Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The D/FW and Austin chapters of the Council On American-Islamic Relations or CAIR has sued to strike down Governor Abbott's inflammatory declaration that they are part of a terrorist organization: https://apnews.com/article/texas-muslim-group-governor-abbott-sues-terrorist-a60f8349892597d1df9131f3bddda721 ...Abbott has also attacked The Islamic Tribunal in Dallas, a mediation firm that serves the Muslim community, much like similar tribunal...
Nov 21, 2025•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The national redistricting arms race that Texas Republicans helped Donald Trump start is not going their way at the moment: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/19/texas-redistricting-map-california-national-arms-race/ ...Prop 50 in California was proposed as contingent on Texas going through with redistricting, not a failure to pass legal muster - thus, it's still in play: https://abc7.com/post/prop-50-impacted-judges-block-texas-using-new...
Nov 20, 2025•10 min
Listen up - because your healthcare costs are about to increase! ACA tax credits are set to expire by the end of 2025, and millions are at risk of becoming uninsured. Learn about how our system leaves so many behind on how we got here, from Dr. Ricardo Nuila, author of “The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine.” He shared with the PT team about the Texas healthcare system, Medicaid, and more on living in the state with the highest uninsured rate in the country. Dr. Nuila works ...
Nov 19, 2025•37 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A three-judge panel in El Paso has put the brakes on the Trump-ordered mid-decade redistricting of Texas' congressional map: https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-texas-map-blocked-lawsuit-trump-ab4dc519717c6661c63e116c9f26d899 The state, as expected, has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, who now have the next move: https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/what-comes-next-for-texas-blocked-gop-gerrymander/ The plans of dozens of inc...
Nov 19, 2025•9 min
A major story as that panel of three judges - two of whom are Republican appointees - have decided that the GOP-led and Donald Trump-ordered mid-decade redistricting of Texas, designed to help Trump artificially maintain his control over the U.S. House of Representatives, is unlawful. There's lots to come here - Progress Texas board member and Fort Worth attorney Jason Smith joins us to discuss. Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at htt...
Nov 18, 2025•11 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: As Trump changes his tune on the Epstein files, Texas Republicans are suddenly also no longer opposed - showing their spineless complicity with the Dear Leader: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-texas-congress-21192934.php ...Trump could just order the release of the files - but language in the discharge petition may protect him from their complete release: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/us/po...
Nov 18, 2025•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Donald Trump's call for Republicans to stop resisting the full release of the Epstein files comes just after Ted Cruz, John Cornyn and Chip Roy all voted to keep them secret: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-news/u-s-senators-ted-cruz-and-john-cornyn-of-texas-voted-against-releasing-epstein-files/ Houston Mayor John Whitmire is struggling to control the narrative as criticism mounts that the Houston Police Department has been cooperatin...
Nov 17, 2025•8 min
It's very difficult to keep a secret in Texas politics, so a great many of the hundreds of folks who crowded into San Antonio's Backyard On Broadway this afternoon probably already knew what former mayor Ron Nirenberg was gonna say. But that didn't stop a pretty awesome announcement party from happening! We'll save the secret for the podcast, even though you've probably already had it spoiled. Learn more about Ron Nirenberg and his new campaign at https://voteron.com/ . Thanks for listening! Lea...
Nov 15, 2025•25 min
The team had a great time with our friends from the Asian Texans For Justice Action Fund at the Clay Pit in downtown Austin! Houston State Rep. Gene Wu and Houston City Councilwoman (and Harris County Judge candidate) Letitia Plummer joined us for a fun and inspiring conversation centered on our AAPI community in Texas, but applicable to ALL of us who strive for progressive change. Learn more about the Asian Texans For Justice Action Fund at https://www.atjactionfund.org/. Thanks for listening! ...
Nov 15, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Another wild week ends with the tantalizing release of thousands of Jeffrey Epstein's emails - for us, a reminder that the GOP is still sitting on the real goods, and are doing everything they can to keep that lid on good and tight. We're joined by Austin immigration attorney and Texas House District 50 candidate Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch to discuss that, and to give us her highly expert take on the current state of the ever-evolving dilemma that immigrant and Latino families are doing their best t...
Nov 14, 2025•31 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Several Texas ties surface amidst the trove of Jeffrey Epstein's emails dropped yesterday, including Elon Musk: https://apnews.com/article/epstein-documents-trump-andrew-emails-7bdf92fd2d742f88789b2b5d67bf9f48 ...And disgraced Baylor president and Monica Lewinsky scandal attorney Ken Starr: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/ken-starr-jeffrey-epstein-emails-21171020.php ...The CD-18 election could be key to the release of the rest of the...
Nov 14, 2025•10 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Our conversation yesterday with Beto O'Rourke: https://progresstexas.org/podcast/happy-hour-242-beto-orourke-and-power-people Donald Trump has signed legislation ending the federal government shutdown - including language that more or less kills the consumable hemp industry in one year: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/hemp-thc-ban-21169676.php ...Laredo Congressman Henry Cuellar was the only Texas Democrat in the U.S...
Nov 13, 2025•11 min
You'd be hard pressed to name an individual Texan who has provided more inspiration, guts and drive to the progressive side of Texas politics over the last two decades than El Paso's Beto O'Rourke, whose grassroots voter activation operation Powered By People has just emerged victorious from a legal scrape with Ken Paxton, stronger than ever as the crucial midterm election year approaches. We talked about the recent highs and lows of the Democrats, and what they mean for the future when coupled ...
Nov 12, 2025•45 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: After a protracted battle in Texas over this year, in the language of the bill returning the federal government to operation lurks language that will ban consumable hemp products across the nation: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/thc-ban-congress-21162625.php ...The hemp ban further establishes the federal government shutdown as a win for Democrats, as Trump's GOP continues to ignore the wishes and well-being of Amer...
Nov 12, 2025•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Reports of preferential and luxurious treatment enjoyed by Ghislane Maxwell in a Texas federal camp in Bryan have led to amplified calls for the Epstein files to be released: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/ghislaine-maxwell-epstein-texas-prison-trump-21154534.php ...With the reopening of the federal government and the long-delayed seating of Arizona's Adelita Grijalva is expected to force a floor vote on releasi...
Nov 11, 2025•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Progressives across the country and across Texas are outraged that eight centrist Senators have caved to the Republicans, ending the federal government shutdown at 40 days: https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-trump-641e7e2324f261da72395b604d9540e8 However - in the long run, it appears that the Democrats are the overall winners over the shutdown, with many more battles to come as a crucial election year begins: https://ta...
Nov 10, 2025•9 min
California Governor Gavin Newsom was supported by a who's-who of Texas Democratic leaders and elected officials on Saturday as he rolled into Houston for a rally in celebration of his state's passage of Prop 50, which will allow California Dems to nullify (at least!) the gains that Donald Trump has demanded of Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans in their mid-decade gerrymander of our congressional map. In order of appearance, the speakers included Austin State Rep. and gubernatorial candi...
Nov 09, 2025•38 min
Progressives and Democrats across the country are basking in the glow of a highly encouraging blue wave in this week's election - but the stakes couldn't be higher, nor the challenge greater for 2026. Fort Worth attorney and Progress Texas board member Jason Smith joins us to talk about a rare uplifting week for Texas progressives - and most importantly, the challenge that lies ahead. Learn more about Jason Smith at https://letsgotocourt.com/ . Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Tex...
Nov 08, 2025•45 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A Rhode Island judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP by the end of the day today, but Texas HHS says it will take as long as three days for Lone Star Cards to be funded: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/31/snap-benefits-texas-court-rulings/ Even before figuring in the Trump SNAP clawback, the Latino vote has swung hard against the GOP in this week's elections - boding badly for the new Republican redistricting ma...
Nov 07, 2025•10 min
Under the first phase of Trump 2.0, the First Amendment has been put through the wringer - and that's no more true anywhere than Texas college campuses. Progress Texas Executive Director Kathleen Thompson captured a recent live talk with civil rights lawyer J.T. Morris, Supervising Senior Attorney for FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, during which he details the current state of this fundamental American right, where it's headed, and what we can do to save it. Learn more...
Nov 06, 2025•55 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Almost a week into the month, November SNAP funding remains unpaid, leaving millions of Texans, including 1.7 million kids, in a state of food insecurity - for the first time since LBJ: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/05/texas-snap-food-stamp-families-hunger/ ...Even when November's payment arrives, Donald Trump's USDA says it will be half the usual amount: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/snap-benefit-releas...
Nov 06, 2025•11 min
We're the first to talk to Colonel Terry Virts, who had previously announced a run for the U.S. Senate, about his pivot into the race for the U.S. House in the newly-drawn (we think) Congressional District 9 - part of the racist Trump-ordered plan to carve new safe Republican seats out of marginalized communities, and seemingly drawn for the personal advantage of Deer Park Rep. Briscoe Cain. We think it's a great move and salute Colonel Virts for taking on this challenge. Learn more about Terry ...
Nov 06, 2025•16 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Huge Democratic gains on Election Night in NYC, California, Virginia, and New Jersey - a harbinger of what's to come in next year's midterms? https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/us/politics/democratic-party-mamdani.html ...All 17 Texas constitutional amendments on the ballot passed: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/04/texas-constitution-amendments-propositions/ ...In Houston, the CD-18 race unsurprisingly results in a runoff between Harr...
Nov 05, 2025•8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Less than 8% of Texans have voted so far in the 2025 constitutional amendment election, but we stand a chance of matching the 20-year high in 2023 of 14.5%: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/election-day-updates-21125022.php ...In Houston, turnout is relatively low in spite of a major election in CD-18: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/election-day-updates-21125022.php ...Turnout also lags in...
Nov 04, 2025•9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Today marks one year to November 3, 2026 - the mid-term election. Mark YOUR commitment to the upcoming year by voting tomorrow: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/22/texas-statewide-propositions-november-ballot-election/ ...In particular, be sure to vote NO on Proposition 12, which would give Governor Abbott too much influence over judicial conduct decisions: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/03/texas-prop-12-judicial-conduct-greg-abbo...
Nov 03, 2025•9 min
East Texas farmer and firefighter Bobby Cole has the distinction of being the first to announce a run challenging Governor Greg Abbott, and while that field has gotten more crowded since, he's also distinctive in his grassroots origins - Cole has never held office before, and that's what a lot of his followers like most about him. Progress Texas' Reagan Stone talked to Cole before an audience hosted by the Davis County Democratic Party at the Davis Mountains Resort. Learn more about Bobby Cole a...
Nov 01, 2025•42 min
Our group gripe this week has an obvious target, as Donald Trump, Greg Abbott, Mike Johnson and the rest of MAGA callously threaten millions of Americans using SNAP food assistance benefits with starvation as a political play. As usual, the cruelty is the point - especially horrifying to be happening in 2025 America. Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/ .
Oct 31, 2025•35 min
Texas State Senator Sarah Eckhardt has served Austin in the legislature since 2020 after years of local leadership in Travis County, and has recently announced a run for the U.S. House in the newly-redrawn Congressional District 10. The district is drawn for a significant Republican advantage, but potentially in Eckhardt's favor, the incumbent Republican Congressman Michael McCaul has declined to run for re-election - making this an interesting race indeed. Learn more about Sarah Eckhardt and he...
Oct 31, 2025•23 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Among those trick-or-treaters you'll see out and about tonight are hundreds of thousands of Texas kids whose parents worry they'll not be able to feed them tomorrow, as Republicans including Governor Greg Abbott refuse to keep SNAP funding flowing: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/texas-democrats-call-on-abbott-to-act-on-snap-funding-during-shutdown/ Democrats are holding out in an attempt to preserve healthcare subsidies that Trump's GOP wo...
Oct 31, 2025•8 min
'Tis the season for voting and elections, and we're moving into one doozy of an election season in 2026, with the midterm election and the future of our democracy on the line - the time is NOW for ALL of us to individually step up our game. Whether you're just getting started on your activism journey, or you've been in the trenches for awhile, this talk is all about a terrific digital tool you can use to bring your family, friends and neighbors into the fight. Ben Wilbanks is the Managing Direct...
Oct 30, 2025•18 min
