We recap the wild week in Texas politics. Grab a coldie and hang! Learn more about us at ProgressTexas.org.
The murder of political activist Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah was an act of domestic terrorism that tears at the very fabric of our country, and threatens to escalate what is already a highly troublesome degree of political polarity. It should be, and has been, condemned by voices across the political spectrum - but it is also likely to be used as a catalyst or excuse for more political violence by parties uninterested in peace or unity. At Progress Texas, we condemn this horrible crime, pray for Charlie Kirk's family, and expect full justice to be done.Learn more about how to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Texas U.S. Congressman and House Rules Committee member Chip Roy, a leading Republican candidate for Texas Attorney General in 2026, voted yesterday to prevent a measure that would force the unveiling of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking ring from being put to a vote by the full house: https://newrepublic.com/post/200213/list-house-republicans-voted-kill-epstein-bill...In fact, NONE of the Republicans in the Texas delegation signed on to a petition last week that also would have led to the release of the Epstein files: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/09/03/texas-republicans-take-a-pass-on-bipartisan-move-to-force-quick-release-of-epstein-files/...While Epstein co-conspirator and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has been upgraded to a downright fancy federal prison "camp" in Bryan: https://www.npr.org/2025/09/03/nx-s1-5519224/ghislaine-maxwell-prison-texas-epsteinAn English department lecturer at Texas A&M who was confronted by a MAGA student over gender-related material in a child lit lesson has been fired after pressure from Governor Abbott and other Republicans: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/abbott-texas-am-professor-21039346.phpAustin friends: tickets are now FREE for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Looked to us like a crowd of a bit over 1,000 under a hot Round Rock sun - with about 12 hours notice - about three hours ago at publishing time for Austin State Rep. James Talarico's official kickoff event for his run for the U.S. Senate! Great energy and a great time - looking like an interesting primary season shaping up for Texas Democrats! Enjoy.Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Austin State Rep. James Talarico makes it official: he's running for the U.S. Senate: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/state/article/james-talarico-us-senate-campaign-21036632.phpGovernor Abbott announces an executive order establishing the sales restrictions on THC products that the legislature failed to pass after multiple tries: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/09/greg-abbott-thc-executive-order-21-texas/...Can he just up and do that? https://www.texastribune.org/2017/06/02/analysis-governors-executive-order-doesnt-go-very-far-texas/?utm_source=chatgpt.comIn yesterday's SCOTUS decision to allow racial profiling by ICE in California, years of progress have been "foolishly squandered": https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2025/09/09/supreme-courts-immigration-ruling-is-a-huge-step-backward-for-america/...Recent ICE detention horror stories include a Houston mother of nine who now faces deportation or indefinite detention: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/08/texas-houston-immigrants-family-deportation-belize-ice/?_bhlid=8e0e0663695b3812d0118f81adc1a3473c5a4b5a...And an Austin man from Iran who's likely to be tortured and possibly executed if he's deported: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2025-09-05/austinite-facing-execution-in-iran-awaits-deportation-after-weeks-detained/Austin friends: tickets are now FREE for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Austin State Rep. James Talarico - surprising nobody - is set to launch a run for the U.S. Senate tomorrow: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-rep-james-talarico-will-announce-bid-for-u-s-senate-seat-next-week/...Talarico enjoys considerable momentum going in, both from a recent Joe Rogan interview and his own social media savvy: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/05/james-talarico-texas-senate-democrat-2026/Congressional District 33, which would be newly-confined to Dallas County under the new Donald Trump map, sees a chaotic situation begin to develop for Dallas Dems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz0jmb-6q5QThe Texas Republican Party's plan to censure and block from reelection any sitting party member who has not toed their ideological line sees an opponent in Amarillo Republican megadonor Alex Fairly: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/14/alex-fairly-texas-republican-party-censures-primary-ballot/A new survey finds that about a quarter of Texas college professors have already begun seeking work outside the state, and many of those who haven't are considering quitting, due to conservative interference: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/05/texas-faculty-university-political-climate-survey/Austin friends: tickets are now FREE for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
The Democratic side of the race for U.S. Senate is heating up in Texas - but the very first Democrat to announce for the race was former U.S. Air Force Colonel and NASA astronaut Terry Virts. As election season begins to get real, Progress Texas is seeking to bring you extended conversations with as many of the most promising candidates as possible - really enjoyed this talk with Colonel Virts.Learn more about Terry Virts and his run for Senate at https://www.terryvirts.com/.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
If you're one of the millions of Americans who celebrated the amazing breakthrough of vaccines as a way out of the dark days of the COVID pandemic just a few short years ago, you've probably been dismayed at the antics of RFK Jr. undermining the continuation of that medical miracle, the undermining of vaccinations among school kids in Texas and elsewhere, and the celebration of ivermectin among Texas lawmakers. Plenty to complain about on In Progress this week, and we're proud to welcome to the weekly venting session our friend Cory Duty of the Lake Travis Democrats!Learn more about the Lake Travis Democrats at https://www.laketravisdemocrats.com/.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can help support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
As young progressives across the country continue to gain inspiration from the likes of Zohran Mamdani in New York, even here in Texas we're seeing fresh faces pop up in interesting places: in the cases of Ric Galvan in San Antonio and John P. Bowers III in Rowlett, the freshest faces on both of those Texas City Councils! We caught up with both of them to get an inside view of how things are getting underway, and what they look forward to tackling for their communities moving forward.Learn more about San Antonio City Council Member Ric Galvan at https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/Mayor-Council/City-Council/D6/Biography.Learn more about Rowlett City Council Member John P. Bowers III at https://www.rowletttx.gov/directory.aspx?EID=674.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The Texas Republican Party has filed a lawsuit seeking to close its primary election to registered Republicans - in a state that does not have a system for party registration: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/04/texas-gop-republican-party-closed-primary-elections/The appointment of State Senator Brandon Creighton as chancellor at Texas Tech represents a further consolidation of conservative control over our state's institutions of higher learning: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/05/texas-tech-university-brandon-creighton-chancellor/The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has joined several Texas college student groups to sue UT Austin over a new state law placing limits on campus activities at night - a law largely authored by Brandon Creighton: https://www.thefire.org/news/lawsuit-texas-bans-first-amendment-public-universities-after-darkAustin friends: tickets are now FREE for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Help Progress Texas avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:As was rumored, the second special session was brought to a close early last night as a huge wave of GOP priorities made the desk of Governor Greg Abbott, but other items fell short: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/04/texas-legislature-adjourns-special-session-sine-die/On flood relief, bills on infrastructure and camp safety passed, but SB2, which was aimed at improving emergency response in flood-prone areas did not make the finish line: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/04/texas-legislature-disaster-emergency-response-bill/Dan's Ban - a near-complete ban on THC products made legal by GOP hemp legislation in 2023 that Lt. Gov Dan Patrick had been furiously advocating for all year, finally failed last night: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/special-session/texas-legislature-thc-deal-ban-hemp/269-0028d2c8-8899-4d06-b0a4-e71292539195A new ban on abortion medication that allows Texans to sue entities handling those pills even outside of Texas, passed and is likely to be signed: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/us/politics/texas-senate-abortion-pills-bill.htmlThe long-sought and long-feared bathroom bill is also likely to be signed into law, despite doubts about its enforceability: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/bathroom-bill-aimed-trans-people-awaits-governors-signature-texas-legislature/287-41339ea0-caa2-41ad-b4f1-374c4f8d0d97A bill that would have allowed Texas law enforcement agencies to conceal records related to complaints against officers failed after the two chambers came to an impasse: https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/police-records-confidentiality-uvalde-21026729.phpA bill that would have paused a massive and controversial groundwater grab in East Texas has failed to pass: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/east-texas-water-pumping-21029821.phpMassive new penalties on future quorum breakers passed, rendering one of the last tools of minority resistance in the Texas Legislature much more painful to employ: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/09/04/measures-seeking-to-prevent-future-quorum-breaks-by-texas-lawmakers-approved-wednesday/Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Help Progress Texas avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Governor Greg Abbott denies allegations from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzger that Texas National Guard troops are part of a Donald Trump-threatened military deployment to Chicago: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/national-guard-chicago-abbott-21027479.php...Pritzger warns us not to allow the militarization of American cities to become normalized: https://www.advocate.com/voices/pritzker-trump-invading-chicagoA racist comment from 2022 that Lubbock State Senator Charles Perry apologized for yesterday could end up part of legal challenges that the new Trump map is racially motivated: https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/texas-senator-apologizes-for-racist-comments-unearthed-by-democracy-docket/Ken Paxton, reacting to his flagging numbers against Senator John Cornyn, says Texas school kids should be reciting the Lord's Prayer at school every day: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/02/texas-ag-ken-paxton-lords-prayer-religion-schools/...Also as a Trumpian play, Paxton is now opposing a ten-year-old bail reform effort in Harris County: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/paxton-misdemeanor-consent-decree-21015147.phpThe second special session slogs on - the Senate yesterday gave approval to a bill banning abortion medication in Texas: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/09/02/texas-senate-gives-initial-approval-to-abortion-pill-bill-targeting-mailing-of-medication/...Also yesterday, the Texas House reversed a new law, which just took effect on Monday, that would allow Texas voters to update their addresses on Election Day: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/voter-registration-law-21026519.phpThere's word that some Texas lawmakers want to end the session early, which would leave Dan's Ban on THC and July 4 flood-related legislation incomplete - and perhaps set the stage for a third special session: https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-special-session-may-end-early-leaving-key-bills-limboAustin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Help Progress Texas avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Yesterday, September 1, saw over 800 new laws hit the books in Texas: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/new-texas-laws-sept-1/3911795/One new law we do like hits the books today: the expansion of Texas' medical marijuana allowances: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/texas-officials-publish-rules-to-expand-medical-marijuana-access-with-new-dispensary-licenses/The second special session drags on, with a lot remaining on the agenda: STAAR Test elimination (rather, replacement), the cutting of property taxes, and additional punishment for Democratic quorum breakers are all in play: https://www.kvue.com/video/news/politics/special-session/bills-second-special-session-texas-legislature/269-18742f77-013f-4ef9-ae26-3a1195e1f099Collin, Bastrop and Williamson Counties are all changing their voting procedures to direct writing on paper ballots in line with a Donald Trump executive order: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/02/trump-election-executive-order-texas-voting-machines/In the wake of the deaths of dozens of children in the July 4 flood, three Kerr County summer camps are pushing back on floodplain construction restrictions being considered at the legislature: https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-camps-push-back-laws-cabins-floodplainsAustin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Help Progress Texas avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Proud to welcome our good friend Jorjo Vasquez to the weekly venting roundtable - Jorjo is Communications Director for San Antonio State Senator Roland Gutierrez and is central to the fiery progressive messages that office is known for. Our weekly session comes as ivermectin is made widely available as new restrictions are placed on COVID vaccines, the decades-simmering anti-trans bathroom bill finally makes Governor Abbott's desk - and a potential game-changer for the political world down in South Texas appears to be priming for his debut.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how YOU can join the fight at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:A flurry of new GOP-pushed legislation towards the close of the second special session includes the anti-trans bathroom bill that Republicans have fetishized over for a decade: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/transgender-bathroom-bill-21019516.php...And a new vigilante bill allowing Texans to sue anybody who manufactures, transports or provides abortion-inducing medication: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/22/texas-abortion-pill-restrictions-lawsuit-manufacturer/...And new rules that will allow Texas police departments to conceal conduct claims about officers that don't lead to discipline: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/28/texas-police-officer-g-file-confidential-personnel/While Texas Republicans make ivermectin available over the counter, vaccine denier Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits Austin, and new restrictions apply to the new COVID shots, a super-spreader may be underway among the members of the Texas legislature: https://x.com/miyashay/status/1960871483368202702?t=Usg0QEqmkDEhIP0NtOASlA&s=03...COVID is, in fact, on the rise in Texas, and depending on where you live and your level of healthcare acccess, getting a shot this fall may prove a difficult challenge: https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/29/health/covid-vaccine-access-questions-healthyAnother nationwide round of rallies and protests on Labor Day Monday include dozens of events in Texas: https://maydaystrong.org/Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Help Progress Texas avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:HB 25 - a bill allowing ivermectin to be bought at Texas pharmacies without prescriptions - has blazed through the second special session and is headed for Governor Greg Abbott's desk: https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/ivermectin-bill-clears-texas-house-angry-pushback-21016700.php...The Texas Medical Association testified against the bill, but the Texas Board of Pharmacy declined to get involved: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/27/texas-legislature-ivermectin-otc-prescription/...All while RFK Jr., 30 minutes late to a press conference with Governor Abbott, freely spouts conspiracy about autism and more in Austin: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/rfk-jr-plays-fast-and-loose-with-autism-statistics-during-rambling-press-conference-with-texas-governor-38381693Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced a seventh massive waiving of environmental and health regulations to allow five miles of border wall to bulldoze a section of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge: https://www.borderreport.com/immigration/the-border-wall/dhs-waives-environmental-rules-to-build-more-border-wall-in-south-texas-through-wildlife-refugees/About 25% of Texas school districts and charter schools have signed up for the Christianity-infused Bluebonnet Learning curriculum, narrowly allowed last year by the State Board of Education: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/28/texas-schools-bluebonnet-bible-curriculum/Ken Paxton, upon the Texas Supreme Court backing the 15th Court of Appeals blocking of his efforts to stop Beto O'Rourke's Powered By People from helping Texas House Democratic quorum brakers with funding, accuses those very Republican judges of colluding with O'Rourke: https://www.rawstory.com/beto-orourke-ken-paxton/Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Help Progress Texas avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The NAACP follows LULAC, filing the second lawsuit against the new Texas congressional map ordered by Donald Trump that carves out five new likely Republican seats at the expense of Texas voters of color: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/26/naacp-sues-texas-congressional-maps-black-political-power...Trump's plummeting approval in the RGV sheds light on why he's so desperate to shield himself from the wrath of voters in 2026: https://www.theborderchronicle.com/p/voters-regret-support-for-trump-plungesDan's Ban - the full ban on THC products shoved through the regular session by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick but later vetoed by Governor Greg Abbott, has stalled on its re-do run through the second special session: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/proposed-thc-ban-texas-stalls-legislature-21016853.php...At the same time, a bill that would make ivermectin available without a prescription has a decent chance to make it to Abbott's desk: https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/08/25/texas-bill-could-make-drug-ivermectin-available-over-the-counter-amid-misuse-concerns/Former Trump doctor and U.S. Congressman Ronny Jackson of Amarillo, despite no longer being licensed to practice medicine, has proclaimed Donald Trump "the healthiest president this nation has ever seen" - at odds with obvious evidence to the contrary: https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-uses-disgraced-doctor-to-declare-trump-healthy/Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
The Park Cities Area Democrats invited our executive director Kathleen Thompson and Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman to explain what just happened in the Texas Legislature and what it means for Dallas County. On a hot summer evening, a packed room sat rapt while Kathleen shared PT's viral clips, straight from the quorum-breaking Democratic lawmakers themselves, and Kardal and Kathleen discussed the second not-so-special session, the quorum break, political imprisonment from the House floor, harassment from a DPS escort/ tail, and what the new maps mean for Dallas primary and general races (spoiler alert: it's throwing everything into chaos!).Thanks to the club for the invitation and the joy of fellowship in these difficult times. Learn more about the Park Cities Area Democrats at https://www.facebook.com/pcdwa/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Houston Rep. and Texas House Minority Leader Gene Wu addressed the opening day of the Democratic National Committee's summer meeting yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oo1tgO5JhkThe Texas House Republican Caucus voted yesterday to crank up the penalties against future quorum breakers: https://www.statesman.com/news/politics/state/article/house-quorum-bust-sanctions-21014411.php...Strangely, a move to formally censure the quorum breaking Democrats fell short - the MAGA mob is not happy: https://thehill.com/homenews/5469277-texas-house-republicans-vote-against-retroactive-punishments-for-quorum-breakers/The Texas House State Affairs Committee advanced the latest version of the bathroom bill yesterday - it is now headed to the full House: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/22/exas-house-transgender-bathroom-senate-bill-8/...They also advanced the latest attack on reproductive freedom, a bill forbidding abortion medication to be imported into Texas: https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/texas-abortion-pill-ban-bill-20827609.php...Trump-era Republican strategies include vigilante lawsuits, insulation from court review, and lately, the "sue and settle" maneuver that lets Trump bypass Congress and state legislatures: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/25/texas-redistricting-trump-lawsuits-courts/?_bhlid=4e3cbbe9c0975580d05d460fb89ad84e4add5cc7Ken Paxton is insisting, despite the Ten Commandments school posting law being temporarily blocked by a federal judge, that Texas schools put them up anyway: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/religion/article/paxton-ten-commandments-texas-21014419.php...His insistence that the Ten Commandments are the basis of American law is disputed by many legal and historical experts: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/religion/article/ten-commandments-history-20824467.phpAustin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The Trump administration is planning to mobilize over 1,700 National Guard troops across 19 states, including Texas which will receive the largest number of troops: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-national-guard-military-states-cities-b2812837.html...The only of those states with a Democratic governor is New Mexico, where Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has expressed disdain for Trump's deployment plans: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/lujan-grisham-comes-out-against-using-national-guard-for-immigration-enforcement/article_9e51af6f-ad9a-4f34-8f1d-aa93898960a0.html...Perhaps Texas IS in need of intervention - California Governor Gavin Newsom points out that Dallas and Houston have wildly higher murder rates than Los Angeles and San Francisco lately: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/california-gavin-newsom-dallas-texas-murder-rate-trump-greg-abbott-los-angeles/287-9565f3e1-b080-4aa7-8a57-f94f1e878509...Trump is also threatening to occupy Baltimore, New York City and Chicago: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/trump-building-case-to-deploy-national-guard-troops-to-more-u-s-cities/...All of which places even more importance on the mid-term elections, at a moment when the Texas Senate has sent that heavily gerrymandered map to Governor Greg Abbott to sign: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/22/texas-congressional-redistricting-map-senate-governor-desk/?_bhlid=2276038ea97d8d3a93bb0622be72c6cda7ee47d2...Mere hours after which the first lawsuit against the map was filed: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/23/texas-congressional-map-lawsuit/...At stake is a potential permanent Republican stranglehold on the U.S. House of Representatives: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-redistricting-push-could-bring-decades-republican-rule-us-house-2025-08-24/...Tejano star and possible future politician Bobby Pulido correctly calls the mid-decade redistricting of Texas "bullshit": https://tejanonation.net/2025/08/19/bobby-pulido-reflects-on-retirement-career-and-future-in-public-service/Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
No surprise to anyone that the Texas GOP eventually (and as quickly as they could manage) got their way, and have gotten their new congressional map carving out a cushion of five likely Republican seats in the U.S. Congress next year for Donald Trump. The question remains: what do we do now? Pooja Sethi, who's running for the Texas House in that same 2026 election, joins us to discuss an insane week in Austin, and how this lays out the playing field for the next year.Learn more about Pooja and her campaign at https://www.poojafortexas.com/.Help Progress Texas avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The Texas Senate appears ready to fast-track the Trump-ordered redistricting of Texas as soon as today, which would send the measure to Governor Abbott's desk: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/22/texas-congressional-redistricting-map-senate-governor-desk/?_bhlid=2276038ea97d8d3a93bb0622be72c6cda7ee47d2...In California, a map redistricting the other direction is set for a November public vote - the trigger provision has been removed, so if the voters approve, it's happening: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/21/california-legislature-redistricting-plan...Some Texas Democrats believe the Republican map leans too heavily on assumptions that Latinos who voted for Trump last year will reliably vote for GOP candidates next year, when Trump's not on the ballot: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texas-redistricting-map-democrats_n_68a77e2ee4b0ab862cb1a518...Austin Congressman and Texas delegation dean Congressman Lloyd Doggett has announced that if the Trump map holds up in court, he will not seek re-election in the 37th district: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/21/lloyd-doggett-congress-retire-redistricting-greg-casar-austin/Republican Congressman Chip Roy, frequently at odds with Donald Trump, has announced a run for Texas Attorney General: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/21/chip-roy-texas-attorney-general-run-00517391Deer Park Republican State Rep. Briscoe Cain announced a run in the newly-reddened Congressional District 9 less than a day after voting for the new map: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/21/briscoe-cain-congress-texas-9th-congressional-district/Beaumont State Rep. and former House Speaker Dade Phelan, at bitter odds with the conservative wing of his party, has announced he'll not seek reelection in 2026: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/former-texas-speaker-announces-retirement-through-chuck-norris-video/Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
Ironically, mere minutes after Texas Republicans pushed through a racially-gerrymandered congressional map ordered by Donald Trump to cut his losses in next year's midterms, we convened a panel of esteemed Black leaders from across the D/FW area to discuss the state of voting rights 60 years since LBJ signed the Voting Rights Act into law in 1965. We were pleased to team with the Legal Defense Fund to host a panel featuring former Dallas City Council Member for District 3 Casey Thomas, Grand Prairie City Council Mayor Pro Tem Junior Ezeonu, and Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons at the DEC Network Center in Dallas.Learn more about the Legal Defense Fund at https://www.naacpldf.org/.Learn more about the DEC Network Center at https://dallasbuilds.org/organization-profile/the-dallas-entrepreneur-center-dec-networkProgress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Texas House Republicans, surprising nobody, approved the new congressional map ordered by Donald Trump to artificially create five new Republican U.S. House seats yesterday: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8z4nj17dnoIn response, lawmakers in California will likely vote today on a package of bills to put the option of redistricting that seat for Democratic advantage to their voters in November: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/us/politics/redistricting-california-texas.htmlOn the ground, the new map represents a dismembering of communities, combining Texans with broadly disparate views and needs together under elected leaders who will have great difficulty serving all of their constituents: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/21/texas-redistricting-congressional-map-texans/On a broader scale, there are serious concerns about what the resulting redistricting arms race means for American democracy: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/aug/21/texas-house-redrawn-electoral-map-republicans-us-politics-latest-updates-news?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with%3Ablock-68a6ef948f0869bf40ece2dd#top-of-blogEven after the most racist move by Texas Republicans in the modern era, Democratic and progressive groups remain undeterred - and they need you help now: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-racist-maps-passed-the-house?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1220969&post_id=171530261&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=33j12m&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=emailAustin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:After promising the families of July 4th flood victims that flood relief would take a top priority in the second special session, the Trump-gerrymandered congressional map is the only item on the agenda for today at the House: https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/20/politics/texas-redistricting-california...California Republicans are getting nervous as preparations to allow that state's voters to approve a retaliatory redistricting of the Golden State: https://www.axios.com/2025/08/19/newsom-trump-texas-california-redistricting-democrats...Several Democratic House members who had agreed to DPS tails have "ripped the slip" and joined Fort Worth Rep. Nicole Collier during her long-term stay on the House floor: https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-texas-nicole-collier-capitol-protest-10f8e3f721a507237d5272ccd1b2f81b...Austin Rep. Sheryl Cole gave us details on a public altercation she had on Tuesday morning with her DPS handler, who grew frustrated after he lost track of her while she was walking on an Austin trail: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/update-austin-rep-sheryl-cole-on-public-scrape-with/id1552998795?i=1000722710239...Meanwhile, the Texas Senate has passed all kinds of MAGA business, from the bathroom bill, to additional power to the Attorney General to press election fraud cases, to more leeway for Texas law enforcement agencies to conceal complaints against their officers: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/18/texas-senate-second-special-session-thc-disaster-relief-bathroom-bills/Dallas/Fort Worth friends: Join Progress Texas Institute and the Legal Defense Fund in Dallas for a live podcast taping, featuring Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, at the DEC Network Center—honoring the years since the signing of the Voting Rights Act and a review of where voting rights stand today, amid redistricting threats. Admission is free! https://act.progresstexas.org/a/vra_event_2025Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org
Another live update from what's turning into a pretty crazy second special session of the Texas Legislature: Austin Rep. Sheryl Cole posted to social media early on Tuesday that the Texas DPS trooper assigned to watch her berated her loudly and publicly after losing track of her on an Austin walking trail. We offered to allow Rep. Cole to tell her story, and she graciously accepted.Learn more about Rep. Sheryl Cole at https://www.sherylcole.com/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Fort Worth Rep. Nicole Collier spent the night last night on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives, refusing a Texas DPS tail that Republicans have required for all of the Democratic quorum breakers to leave the Capitol: https://abc7ny.com/post/democratic-texas-state-rep-nicole-collier-slept-house-floor-protest-refusing-demand-law-enforcement-escort/17584775/...A nonviolent protest and solidarity gathering on behalf of Rep. Collier is happening tonight (Tuesday 8/19) at the Capitol: https://www.mobilize.us/handsoffcentraltexas/event/830948/...At least four of Collier's supporters were arrested last night after refusing to leave their vigil: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNhc65Ju5LX/?igsh=Y3czYnhocGV2ZTI0...A new analysis of the Trump map shows that it will extend what is already a disproportionate level of Republican representation in Texas relative to the popular vote: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/18/texas-redistricting-maps-charts-analysis/?_bhlid=8e069a6f680e3d5c42668d3fccf9cea202d76672...A coalition of legal defense groups are preparing their challenge to the new Texas map: https://thehill.com/homenews/5458835-democratic-aligned-nonprofit-civil-rights-groups-ready-to-sue-over-texas-congressional-map/Those new Ten Commandments posters plastered all over your kid's school are causing tension: https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2025/08/19/tensions-rise-in-texas-as-students-return-to-school-under-new-ten-commandments-law/The notoriously conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down West Texas A&M's ban on drag shows: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/08/19/court-blocks-West-Texas-AM-drag-ban/9401755573254/Dallas/Fort Worth friends: Join Progress Texas Institute and the Legal Defense Fund in Dallas for a live podcast taping, featuring Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, at the DEC Network Center—honoring the years since the signing of the Voting Rights Act and a review of where voting rights stand today, amid redistricting threats. Admission is free! https://act.progresstexas.org/a/vra_event_2025Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
We are beyond proud of Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth, who today refused to agree to a Texas DPS tail in order to be allowed to leave the Texas House floor. We talked to her live from there this evening, and will continue to follow.Learn more about Rep. Nicole Collier at https://www.texasrepcollier.com/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The Texas House Democrats who have stopped the Donald Trump-ordered redistricting of Texas for the last two weeks are expected to restore quorum today: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/us/politics/redistricting-texas-maps.html...In Houston, Colin Allred calls the quorum break a success in buying time and building understanding of the situation across the country: https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/texas/quorum-may-be-reached-in-texas-house-during-special-session-monday/285-0a9ea4b3-d53b-4992-b165-1c44a5ce4332...The quorum break has also inspired Democrats to up their efforts against Trump, and fired up the voting base: https://apnews.com/article/trump-democrats-redistricting-texas-california-newsom-9422a8300f5bcc2aa587bcb3811a1479...An example of that fired up base, over 5,000 braved a hot August afternoon to rally against the Trump map on Saturday at the Texas State Capitol: https://www.kut.org/politics/2025-08-16/texas-austin-redistricting-rally-protest-capitol-congressional-maps...Don't count on Republicans to dial back their efforts - or their dangerous and violent rhetoric, on which Houston Rep. Ann Johnson weighs in: https://x.com/voteannjohnson/status/1956737162277269904?s=46Republicans on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court - again - are scheming to cut voting locations, especially those at area colleges: https://www.keranews.org/government/2024-09-09/tarrant-county-early-voting-at-colleges...Commissioner Alisa Simmons sounds the alarm: https://x.com/commalsimmons/status/1957274231688851652?s=46Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett says that should polling show her competitive, she'll consider running for the U.S. Senate: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/inside-politics/texas-politics/if-this-happens-congresswoman-jasmine-crockett-consider-run-senate/287-26b58ed8-f392-48e3-ac8c-61c7440346d0Dallas/Fort Worth friends: Join Progress Texas Institute and the Legal Defense Fund in Dallas for a live podcast taping, featuring Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, at the DEC Network Center—honoring the years since the signing of the Voting Rights Act and a review of where voting rights stand today, amid redistricting threats. Admission is free! https://act.progresstexas.org/a/vra_event_2025Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
As the first special session ends, and a second begins - all but promising that the new congressional map designed to give Donald Trump a chance to elude the voters and maintain control of the U.S. House beyond next year will be enacted - we gather with special guest Wil Jeudy of Secular Houston to unpack the end of the Democratic quorum break, what they accomplished over the last two weeks, and what happens next.Learn more about Secular Houston at https://secularhouston.org/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:As day 12 of the Texas House quorum break arrives, those Dems have announced plans to return for the promised second special session, in part “to build a strong public legislative record for the upcoming legal battle” https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/14/texas-house-democrats-plan-return-quorum-break-redistricting/...They plan to wait until California's retaliatory redistricting map is unveiled, likely later today: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/14/us/texas-democrats-return.html...California Gavin Newsom will ask that state's voters to approve bypassing their independent redistricting commission on November 4: https://apnews.com/article/texas-california-redistricting-battle-f0ac783b6a5fd6ecaab0ca419125b72a...A Tarrant County judge has put off for about two weeks a ruling on a temporary restraining order against fundraising for the quorum breakers by Beto O'Rourke's Powered By People, Ken Paxton's push to charge O'Rourke with contempt of court, and O'Rourke's petition to move the case to El Paso: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article311706474.htmlKen Paxton finds his early polling lead against Senator John Cornyn to have more or less evaporated, as 80% of polled voters pay close attention to the ongoing redistricting drama: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/15/paxton-cornyn-texas-senate-poll-august-emerson/After gaining the votes of millions of Texans on promises to improve their economic situation, Donald Trump's policies are directly putting the brakes on the Texas economy: https://www.wfaa.com/article/money/economy/texas-economy-job-growth-slowing-amid-trade-war-immigration-crackdown-dallas-fed-report-says/287-13e06c6e-ea00-4914-a8ef-a352fb725141Considering the lack of condemnation from GOP leadership or their voter base, one can interpret the acceptance of recent racist comments from State Senator Mayes Middleton and Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French as evidence that by nature, the Texas Republican Party is a racist organization: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2025/08/15/what-the-racist-attacks-on-democrats-say-about-the-texas-gop/As another weekend of protests and rallies arrives, Progress Texas reminds you to show up, be loud, and be proud - but also be smart, and don't follow anyone into anything unsafe, illegal or destructive: https://www.fightthetrumptakeover.com/Dallas/Fort Worth friends: Join Progress Texas Institute and the Legal Defense Fund in Dallas for a live podcast taping, featuring Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, at the DEC Network Center—honoring the years since the signing of the Voting Rights Act and a review of where voting rights stand today, amid redistricting threats. Admission is free! https://act.progresstexas.org/a/vra_event_2025Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:An Illinois judge, approached by Ken Paxton under the assumption that he may bend the rules as Texas judges have, has declined Paxton's request that authorities in that state enforce arrest warrants against the Democratic quorum breakers sheltering there: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/13/texas-democrats-illinois-arrest-warrants-reject-extradite/...The quorum breakers took part in a call hosted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee yesterday, in which Obama Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries participated: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-attorney-general-eric-holder-house-democrats-redistricting/...It's important to keep in mind that Trump's redistricting push is an attempt to nullify Black and Brown voters - a fact that the mainstream media has failed to properly portray: https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/redistricting-racism-texas-abbott-florida-desantis-trump-rcna224891Should quorum be re-established at the Capitol, not only will the maps move forward, but also plans for local police departments to have broader control over officer misconduct records and the ability to shield them from public and press view: https://www.texasobserver.org/secrecy-g-file-police-records-texas-legislature/Trump and DOGE cuts, as they relate to the kids headed back to school, will unsurprisingly mostly impact programs designed to support and protect kids of color: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/14/texas-after-school-programs-trump-funding-cuts/Has Texas already devolved into a state of "Orban-style autocracy"? https://www.salon.com/2025/08/14/trump-abbott-and-the-gop-bring-orban-style-autocracy-to-texas/Dallas/Fort Worth friends: Join Progress Texas Institute and the Legal Defense Fund in Dallas for a live podcast taping, featuring Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, at the DEC Network Center—honoring the years since the signing of the Voting Rights Act and a review of where voting rights stand today, amid redistricting threats. Admission is free! https://act.progresstexas.org/a/vra_event_2025Austin friends: tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025...The Brad Stuver interview will be co-hosted by Landon Cotham of the Austin FC podcast Moontower Soccer: https://www.moontowersoccer.com/Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
As the end of the first special session approaches this week, with another threatened immediately to follow, we continue our talks with House Democrats who have left the state to stop the power grab of Donald Trump via mid-decade redistricting - a tactic that grows less and less popular as more and more Americans realize what's happening. The Texas Dems are largely responsible for the spread of that awareness - so part of their mission is already successful. We're glad to welcome back Rep. Erin Zwiener, whose district in Hays County overlays part of House District 35, which will be largely erased by the new map.Learn more about State Rep. Erin Zwiener at https://www.erinforyall.com/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Somewhat shaky reports have emerged that the Texas House Democrats away from the Capitol breaking quorum are making plans to return for a promised second special session, hoping for flood relief to be made the top priority: https://abc13.com/post/texas-house-democrats-return-home-second-special-session-abc13-sources-confirm/17515302/...The Texas Senate tried to push flood relief to the top yesterday too, but failed - a walkout by nine of the Democrats wasn't enough to stop the chamber from passing Donald Trump's new map, 19-2: https://www.kut.org/politics/2025-08-12/texas-senate-democrats-walk-out-redistricting-special-session...Attorney General Ken Paxton is calling for Beto O'Rourke to be arrested, alleging contempt of court as O'Rourke, after a restraining issue on fundraising was issued against Powered By People, told a Fort Worth rally crowd "fuck the rules": https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/-he-s-lying-texas-ag-wants-to-arrest-beto-o-rourke-as-tensions-explode-244842565716The NPR Politics Podcast focused yesterday on the massive failure of FEMA call centers to properly answer calls for help from the Texas Hill Country in the wake of the July 4 flood: https://www.npr.org/2025/08/12/nx-s1-5500118/exclusive-fema-didnt-sufficiently-staff-disaster-hotline-after-texas-floods...Text messages between officials with the Upper Guadalupe River Authority show a lack of understanding about what that agency was dealing with on July 4: https://abcnews.go.com/US/assume-worst-internal-texts-emails-show-confusion-concern/story?id=124588857...Even now, dozens of structures at 13 Hill Country youth camps stand in the Guadalupe River 100-year flood plain: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/13/texas-hill-country-summer-camps-kerrville-floodplain/...To evade flood insurance and bolster property values, using a little-used process called a "letter of map amendment", several Camp Mystic buildings and nearby luxury homes have been drawn out of FEMA's special flood hazard areas: https://www.expressnews.com/projects/2025/kerr-county-floods-camp-mystic-fema-maps/...The New York Times has released a devastating photo essay of the flood damage: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/insider/documenting-the-horrors-of-the-texas-floods.htmlWith kids headed back to school, RFK Jr. in charge in D.C. and generous exemption policies available to Texas families, now's the time for parents who believe in science to double-check that their kids' vaccinations are current: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/texas-parents-urged-to-update-childrens-vaccines-as-new-school-year-beginsTickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025...The Brad Stuver interview will be co-hosted by Landon Cotham of the Austin FC podcast Moontower Soccer: https://www.moontowersoccer.com/Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Rep. Christina Morales of Houston holds the very special distinction of having secured the most progressive voting record in the entire Texas House during the 89th Legislature (https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/17/texas-house-2025-conservative-liberal-ranking/), and we're proud to (finally!) have her on for our ongoing series of updates from Democratic lawmakers who have left the state to halt Donald Trump's carving up of our congressional map for his own personal benefit.Learn more about Rep. Christina Morales at https://www.moralesfordistrict145.com/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:El Paso State Rep. Claudia Ordaz, theorized to be on her way back to the Capitol, says she is in full support of the quorum break as she undergoes medical treatment: https://www.ktsm.com/local/texas-dps-shows-up-for-el-paso-lawmaker-rep-ordaz/...Texas Republicans are pulling out all the stops against the quorum breakers - with the Trump agenda at stake, their zeal for retribution is in overdrive: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/12/texas-republicans-redistricting-political-power-courts-quorum-break/...Texas DPS troopers, rather than doing their primary job of keeping Texans safe, have been reassigned to the task of staking out the homes of the Democratic quorum breakers - who will later be charged with related expenses: https://www.statesman.com/news/politics/article/dustin-burrows-quorum-break-dps-20812253.php...Governor Abbott has thrown cold water on the idea that the Dems can stop redistricting for the 2026 election by delaying past the December 8 filing deadline - he says he'll re-draw them mid-election: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/08/11/texas-gov-will-push-for-controversial-redistricting-map-beyond-election-deadline-as-democrats-remain-out-of-state/...Governor Abbott also believes that should blue states including California respond to Texas' gerrymandering with their own, that he can and will eliminate as many as 10 Democratic congressional districts: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5447180-texas-gop-redistricting-threat/The Texas Public Utility Commission is suing the Texas Attorney General's office to keep information about cryptocurrency mining power demand in Texas, claiming fears that releasing it will provoke terrorism (!): https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/11/texas-public-utility-commission-cryptocurrency-mining-power-lawsuit/Former Texas Governor Rick Perry, an advocate for the therapeutic use of the hallucinogen ibogaine, describes in detail a 12-hour trip he took on the drug in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/us/politics/rick-perry-drug-psychedelics-ibogaine.htmlBack to school parents, be sure to peep into your kid's classroom on the first day to see the Ten Commandments displayed by state law for the first time: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/education/ten-commandments-on-display-in-texas-classrooms/287-c04332c1-4ee4-44df-9053-e472790199f8Tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025...The Brad Stuver interview will be co-hosted by Landon Cotham of the Austin FC podcast Moontower Soccer: https://www.moontowersoccer.com/Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
All of the Texas House Democrats out of the state to stop the Trump power grab are making personal sacrifices - including State Rep. Ron Reynolds, who is missing his twins' first day of high school on Tuesday. Those kids, through the rest of their lives, will have a great story to tell about why Dad was away - he's doing all he can to preserve American democracy. No big deal!Learn more about State Rep. Ron Reynolds at https://ronreynoldstexas.com/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Unlike many of the House Democrats away on this quorum break, Houston's Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons is doing this for the first time, so her perspective on the measure and her sense of purpose might be a bit different from some of the other elected Dems we've interviewed from afar - and we find that she's as determined and as inspiring as ever.Learn more about Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons at https://www.laurenashleysimmons.com/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:After Friday's Texas House quorum scare - in which one more Democrat, Rep. Mary Gonzales, showed up - the House will try again this afternoon at 1: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/texas-legislature-swing-redistricting-vote-democrats-extend-walkout-124533839...Texas Monthly comes up with a solid nickname for the Dems who have lined up for the Republicans, in the "housebodies": https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/the-texas-democrats-who-stayed-behind/...Why are Governor Abbott and Texas Republicans so upset about this quorum break, compared to those of the past? The answer is simply the accommodating of Donald Trump: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/08/08/heres-why-greg-abbott-gop-using-hardball-tactics-to-bring-back-quorum-busting-democrats/...Attorney General Ken Paxton got a Fort Worth judge to agree to block funding for the quorum breakers from Beto O'Rourke's Powered By People, while Beto has countersued to get Paxton out of his business: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/08/beto-orourke-texas-democrats-ken-paxton-fundraising-quorum-break/...Faultlines in Republican unity are showing up in the ongoing conflict between Senator John Cornyn and Ken Paxton: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5443855-texas-senate-redistricting-fight/...As well as Texas Republican Party plans to censure, and possibly block from reelection, any GOP elected whom they find insufficiently radical: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/11/texas-gop-republican-party-censures-primary-ballot-dustin-burrows/?_bhlid=f03c1c69eee8b8e0c46b450567f17bf828bf7095Tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025...The Brad Stuver interview will be co-hosted by Landon Cotham of the Austin FC podcast Moontower Soccer: https://www.moontowersoccer.com/Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
We're joined for our weekly complaining session this week by Lana Hansen, Executive Director of Texas Blue Action, just as word comes down from Nancy Thompson of Mothers Against Greg Abbott that she believes enough Democrats will return from the quorum break today to allow Texas House Republicans to establish quorum and hold a vote - which will pass in such a case - on new congressional maps that will likely deliver five additional U.S. House seats to the Republicans and Donald Trump. Learn more about Texas Blue Action at https://www.texasblueaction.com/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Republicans in the Texas House plan to convene today at 1pm to try to advance Trump's congressional map - unless there are at least six quorum breakers planning to show up, they will not be able to establish quorum: https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/08/politics/texas-redistricting-friday-updatesGovernor Abbott is promising years of special sessions to wait out the quorum breakers - who really just have to hold out long enough to stop the new map from being used for the 2026 midterms: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/texas-gov-greg-abbott-moves-amp-pressure-democrats-fled-redistricting-rcna223581Senator John Cornyn's boasts that Kash Patel's FBI will be "hunting down" the Texas Democrats is met with ridicule from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/07/fbi-to-help-find-texas-democrats-illinois/...The FBI, in fact, has little jurisdiction to arrest anyone in Illinois, as no charges have been filed against any of those Texas lawmakers: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/senator-cornyn-says-fbi-will-help-track-down-texas-democrats-who-fled-over-2025-08-07/...Such federal assistance would also fly in the face of longstanding tradition in Texas related to taking care of our own business and resisting federal bailouts: https://www.vox.com/politics/442491/texas-gerrymandering-republicans-democrats-redistricting-midterms...Today also sees Governor Abbott's 5pm deadline for the Texas Supreme Court to remove House Minority Leader Gene Wu from office - it's not likely to happen, and if it does, isn't going to fix Abbott's problem: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-redistricting-gene-wu-lawsuit-fbi-investigation/285-155a9378-836b-4167-b853-42ea6bd125ee...Ken Paxton has been judge shopping in Illinois, asking the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court in rural Trump country to enforce Texas' civil arrest warrants against the quorum breakers: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/07/paxton-texas-democrats-illinois-enforce-arrest-warrants/...Beyond the goal of stopping Trump's Texas map, is the bigger goal of inspiring the country to resist the growing authoritarianism of the Trump regime: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/08/texas-democrats-legislature-redistricting-congressional-maps/Tickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025...The Brad Stuver interview will be co-hosted by Landon Cotham of the Austin FC podcast Moontower Soccer: https://www.moontowersoccer.com/Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
We've been fans of Rep. Ann Johnson of Houston for a long time, and while we wish our first visit with her were not under such stressful circumstances, we're glad to have her take this morning. The Texas Democratic quorum break to stop Greg Abbott and the Republican Party of Texas from granting Donald Trump's wish to screw the voters of our state out of five more congressional seats enters its fourth day today.Learn more about Rep. Ann Johnson at https://annjohnson.com/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Yesterday's bomb threat against the hotel where Texas Democratic quorum breakers were staying - some with children, and surrounded by innocent bystanders - has thus far not been condemned by any Republican in elected office: https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/bomb-threat-at-illinois-hotel-where-dozens-of-texas-democrats-are-staying-244482629733Targeted in particular for removal from office by Governor Abbott, House Minority Leader Gene Wu has also found himself the target of (even more) anti-Asian racism: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/06/texas-house-democrat-gene-wu-anti-asian-mayes-middleton/Another side effect of all of this, a significant bump in Rep. Wu's national public profile: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/us/politics/texas-redistricting-gene-wu.htmlIllinois Governor J.B. Pritzker continues to pledge that he will shield the quorum breakers from federal arrest as long as they are in his state: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5440204-pritzker-law-texas-democrats-arrest/Legal experts are in general agreement that federal law enforcement has no business involving itself in Illinois: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5439973-fbi-texas-democrats-return/Back in Texas, Ken Paxton - a man once impeached for bribery - is probing Beto O'Rourke's Powered By People organization on the notion that they have committed bribery by helping with the quorum breakers' travel expenses: https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/07/ken-paxton-probes-beto-orourke-pac-over-texas-democrats-travel-funds/85555895007/Please help Progress Texas continue our important work as the 60th anniversary of LBJ's signing of the federal Voting Rights Act arrives: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/60th_vraTickets are on sale now for our live podcast taping with legendary Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver on September 15 at Hopsquad Brewing in Austin! Tickets are limited and are available here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025...The Brad Stuver interview will be co-hosted by Landon Cotham of the Austin FC podcast Moontower Soccer: https://www.moontowersoccer.com/Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
This next update from afar is the first to come to Progress Texas after the news of a bomb threat that required the evacuation of an Illinois hotel where several of the quorum breaking Texas House Democrats - and in some cases, their families and kids - are sheltering as they put the brakes on Governor Abbott's carving up of Texas' congressional maps on the orders of Donald Trump. As Austin State Rep. John Bucy reminds us, this frightening moment is the direct result of inflammatory and highly irresponsible Republican rhetoric from some of that party's highest ranking electeds - officials who now should see it within their duty to dial back the drama.Learn more about State Rep. John Bucy III at https://bucyfortexas.com/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:In developments leading into the third day of the Texas House quorum break, Senator John Cornyn has requested that the FBI intervene, capture and transport the Democratic lawmakers avoiding the special session back to the Capitol: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cornyn-fbi-arrest-texas-democrats_n_68925f14e4b0d3424bc402f3...Next, Attorney General Ken Paxton declared he'll ask that the seats of any Democrats still absent on Friday be declared vacant by the courts: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/08/05/texas-ag-ken-paxton-will-ask-state-courts-to-declare-absent-house-democratic-seats-vacant/...Then, Governor Greg Abbott asked the Texas Supreme Court to remove Democratic State House Minority Leader Gene Wu from office by 5pm on Thursday: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/08/05/gov-greg-abbott-asks-texas-supreme-court-to-remove-house-democratic-chair-gene-wu/...Then, Paxton piped up that Abbott doesn't have the authority to make that move, and the Governor took to social media to counter that he does: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/05/texas-democrats-ken-paxton-court-vacate-seats-quorum-break/...Meanwhile, Cornyn has been badmouthing Paxton, ahead of their likely GOP primary faceoff, for doing all of this from vacation: https://www.rawstory.com/cornyn-paxton/...And Houston State Senator Mayes Middleton, who's running to replace Paxton at Attorney General, issued a blatantly racist tweet against Rep. Wu, which remains up this morning: https://x.com/mayes_middleton/status/1952430829587829074All of this Republican crazy provides a unique opportunity for national Democrats to display some backbone ahead of the 2028 presidential election: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/abbott-texas-redistricting-newsom-pritzker-b2802534.htmlPlease help Progress Texas continue our important work as the 60th anniversary of LBJ's signing of the federal Voting Rights Act arrives today: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/60th_vraAustin friends and soccer fans! Mark your calendar for Monday September 15, when we will gather for a live podcast taping with legendary Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver! Sponsorship opportunities are available now, and individual tickets will go on sale soon: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025...The Brad Stuver interview will be co-hosted by Landon Cotham of the terrific Austin FC podcast Moontower Soccer: https://www.moontowersoccer.com/Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Our series of updates from Texas House Democrats who have left the state to halt the Republican redistricting effort continues, and just as we were linking up with Rep. Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos, we learned that U.S. Senator John Cornyn has begun cajoling Kash Patel and the FBI to intervene in the Texas House quorum break - a serious, though expected, escalation: https://www.axios.com/2025/08/05/john-cornyn-fbi-arrest-democrats-texasLearn more about Rep. Ana-Maria Rodriguez-Ramos at https://www.ramos4texas.com/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
As the special session has been halted by a Democratic quorum break, we continue our series of updates from the elected officials involved, now shifting to those who have uprooted their personal lives to leave the state in order to stop the Trump-commanded and Abbott-facilitated congressional power grab in Texas - first from the road is Austin State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, who recently joined Progress Texas to announce her run for Lieutenant Governor in 2026.Learn more about Rep. Vikki Goodwin and her campaign at https://vikkigoodwin.com/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The national fight over partisan redistricting is settling into a direct battle between Texas and California: https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-texas-california-house-map-trump-0f5f79185bbeeba8c2ff9999f48e5867...Governor Abbott shows no sign of backing down, saying that the State House Democrats who have left the state to break quorum are "freaking out": https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5436035-texas-governor-greg-abbott-democrats-gop-plans/...Yesterday's vote to issue warrants for the quorum breakers is largely meaningless, as they are only enforceable within state lines and don't carry civil or criminal charges: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/04/texas-democrats-house-warrants-arrest-quorum-break/...Abbott's threat to remove the Dems from office will be legally difficult, and if done successfully would almost certainly result in new Democrats in those seats: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/03/texas-house-democrats-abbott-threatens-removal-quorum-break/...The Houston Chronicle editorial board worries that Abbott and Donald Trump will dream up a pretext to send federal officers after the quorum breakers: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/texas-redistricting-democrats-quorum-greg-abbott-20800785.phpAustin friends and soccer fans! Mark your calendar for Monday September 15, when we will gather for a live podcast taping with legendary Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver! Sponsorship opportunities are available now, and individual tickets will go on sale soon: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025...The Brad Stuver interview will be co-hosted by Landon Cotham of the terrific Austin FC podcast Moontower Soccer: https://www.moontowersoccer.com/Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:After weeks of warnings, most of the Democratic delegation to the Texas House of Representatives has left the state to break quorum ahead of a vote on a Trump-ordered redistricting map: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/03/texas-democrats-quorum-break-redistricting-map/...Many of them are in Chicago, where they were met at the airport last night by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzger: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/03/texas-house-democrats-flee-to-chicago-over-congressional-redistricting/...Governor Abbott is leaning on obscure legal angles to threaten to remove the quorum breakers from office, and perhaps to charge them with felonies related to fundraising: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/03/texas-house-democrats-abbott-threatens-removal-quorum-break/...All of this could be the trigger of a nationwide redistricting "arms race" that could further worsen already terrible political division: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/08/04/after-texas-does-it-mid-decade-redistricting-could-go-national/...Want to support the Texas Democratic Party's efforts to "fight back against Republican efforts to steal congressional districts"? Click here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/tdp_redistrictingAustin friends and soccer fans! Mark your calendar for Monday September 15, when we will gather for a live podcast taping with legendary Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver! Sponsorship opportunities are available now, and individual tickets will go on sale soon: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025...The Brad Stuver interview will be co-hosted by Landon Cotham of the terrific Austin FC podcast Moontower Soccer: https://www.moontowersoccer.com/Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Our weekly gathering happens while the final hearing on the Donald Trump-ordered redistricting of Texas for the sole purpose of protecting him from losing the GOP majority in the U.S. House next year - widely expected to happen without this kind of drastic measure - is even now ongoing at the Capitol. We sent Digital Associate Haley Smith into the fray to see what's what - she reports live from the scene, complete with interviews including Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder, whose hat choices in headwear lately are damn straight on point.As we approach the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act passed under President and Texas Democrat Lyndon Baines Johnson, Progress Texas invites YOU to help us shine a spotlight on the truth—from our coalition work introducing the Barbara Jordan Texas Voting Rights Act in the 89th Legislative Session, to a live podcast taping with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in Dallas on where voting rights stand today, to rapid response coverage of stop the steal rallies (attended by thousands and digitally brought to hundreds of thousands), to shaping the narrative in legacy media. Your donation is key to keeping us in this fight, and every penny helps - thank you. Join us here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/60th_vraThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The last hearing by the State Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting on the Donald Trump-ordered redistricting of Texas' congressional district is expected to draw a massive crowd in opposition today: https://www.khou.com/article/news/politics/register-texas-redistricting-hearing-districts-austin/285-3b6de0f7-f03e-4ffb-9317-3c52432afe37...National Democrats are pledging to back their Texas counterparts, including a visit this week from U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/hakeem-jefferies-joins-texas-democrats-help-fight-redistricting-effort...California Governor Gavin Newsom is looking at the first Tuesday in November for a possible special election to allow the retaliatory redistricting of that state, which could result in a 48-4 Democratic advantage: https://www.kcra.com/article/california-governor-gavin-newsom-possible-nov-4-special-election/65568148...The Texas Trump power grab is seen as a key, nationwide test case: will the Democratic Party show the stomach to actually stand up to Donald Trump? Texas is very much in the spotlight: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/opinion/texas-redistricting-democrats.htmlThe near-unbelievable fact that three of the primary public safety officials in Kerr County literally slept through the July 4 flood was central to yesterday's hearing on the matter in Kerrville yesterday: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/31/texas-kerr-county-officials-asleep-july-4-floods-hill-country/?_bhlid=52832be772a841f91bf27e4ab4a29a26cbf1747c...Even before nightfall, though, local officials in Kerr County appear to have neglected to follow the basics of their own emergency plan: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/31/kerr-county-emergency-plan/...Social media influencers who descended upon the flood zone highlight the difference between them and actual journalists: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/influencers-in-flood-zone-spark-concern-texas-monthly/Austin friends and soccer fans! Mark your calendar for Monday September 15, when we will gather for a live podcast taping with legendary Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver! Sponsorship opportunities are available now, and individual tickets will go on sale soon: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/allstaractivism_2025...The Brad Stuver interview will be co-hosted by Landon Cotham of the terrific Austin FC podcast Moontower Soccer: https://www.moontowersoccer.com/Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-driveThanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
For this next special session update, we welcome for the first time State Rep. Josey Garcia, who represents San Antonio's 124th House District and is the first active duty woman veteran to serve in the Texas House! Now that the GOP maps have been released, we see the shameful extent of their racist power grab - and Rep. Garcia has a thing or two to say about it. We've been looking forward to this talk!Learn more about State Rep. Josey Garcia at https://www.joseygarcia.com/.Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-drive.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
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