cruz-v-allred-debate-fact-check-from-abortion-to-insurrection/ ...Our statement on the debate: https://progresstexas.org...
Oct 16, 2024•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The only debate between Senator Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Congressman Colin Allred is scheduled for tonight in Dallas: https://www.yahoo.com/news/ted-cruz-colin-allred-meet-040719061.html?guccounter=1 ...The debate comes as internal Republican polling shows Cruz's lead having narrowed to one single point: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/13/senate-republican-poll-memo-00183570 ...In a panic, Cruz has been attacking the Senate ...
Oct 15, 2024•9 min
There’s one week left until the early voting starts for the November 5 general election, and there’s still lots of work to do to make sure that every Texan is informed and ready to vote! We’re doing our part to increase turnout, including expanding our voter navigation website, GoVoteTexas.org , to Texas’ top, vote-deciding languages now available in Vietnamese, Mandarin, Hindi, English, and Spanish! Progress Texas has built the largest online community of progressives from across the state — Te...
Oct 14, 2024•34 min
Stories we're following this morning: A lawsuit filed by a Texas man against three women who helped his ex-wife acquire abortion medication, backed by notorious anti-abortion activist attorney Jonathan Mitchell, has been dropped: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/12/us/texas-lawsuit-friends-abortion-pills.html A longstanding effort by an Andrews County nuclear waste storage facility to ship even more highly toxic waste into Texas from long distances has made it to the U.S. Supreme Court: https://w...
Oct 14, 2024•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Republicans are pouring money into three South Texas State House races - lately significantly outraising their Democratic opponents: https://www.latintimes.com/republicans-investing-south-texas-district-campaigns-561769 Like Progress Texas, the Dallas Morning News has endorsed Christine Weems over Texas Supreme Court Justice John Devine, and spells out very clearly why: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2024/10/11/we-recommend-f...
Oct 11, 2024•8 min
With progressives being some of the most diverse voters in the big tent party, and with hope to unite get out the vote efforts, we invited leadership and members of the Texas Democratic Party’s Progressive Caucus to talk specifics on their platform and work uniting our movement. As young Texans decide whether to sit this election out, vote third party, or make history by showing up to the polls in force, we give time to the biggest topics on their minds, including the call for peace in the Middl...
Oct 11, 2024•1 hr
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Republican candidates statewide, including Ted Cruz, have centered their closing messages for the election on anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ hate: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/election/2024/article/ted-cruz-transgender-ads-19826315.php The Afiya Center in Dallas is pointing out that the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision not to force Texas hospitals to save pregnant patients from deadly pregnancies with abortion care will disproport...
Oct 10, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A new survey finds that about 2 in 3 OB/GYN's practicing in Texas have been negatively impacted by our state's extensive abortion ban, and many are thinking of leaving the state altogether: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/10/08/texas-abortion-bans-prompt-some-ob-gyns-to-mull-leaving-survey-finds/75558421007/ Elon Musk, following his impressive Trump rally dance moves, has cut a $1 million check to a Trump-backing PA...
Oct 09, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The U.S. Supreme Court, surprising nobody, voted on party lines 6-3 not to intervene on behalf of Texans facing death amidst traumatic pregnancies, leaving our state's almost complete ban on abortion intact: https://newrepublic.com/post/186858/supreme-court-texas-emergency-abortion-ban ...Our skyrocketing maternal and infant mortality numbers were apparently not a compelling factor: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/texas-...
Oct 08, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: TODAY is the last day to register and to confirm your existing registration for the November election! All you need for that at https://govotetexas.org/ . A Travis County judge has blocked a Texas Health And Human Services plan that would have disrupted the care of almost two million low-income Texans: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2024/10/04/texas-judge-halts-116-billion-medicaid-proposal-that-could-affect-18-million/ Ted Cruz, after dec...
Oct 07, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A win for working folks and the Biden Administration as the International Longshoreman's Association strike ends, for now: https://www.salon.com/2024/10/04/dockworkers-union-scores-big-labor-victory-after-three-day-strike/ ...The Port of Houston is thus back in business this morning: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/longshoreman-strike-suspended-houston-19814460.php Could it be true? ERCOT is planning to connect the shaky T...
Oct 04, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Ken Paxton is pressuring Secretary of State Jane Nelson to give him a list of Texas voters who don't have state driver's licenses or ID cards, in a continued, demonstrative "search" for illegal voters: https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2024-10-02/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-makes-another-attempt-to-find-illegal-voters A reporter at KERA in Dallas who has been busy reporting on voters sent to Texas' "voter suspense" list checks her own st...
Oct 03, 2024•7 min
We appreciate the invitation and great access from U.S. Congressman Greg Casar's office for yesterday's rally - one of several on a barnstorming trip through South and Central Texas this week - at the University of Texas at Austin's Hogg Auditorium, where well over one thousand Longhorns crammed in to hear from a who's-who of progressive luminaries! This podcast presents the full, unedited event. The lineup: (00:56) Brian Peña, president of UT Austin's University Democrats, (02:37) Austin U.S. C...
Oct 02, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Over 2,400 young Texas progressives have attended rallies led by Austin U.S. Rep. Greg Casar and Senator Bernie Sanders this week, with two more events happening in Austin today: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/01/bernie-sanders-texas-colin-allred-kamala-harris/ ...Efforts like these are part of the reason voter registration in Texas has spiked over the last four years: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/election/2024/article/te...
Oct 02, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Six days remain to complete your registration to vote in the November election in Texas: https://govotetexas.org/ The International Longshoreman's Association has declared a strike, impacting ports from Maine to Texas: https://apnews.com/article/port-strike-ila-dockworkers-begins-e5468e760f46a64e4322d1702beb1f72 ...This includes Port Houston, which is shut down this morning: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/30/longshoremen-strike-texas-...
Oct 01, 2024•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A federal judge has found that the parts of the 2021 Senate Bill 1, imposing wide ranging new restrictions on voting access, are unconstitutional - bringing Ken Paxton's efforts against voting access advocates in South Texas to a halt: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/28/texas-vote-harvesting-law-unconstitutional/ Another lawsuit from Paxton - this time against the City of Austin over their abortion travel fund: https://www.statesman.co...
Sep 30, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The Texas Supreme Court has rejected a request by Attorney General Ken Paxton to force the State Fair of Texas, which opens today, to allow its patrons to bring in guns: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/state-fair/court-blocks-paxtons-appeal-guns-will-stay-banned-state-fair-of-texas-fair-park-dallas/287-1f9c3bb0-ec8d-4e17-beca-039fafb7ce13 ...Still, Paxton continues his pre-election culture war agitation by hassling yet another immig...
Sep 27, 2024•7 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Ken Paxton, after being rebuffed by two lower courts, is pressing his push to force the State Fair of Texas to allow patrons to carry guns into their event to the Texas Supreme Court: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/paxton-challenges-texas-state-fair-firearms-ban-again-after-appeals-court-decision/ Paxton is also suing the Biden Administration over federal requirements to properly accommodate LGBTQ+ kids in state foster care: https://www.te...
Sep 26, 2024•8 min
Among the opportunities for the first statewide wins for Texas Democrats in 30 years are the SIX positions on the TWO top courts in our state's judicial system, ALL of which will be on your ballot in November, no matter where in Texas you live. These courts have been dominated by Republicans for generations, and it shows - it's far past time for a change. We welcome Holly Taylor, Democratic nominee for the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals, and DeSean Jones and Christine Weems, nominees for the Te...
Sep 25, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Ken Paxton tries - and fails - to get a rubber stamp from the new 15th Court of Appeals in his fight to stop the State Fair of Texas from banning guns from its event, which starts Friday: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/24/ken-paxton-state-fair-gun-ban-appeals-court/ Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is on a swing through Texas, raising $1 million in Austin alongside tour guide Beto O'Rourke: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/24/doug-emh...
Sep 25, 2024•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Four of the Republican challengers to House Speaker Dade Phelan have dropped out and pledged support for GOP Rep. David Cook of Mansfield: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/20/texas-house-speaker-david-cook-dade-phelan-republicans/ Both Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic Senatorial nominee Colin Allred have seen recent polling gains among Texas Hispanic likely voters: https://www.txhpf.org/2024/09/23/texas-hispanic-policy-founda...
Sep 24, 2024•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: New research shows an even starker picture of maternal morbidity in Texas, which has spiked 56% since 2021, compared to a national rise of 11%: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/texas-abortion-ban-deaths-pregnant-women-sb8-analysis-rcna171631 Now funded primarily by oil billionaires and fearing defeat, the state GOP is planning to pour more money into South Texas races: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/16/texas-republican-par...
Sep 23, 2024•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A Dallas judge has denied Attorney General Ken Paxton's request to block a new policy enacted by the State Fair of Texas which will ban the carrying of guns into this fall's event: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/19/texas-state-fair-gun-ban-injunction-denied/ Paxton has sued (again) Harris County over its guaranteed income program for low income residents, even after it was revised to accommodate issues raised by the Texas Supreme Cour...
Sep 20, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The annual report from the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee shows a dramatic uptick in maternal deaths within one year of giving birth - being suffered mostly by Black and Hispanic mothers: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/18/maternal-mortality-2020-2021/ Ted Cruz has helped Republicans in the U.S. Senate avoid a vote on requiring insurance companies to pay for IVF treatments - they'd rather not be forced to say y...
Sep 19, 2024•9 min
Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan, having barely survived a well-funded and Trump-endorsed MAGA primary challenge in his Beaumont district, has been counting on near-unified support of the Democratic minority in the House to secure his position as Speaker next year. Democratic Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos of Richardson isn't so sure that supporting a Republican who has presided over some of the worst lawmaking in Texas history is a great idea for Democrats - so she's joined the race for Spe...
Sep 19, 2024•28 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Officials in Travis County have sued Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson over their efforts to stop Travis County from sending voter registration applications to eligible but non-registered voters: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/17/texas-voter-registration-ken-paxton-jane-nelson-lawsuit-travis/ Tarrant County Republicans are upset with their own representatives on that county's Commissioner's Court who...
Sep 18, 2024•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A minor car crash caused that massive petrochemical pipeline fire in the eastern Houston suburbs yesterday: https://apnews.com/article/pipeline-fire-texas-659141b9f88ed2b324c36fce2735746f ...The pipeline is owned by Energy Transfer, led by oil billionaire Kelcy Warren: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pipeline-fire-erupts-la-porte-texas-prompting-evacuations-2024-09-16/ ...Houston area Representative Gene Wu says we might know what chemical...
Sep 17, 2024•8 min
Harris County residents are coping with evacuations, road closures, and shelter in place orders today after a pipeline fire exploded in La Porte. The local ABC news affiliate is reporting nearby homes catching fire. The Democratic (and Progress Texas endorsed) candidate running to serve La Porte and unseat election denier and MAGA incumbent Briscoe Cain, is Chuck Crews, a petro-chemical engineer. Chuck spoke with Advocacy Manager Reagan Stone after seeing what looks like a fire tornado with a ne...
Sep 16, 2024•10 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Republican efforts to legitimize their false narrative over illegal voting by migrants - a problem that doesn't actually exist - now threatens a government shutdown on October 1: https://www.kxan.com/state-of-texas/house-facing-shutdown-deadline/ ...Republican-led states across the country have hit new records for "anti-immigrant" bills and resolutions, according to LULAC - with Texas leading the way: https://thehill.com/latino/4877006-anti...
Sep 16, 2024•9 min
This Tuesday, September 17, is National Voter Registration Day - and in light of recent events, including Ken Paxton's harrassment of Latino voting rights activists in South Texas, as well as moves by elected Republicans to curtail early voting locations on North Texas college campuses, this year's NVRD is hugely important. And so, we're proud to welcome two representatives of MOVE Texas, one of the Lone Star State's premiere organizations dedicated to bringing the joy of voting to as many Texan...
Sep 15, 2024•22 min
