We recap the wild week in Texas politics. Grab a coldie and hang! Learn more about us at ProgressTexas.org.
The Texas Secretary of State just turned over every registered voter in Texas' private voter information (like your birthdate and the last digits of your Social Security number) to the Donald Trump Department of Justice. So, what happens now? Voting rights experts Matt Cohen, a reporter with Democracy Docket delivering national coverage on this story, and Ashley Harris, a Staff Attorney with ACLU Texas joined us to break down why Trump and the DOJ have a mandate out to every US state, how Texas fits into this national push and subsequent lawsuits, plus who has your private data. Learn more about ACLU Texas at https://www.aclutx.org/.Learn more about Democracy Docket at https://www.democracydocket.com/.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:Texas U.S. Reps Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett toured the ICE immigration detention facility at Dilley yesterday, and are now demanding the release of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/ice-texas-democrats-release-liam-conejo-ramos-dilley-facility...A St. Edward's University social work professor says that Trump and Texas are inflicting permanent harm upon children and families with their current incarceration practices: https://www.statesman.com/opinion/columns/your-voice/article/opinion-texas-values-children-reject-family-21320114.phpThe CD 18 runoff in Houston sees one more day of early voting today and represents the end of an 18-month gap in long-term representation for those citizens: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/29/houston-18th-congressional-district-special-election-runoff-edwards-menefee/...While the runoff in Texas Senate District 9 in Tarrant County represents a dire warning for Republicans who have dominated the Fort Worth suburbs for decades: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/us/politics/taylor-rehmet-leigh-wambsganss-texas-election.htmlEarly voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84All about voting in Texas can be found at GoVoteTexas.org. Voter registration updates for the March primary from the Austin Chronicle HERE and from KUT Austin HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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:A federal judge has ordered that five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, grabbed with his father in Minneapolis last week and rushed to a Texas detention lockup, not be deported until his case can be reviewed: https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/judge-blocks-transfer-of-5-year-old-liam-ramos-father-from-texas-detention-facility/...Immigration attorneys in Minnesota are decrying ICE's "conveyor belt" system, designed to swiftly relocate children from that state to Texas faster than the courts can react: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/28/ice-detaining-moving-minnesota-children-to-texas-faster-than-courts-can-respond...ICE and the Department of Homeland Security appear to have repeatedly and systematically violated the 1997 Flores Settlement: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/22/trump-children-flores-settlement-agreement...Dozens of Texas Democratic lawmakers are demanding the release of Leqaa Kordia, who has been held for almost a year at the ICE lockup in Alvarado - she's suspected of having been targeted by ICE for speaking out against the Gaza conflict: https://www.borderreport.com/hot-topics/immigration/texas-lawmakers-demand-release-of-palestinian-woman/...A young Arlington man whose father has been detained by ICE since October has died - his family now pleads for the father to be allowed to attend his son's funeral: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2026/01/25/disabled-son-of-arlington-man-arrested-by-ice-dies-from-rare-disease/...A large crowd of angry Houstonians descended upon a Houston City Council meeting on Tuesday night, demanding changes to their city's ICE policies: https://abc13.com/post/houston-city-council-meeting-erupts-calls-end-ice-cooperation/18488930/...Dallas Congressman Marc Veasey takes to the Dallas Morning News to decry the quiet reinstatement of an ICE prosecutor found to have been running a racist, neo-Nazi Twitter account: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2026/01/26/congressman-white-supremacists-have-no-place-in-our-government/...D/FW coffee chain White Rhino Coffee has seen several employees quit over the chain's policy of extending a first responder discount to ICE agents: https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2026/01/27/white-rhino-coffee-employees-quit-over-companys-stance-on-ice-agents...D/FW religious leaders have convened in opposition to the development of a huge new ICE detention facility in the little town of Hutchins, Texas: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-religious-leaders-speak-against-planned-ice-facility-40637475/Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
An important note: this discussion involves the March primary, NOT the ongoing special election runoffs in Houston's CD 18 and Tarrant County's State Senate District 9 - it is specific to the March primary's Election Day on Tuesday March 3, and specific to voters in Dallas and Williamson Counties.The county Republican Parties of Williamson and Dallas Counties have chosen to eliminate countywide voting sites on Election Day of the primary, Tuesday March 3 - which means that voters in those counties, who have become accustomed to voting with convenience through the final day, may be surprised to learn that they must vote at specific locations geared to their addresses on that last day of voting - a move guaranteed to result in the disenfranchisement of voters who find themselves in the wrong location, and out of time, as the 2026 primary election ends. To talk about how (and why) this has happened, we welcome Dallas Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman, and Williamson County Democratic Party Chair Kim Gilby.Everything you need to know to be sure your registration is in order and that you're ready to roll in this crucial mid-term election year can be found at https://govotetexas.org/.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:Donald Trump, Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz and other MAGA leaders are backtracking on their commitment to the ICE occupation of Minneapolis - but not all are discovering their latent humanity: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/26/minneapolis-shooting-federal-agents-texas-republicans-respond-mccaul-investigation/...The deliberate mirroring of 1930's Nazi imagery in ICE recruitment and the style of Gregory Bovino is noteworthy as a strategy of assembling a corps of "ideologically hardened" troopers: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/america-ice-fascism-bovino-b2907803.html...An El Paso judge will hear the petition of the family of a Cuban immigrant who died recently in the Camp East Montana ICE detention facility to keep witnesses to his death from being deported: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/01/26/cuban-migrant-death-texas-ice-federal-court-geraldo-lunas-campos/88370555007/...Texas U.S. Reps Jasmine Crockett and Joaquin Castro are set to inspect the South Texas Family Residential Center at Dilley amidst reports of immigrant uprisings and deplorable conditions: https://www.tpr.org/border-immigration/2026-01-26/castro-calls-for-ice-to-be-dismantled-noem-impeached?_amp=trueEarly voting in the CD-18 special election runoff has been extended to Wednesday and Thursday to make up for weather closures earlier this week: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/harris-county-early-voting-district-18-special-election/285-d3191f89-9215-4dd8-b6bb-8eb5a98dc47c...A similar extension is possible in Tarrant County, but the local Democratic Party there is not pressing for an early voting extension out of distrust of the Republican-dominated Tarrant County Commissioner's Court to fairly count all ballots: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article314462119.htmlEarly voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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:The horrifying murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has lent a sense of dread to the iced-in situation most of Texas is enduring, and has proven that ICE holds zero regard for the safety of either their supposed undocumented targets, or that of the citizens in their midst: https://en.newsner.com/news/body-language-expert-tells-people-pay-very-close-attention-to-man-in-gray-jacket-after-alex-pretti-shooting/...GOP Texas Congressman Michael McCaul, likely emboldened by his impending retirement, is calling for an investigation of the Pretti killing: https://www.chron.com/news/article/texas-republican-alex-pretti-minneapolis-21314647.php...Horror appears to be developing within the walls of the South Texas Family Residential Center at Dilley, from within which the screams of women and children can be heard: https://x.com/scottbraddock/status/2015772110707106117?s=20...Immigrant families gathered in protest there over the weekend: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/24/immigration-facility-protest-texas-liam-conejo-ramos/...A second federal government shutdown is more likely than it was last week as Senate Democrats are motivated to block ICE funding in the DHS bill passed by the House last week with the help of several Democratic defectors, including Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/democrats-call-ice-overhaul-texas-senate-debate-hours-minnesota-shooti-rcna255593...New YouGov polling shows a rapid deterioration of public support for ICE, even among Republicans: https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/53939-more-americans-support-than-oppose-abolishing-ice-immigration-minneapolis-shooting-poll...Both Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico addressed the Alex Pretti killing in their remarks during their first debate on Saturday: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-live-pod-the-first-crockett-talarico-debate/id1552998795?i=1000746510088The freeze has impacted early voting in the SD-9 special election runoff, but most polls are expected to be open as of 10am today: https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/elections.html...The CD-18 election in Houston has been similarly impacted, and a lawsuit has been filed to allow more time for early voting later this week: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/voting/2026/01/25/541594/early-voting-houston-winter-storm-18th-congressional-district-runoff/Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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.
As our ongoing series of live debates continues, we present a discussion between the Democratic candidates for Texas Attorney General: Dallas State Senator Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski (attorney Tony Box is also running, but declined to participate in this debate). Thanks to the Richardson Area Democrats for organizing and allowing us to participate!Learn more about RAD at https://rad.vote/.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
U.S. Senate hopefuls and longtime colleagues Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico met in debate for the first time this afternoon as part of the Texas AFL/CIO's COPE Convention in Georgetown. This pod presents the full debate, largely unedited.Our thanks to our friends at Texas AFL/CIO for the access today! Learn more about them at https://texasaflcio.org/.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
As the state heads into another winter storm - ready or not - the crew convenes to discuss our state's tendency to panic when the weather gets bad (who can blame us?), this week's latest ugliness perpetrated by ICE and the multiple connections to Texas, Ken Paxton's freewheeling use of AI deepfakes in attacking John Cornyn, and more. Joining us is Houston businessman and Democratic candidate for Texas Comptroller, Michael Lange.Learn more about Michael Lange and his campaign at https://texansforlange.com/.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 winter storm the state's been preparing for for days has begun affecting the Panhandle region and will drop most of the state below freezing amidst strong rain and snow chances through this weekend, ending on Tuesday: https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2026-01-23/an-arctic-storm-is-expected-to-blanket-the-state-heres-what-texans-can-expect...Carbon monoxide poisoning was a leading cause of death during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 - it's important to understand the risks: https://patch.com/texas/across-tx/texas-ice-storm-2026-how-do-i-prevent-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-what-are-signs-it-myWhile actual ice threatens Texas, two of our Democratic U.S. House members have voted with Republicans to dump another $10 billion (with a b) into ICE funding: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/henry-cuellar-and-vicente-gonzalez...Texas is also complicit in the shameful snatching by ICE of a 5 year old boy in Minnesota, who is now being interred with his father in Dilley: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/ice-minnesota-texas-liam-ramos-immigration-arrest-21309308.phpA much-relied-upon option on the Texas 988 mental health crisis hotline dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth has been discontinued: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/23/texas-988-crisis-suicide-lgbtq/Texas Congressman Troy Nehls was the target of a thinly-veiled expletive by former Washington D.C. police officer Michael Fanone, who was injured by January 6 rioters, as Nehls attempted to deflect blame for that day's events away from Donald Trump during a hearing yesterday: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-fanone-fuck-yourself_n_69735f95e4b0a02ab3a0d7a8?ncid=NEWSSTAND0001Saturday's debate between U.S. Senate Democratic hopefuls James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett in Georgetown is still on: https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2026-01-23/texas-talarico-crockett-debate-senate..."Jasarico" is being seen by some as an indication of tension between the various coalitions on the Democratic side: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/us/politics/jasmine-crockett-james-talarico-texas-senate-campaign.html...One New York Times columnist defends the "Las Culturistas" podcasters assertion that Congresswoman Crockett's plan to mobilize inactive voters of color in Texas will not be enough to win in November: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/opinion/jasmine-crockett-texas-win-las-culturistas.htmlEarly voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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:Much of Texas continues preparing for the arrival of a major winter storm: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/21/texas-winter-storm-watch-prepare-ercot-grid/...Senator Ted Cruz says he'll be back from sunny Laguna Beach before the weather hits, but his air travel schedule continues to betray his lack of concern for what Texans think of him: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/21/ted-cruz-flight-california-texas-storm/88292089007/...Management at H-E-B discourages panic buying, saying they'll be open and stocked throughout the winter weather event: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/heb-texas-freeze-21307257.php State Rep. and Senate candidate James Talarico's momentum is being noticed by sitting Democratic Senators: https://www.semafor.com/article/01/20/2026/talarico-makes-rounds-with-democrats-as-senate-primaries-near...While systemic double standards against female Black candidates rears its head against Talarico's Democratic opponent, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett: https://www.salon.com/2026/01/21/jasmine-crockett-and-the-cost-of-authenticity/The Fort Worth Star Telegram endorses Democrat Taylor Rehmet in the special election runoff for the State Senate: https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/election-recommendations/article314394390.htmlProgress Texas will be covering the debate held by the Richardson Area Democrats between Texas Attorney General candidates and Dems Joe Jaworski and State Senator Nathan Johnson! RSVP to join us live: https://www.mobilize.us/richardsonareademocrats/event/879644/...And the livestream, starting tonight at 7pm: https://www.youtube.com/live/wO4Cvwzb2ac?si=bT1UICsUgebSFHDiEarly voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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:A potentially historic ice storm is headed for Texas this weekend: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/ercot-winter-weather-advisory-texas-power-grid-updates-dfw-forecast-dallas/287-aec36113-1b6d-4076-a77e-c1d82ba9fdbc...There are key steps that all Texans in the path of the storm should take to prepare right now: https://thekatynews.com/2026/01/20/texas-ice-storm-prep-guide-noaa-national-weather-service/Grapevine-Colleyville ISD has caved to pressure from Republican elected leaders and cancelled negotiations to hold at least a third annual Islamic Games event at Colleyville Heritage High School: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article314386494.html#campaignName=fortworth_breaking_newsletterThe Texas Education Agency has announced plans for a statewide literary canon that includes several biblical excerpts and Bible lessons to be taught to all public school students across the state: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/schools-bible-reading-list-21305750.phpProgress Texas will be covering the debate held by the Richardson Area Democrats between Texas Attorney General candidates and Dems Joe Jaworski and State Senator Nathan Johnson! RSVP to join us live: https://www.mobilize.us/richardsonareademocrats/event/879644/Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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.
Texas is unique in that it is one of only two states in the U.S. (the other is Oklahoma) that operates a bifurcated high court system - instead of having one single state supreme court that handles everything, Texas splits its highest judicial authority between two specialized courts: the Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. All of the seats on these courts are elected statewide, and just like every other statewide post, they've all been held by Republicans since the late 1990's (if you don't count Larry Meyers). Our guests today are looking to change that: Justices Chari Kelly, Cory Carlyle and Maggie Ellis are all running for seats on the Texas Supreme Court, Judge Christine Weems ran for that court in 2024, is running for reelection in Houston, and is present today for moral support, and our friend Holly Taylor is running for a seat on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.Learn more about Holly Taylor at https://www.hollytforjudge.com/.Learn more about Cory Carlyle at https://carlyle4justice.com/.Learn more about Maggie Ellis at https://www.maggieforjustice.com/.Learn more about Chari Kelly at https://charikelly.com/.Learn more about Christine Weems at https://www.weemsforjudge.com/.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:A third death in the last two months at the Camp East Montana ICE detention facility at El Paso has lawmakers from multiple states demanding answers: https://www.commondreams.org/news/ice-detention-center-deaths...A summary of ICE activity in Texas so far, and a reminder of your rights if confronted by them: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/19/texas-immigration-ice-arrests-raids-police/Ken Paxton thought it would be funny to issue a long-winded (and legally toothless) condemnation of Texas DEI programs on MLK Monday: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/19/ken-paxton-john-cornyn-mlk-day-legal-opinion-dei-republican-primary-senate/...Paxton is also leading the way in the use of fake AI-generated video of his opponents in his campaign ads - AI use that, in Texas, remains perfectly legal: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/ai-generated-video-of-crockett-cornyn-dancing-takes-center-stage-in-paxtons-1st-campaign-ad/Mount Pleasant State Rep. Cole Hefner is in a twist over an "Islamic Games" event scheduled for May in Colleyville - it will be the event's third year in that city: https://x.com/ColeHefnerTX/status/2013371002776854667...Learn more about the Islamic Games, which will also return to Houston in October: https://islamic-games.com/Icy weather is coming this weekend to Texas - and Texans are having Winter Storm Uri flashbacks: https://www.chron.com/news/article/cold-front-brings-freeze-risk-north-southeast-21303269.phpProgress Texas will be covering the debate held by the Richardson Area Democrats between Texas Attorney General candidates and Dems Joe Jaworski and State Senator Nathan Johnson! RSVP to join us live: https://www.mobilize.us/richardsonareademocrats/event/879644/Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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.
There has been intense statewide focus on Tarrant County for weeks lately, and for good reason - the promising performance of Democrat Taylor Rehmet in the special election to fill the SD-9 State Senate seat, held for three decades by Republicans, has become a beacon of hope that this bellwether region of Texas is ripe to flip blue. Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons has been in the middle of the fight against the MAGA ravaging of the Fort Worth area for years, and is currently running to oust her arch-nemesis Tim O'Hare from the post of County Judge. As we mark MLK Day amidst an alarming rise of federalized street crackdowns by ICE, Commissioner Simmons weighs in on Dr. King's message and how we should interpret and implement it at this crucial, pivotal moment.Learn more about Alisa Simmons and her campaign at https://votealisasimmons.com/.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
Our weekly meeting of the minds sees the PT debut of Tarrant County political strategist Gabe Rivas, who is currently running for the Precinct 2 seat on the Tarrant County Commissioner's Court - a post he's assisted the beloved Alisa Simmons with for some time. Loads to discuss as always, so strap in people.Learn more about Gabe and his campaign at https://www.gaberivasfortarrant.com/.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:Polling released this week shows an uphill battle for likely Democratic nominee and State Rep. Gina Hinojosa against Governor Greg Abbott in November, with a gap of about 8 points: https://www.newsweek.com/gina-hinojosa-chances-beating-greg-abbott-flip-texas-gop-poll-11366360...Abbott is sitting on a massive war chest of $106 million: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/15/texas-governors-race-greg-abbott-gina-hinojosa-2026-election/...The poll also shows Ken Paxton to be the weakest of the three potential Republican nominees against both Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico: https://www.newsweek.com/crockett-vs-talarico-chances-of-flipping-gop-texas-senate-seat-new-poll-11364958A migrant's death earlier this month at the ICE detention facility at El Paso is being investigated as a homicide: https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/immigration/2026/01/15/cuban-immigrants-death-at-camp-east-montana-was-likely-homicide-report-el-paso/88204666007/...He is one of four migrants to die in ICE custody in just the opening days of 2026: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5686408-immigration-detention-deaths-early-2026/An analysis of the 291 private schools so far approved for the Texas voucher scam finds that the vast majority are Christian schools, many of which require a profession of faith for admission, specifically exclude LGBTQ+ and special needs kids, and engage in a host of questionable and exclusionary practices: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-voucher-schools-openly-discriminate/Police in Goliad County have been using a highly questionable smartphone surveillance platform that has been rejected by Meta as "surveillance for hire" while being embraced by the authoritarian regime currently running El Salvador: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-police-invest-tangles-sheriff-surveillance/Progress Texas will be covering the debate held by the Richardson Area Democrats between Texas Attorney General candidates and Dems Joe Jaworski and State Senator Nathan Johnson! RSVP to join us live: https://www.mobilize.us/richardsonareademocrats/event/879644/Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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:The Texas House Democratic Committee reports a record $2.2 million fundraising windfall in 2025, fueled largely by the summer Democratic House quorum break: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/15/texas-house-democratic-caucus-2-2-million-fundraising/New Emerson College polling shows a nine point lead for Austin State Rep. James Talarico over Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic race for Senate, while incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton remain in a low-scoring virtual tie: https://emersoncollegepolling.com/texas-2026-poll/...Congresswoman Crockett put on a masterclass in destroying conspiracy theories yesterday, taking on January 6th types: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyHS28RsmQU...While Rep. Talarico appeared this week on the New York Times' Ezra Klein Show: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-james-talarico.htmlThe special election runoff for the Texas Senate in Tarrant County's Senate District 9 is increasingly seen as a bellwether for the following primary and general midterm elections: https://fortworthreport.org/2026/01/14/a-bellwether-election-tarrants-texas-senate-runoff-draws-national-attention/Local resistance in Hutchins, Texas is rising in relation to a massive planned "human warehouse" being developed there by Donald Trump's ICE. Initial report: https://baptistnews.com/article/trump-preparing-to-warehouse-immigrants-like-cargo/...And an update: https://baptistnews.com/article/update-on-proposed-human-warehouse-in-texas/Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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.
The recent Trump move against Venezuela, even at this early stage, is already a model for disastrous geopolitical planning. Did we really need to disrupt a neighboring country by plucking away its leader, in order to seize oilfields full of substandard oil and in a complete state of infrastructure decay - at a moment when there's a glut of supply? While that baseline answer might seem clear, the situation is a complete mess, and Texas stands to be right in the middle of it. Joining us to try and unravel it all for this talk, we welcome Houston State Representative and Democratic nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission Jon Rosenthal, and Progress Texas-endorsed former Railroad Commission candidate and petroleum science expert Bill Burch.Learn more about Rep. Rosenthal and his campaign at https://jonrosenthaltx.com/.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 Tarrant County Democratic Party, following Republican administrative challenges against 7 of its judicial candidates by the Tarrant GOP, has responded by challenging 43 Republican candidates: https://fortworthreport.org/2026/01/13/tarrant-democrats-seek-to-remove-all-gop-judicial-2-texas-house-candidates-from-ballot/...All of this amounts to a "weaponizing of election integrity": https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/inside-republicans-strategy-to-weaponizeThe process of approving private schools to benefit from Texas' new voucher scam has been brought to a crawl by acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, who is apparently seeking to exclude schools with Muslim or Chinese ties: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/private-schools-voucher-program-21290944.phpAn ICE assistant chief counsel based in Dallas who had been removed from duty upon the revelation that he runs a racist, Nazi-sympathizing X account, is back on duty: https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-prosecutor-racist-account-back-at-immigration-court/Texas A&M's heavy-handed crackdown on "woke" curriculum - lately including a censoring of the works of Plato - has drawn a formal condemnation from the American Association of University Professors: https://www.kbtx.com/2026/01/13/national-education-group-condemns-texas-am-course-material-changes/Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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.
With the eyes of Texas progressives across the state focused on the March primary and the November midterm general election in November, voters in parts of Fort Worth and Houston may have missed hugely important runoff votes coming up in just days. Both Texas Senate District 9, encompassing the northern portion of Tarrant County, and Congressional District 18 in Houston have runoff elections on January 31st - from our posting date, just 19 days away.Union leader Taylor Rehmet took the popular vote and bested second-placer and current runoff opponent, Republican Leigh Wambsganss, by over 10 points back in the fall - and at the end of this month, he has a chance to flip a vital State Senate seat blue - Taylor joins us for an update on his campaign.Learn more about Taylor Rehmet and his run for the Texas Senate at https://www.taylorfortx.com/.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:As more and more confrontations between regular citizens and ICE pop up on our screens, it's important to understand your rights - and how ICE is likely to violate them: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article314293265.html...The difference between the power ICE has over you, and that of local police or sheriff's department officers, is getting a lot harder to define: https://thedailytexan.com/2026/01/12/texas-law-enforcement-required-to-work-with-ice-by-end-of-year/...Lone Star Left reminds us that while the focus lately has been on Minnesota, the lion's share of ICE arrests since Trump's crackdown began have happened in Texas: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/history-will-name-this-momentThe Texas House Democratic Caucus has demanded that Attorney General Ken Paxton take several steps to counter the child porn generating capabilities of Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot in Texas: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14PaMYsCsjRqcLnT_4jBnwNhzKEWqMuvH/view...On the heels of that scandal and while visiting Texas and Space X, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon is about to integrate Grok into their data systems: https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-pentagon-hegseth-musk-7f99e5f32ec70d7e39cec92d2a4ec862The Funky East Dallas Democrats (the FEDDs!) will host an online meet and greet TONIGHT with a bunch of Democratic statewide candidates, including Senatorial candidates Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico: https://www.fedds.org/eventinfo/jan1326statewideEarly voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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:Protests spurred by the ICE killing of Renee Good last week continued to grow across the country over the weekend, including in Texas - where one protest Saturday in Austin drew a confrontation with Texas DPS and Austin Police: https://www.kut.org/austin/2026-01-10/ice-austin-tx-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-protests-renee-good...Polling conducted on the day of the Good killing shows Americans already sharply souring on ICE and its actions: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikestunson/2026/01/09/majority-of-americans-disapprove-of-how-ice-operates-new-survey-shows/A group of oil executives, some based in Houston, were skeptical of Donald Trump's demands that they invest $100 billion into the wrecked oil infrastructure in Venezuela on Friday: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/09/world/venezuela-trump-us...Unhelpfully, right after that meeting Trump's own officials issued travel warnings indicating very high danger for Americans in Venezuela: https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-ignominious-death-of-drill-babyThe initial list of Texas private schools partaking in our state's new voucher scam includes many Christian schools, but only one ranked in the top 20: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/private-schools-voucher-program-21283701.phpA new online "snitch line" has been launched by the state, making it easier for concerned citizens to rat out colleges whom they believe have violated Texas' new DEI ban: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/01/12/texas-launches-portal-public-complaints-against-collegesGovernor Greg Abbott, citing a handful of voter registrations linked to P.O. boxes, has issued a new threat of a state takeover of Harris County's elections process: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/elections/2026/01/09/540334/elections-harris-county-texas-governor-greg-abbott/This Tuesday, January 13, the Funky East Dallas Democrats (the FEDDs!) will host an online meet and greet with a bunch of Democratic statewide candidates, including Senatorial candidates Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico: https://www.fedds.org/eventinfo/jan1326statewideEarly voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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.
Another insane, and incredibly dark first full week of 2026 - let's hope it's not setting a permanent tone. Regardless, we plow forward into this crucial midterm election year together - and we're joined this week to talk it through by CD-33 Democratic candidate Zeeshan Hafeez of Irving.Learn more about Zeeshan and his run for Congress at https://www.zeeshanfortexas.com/.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:Protests have begun across Texas in reaction to the ICE killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday, including Houston: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/renee-nicole-macklin-good-ice-protests-houston-21283230.php...And Dallas: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2026/01/08/emergency-protest-begins-at-dallas-city-hall-after-fatal-minnesota-ice-shooting/...And Austin, and neighboring Pflugerville: https://www.statesman.com/news/article/austin-protest-minneapolis-ice-shooting-21283395.phpEdinburg Republican Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz joined united U.S. House Democrats in passing a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act premium subsidies yesterday - she's the exception that proves the rule, that Republicans are all but united against Obamacare: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/08/texas-congress-de-la-cruz-vote-aca-extension-bill/Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has handed the entire Texas registered voter roll over to the Donald Trump DOJ, including sensitive individual identity information: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/09/texas-voter-roll-trump-administration-justice-department-democrats-dnc/This Tuesday, January 13, the Funky East Dallas Democrats (the FEDDs!) will host an online meet and greet with a bunch of Democratic statewide candidates, including Senatorial candidates Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico: https://www.fedds.org/eventinfo/jan1326statewideEarly voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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.
We couldn't be more excited about Progress Texas' new effort to partner with great community radio stations across Texas, which has started with the legendary KPFT in Houston carrying our weekly "In Progress" roundtable talk on Sunday mornings at 11. Podcasting Director Chris Mosser was featured on the KPFT program "The Midterms" on Tuesday morning by host and Houston attorney Earnest Wotring, and we present that conversation in this podcast episode.Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish language expansion HERE.Learn more about Earnest Wotring and his work at https://www.bakerwotring.com/our-attorneys/earnest-w-wotringThanks 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 brutal killing of 37-year-old mom Renee Nicole Macklin Good yesterday by a masked ICE agent in Minneapolis is a warning to the entire nation - the Trump machine is now unafraid of openly murdering its opponents: https://apnews.com/article/ice-shooting-minneapolis-minnesota-9aa822670b705c89906f2c699f1d16c5Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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.
One of the big early stories of 2026 is a lawsuit filed against the Texas Education Agency or TEA and its commissioner Mike Morath by the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation's primary union of public school educators, in response to the attempted purge of teachers who were targeted for their views expressed online about Charlie Kirk and his murder last year. Texas AFT President Zeph Capo joins us to explain the lawsuit and the context behind it - context that goes far beyond just the Charlie Kirk matter, and includes the terrible circumstances that have been allowed to develop in our schools over three decades of Republican mismanagement.Learn more about the lawsuit: https://www.texasaft.org/releases/texas-aft-sues-the-state-over-baseless-investigations-into-educators-after-the-assassination-of-charlie-kirk/Learn more about Texas AFT at https://www.texasaft.org/.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 chapter of the American Federation of Teachers has filed a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency and Commissioner Mike Morath over their efforts to smear and fire teachers over comments made on social media about Charlie Kirk: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/us/american-federation-teachers-charlie-kirk-lawsuit.htmlPotentially derailing the mobility of future Texas J.D.'s, the Texas Supreme Court has officially removed oversight by the American Bar Association over Texas law schools: https://www.keranews.org/news/2026-01-06/texas-supreme-court-ends-american-bar-association-law-school-accreditationDonald Trump, incensed at Laredo Congressman Henry Cuellar's apparent lack of gratitude for Trump's pardon late last year, has endorsed one of Cuellar's Republican challengers: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/trump-endorses-tano-tijerina-running-against-democrat-henry-cuellar-rcna252686Texas Big Oil has been largely silent on Trump's ideas that they'll invest in the "rebirth" of Venezuelan oil production - it's a huge and risky investment, and the market's not demanding more supply at the moment: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/07/texas-trump-venezuela-oil/...Besides, petroleum is still poisoning our planet - and Texas has become a primary source of that poison: https://grist.org/energy/texas-clears-the-way-for-petrochemical-expansion-as-experts-warn-of-health-risks/Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE.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.
Our first Happy Hour of the crucial midterm year features our first conversation with veteran and Dallas attorney Tony Box, whose experience in the military, with the FBI during 9/11, and as a lawyer working both sides of the "vs" makes him an interesting Texan indeed. Tony was the third candidate to announce a run for Texas Attorney General, behind former Galveston mayor Joe Jaworski and Dallas State Senator Nathan Johnson.Learn more about Tony Box at https://tonyboxfortexas.com/.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:Dr. Peter Hotez, Texas' top medical hero, recommends that parents ignore nonsensical new childhood vaccine recommendations coming from the Trump administration, and instead rely on the expertise of their kids' doctors: https://www.tpr.org/bioscience-medicine/2026-01-05/texas-expert-says-changes-to-childhood-vaccine-schedule-are-a-grave-mistakeRepublicans in both Dallas and Hays counties have abandoned plans to hand-count ballots in the upcoming March primary: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/republicans-two-texas-counties-ditch-plans-hand-count-ballots-rcna252388Gubernatorial candidate Andrew White has dropped out of the race, citing fundraising hurdles - he throws his support behind Democratic frontrunner Gina Hinojosa, who graciously accepts: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/05/andrew-white-drops-out-texas-governor-democratic-primary/Michelle Davis at Lone Star Left reminds us that, amidst the news of the move on Venezuela, Big Oil is not an actual economic necessity for Texas - it's rather a symptom of Republican corruption: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/texas-oil-american-warsOn this fifth anniversary of the January 6th uprising, we must renew the events of that day in our minds - not as a memory of a past threat, but as a reminder of what's at stake in the midterm elections: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/january-6th-and-the-never-ending-coup-trump-election-venezuela-stephen-miller-greenland?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=shareEarly voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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:The reactions from elected leaders regarding the plucking of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro from power predictably fall largely on party lines: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/texas-politicians-react-to-venezuela-operation-21274471.php...Dallas State Rep. Venton Jones got stuck in St. Maarten due to Venezuelan airspace restrictions: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/national-politics/texas-state-representative-stuck-caribbean-flights-canceled-after-us-military-operation-venezuela/287-28653a3e-0f49-4f66-9b1c-362dfb523a5b...It's all about oil, but just grabbing the dictator does not guarantee an easy path for American and Texan petroleum interests: https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trumps-venezuela-oil-strategy-raises-questions-over-immediate-gains-texas-1768184...Don't miss a terrific discussion and analysis of the Venezuela situation from last night with a group of Texas candidates for office, all with military and intelligence backgrounds, organized by Richardson Area Democrats: https://www.youtube.com/live/_BDZ4Uz94K0?si=JimxQ8coTjy0R9TqSee the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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.
On this very first episode of our weekly roundtable session, we try to get positive for once - this time we go around the horn and talk about the ways in which all of us plan to up our political game in the all-important mid-term election year of 2026! If you've already blown your regular resolution, never fear - there's still time to rise to the political challenges we ALL face in this crucial new year.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:As of New Year's Day on Thursday, SB-8 takes effect, requiring Texas sheriff's offices with jails to enter into immigration enforcement partnership agreements with ICE: https://www.kut.org/politics/2025-12-30/new-texas-laws-2026-taxes-immigration-ai...Also Thursday, if you rent your home, your rights against your landlord have been eroded by SB-38: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/sb-38-how-new-property-rights-law-changes-game-texas-renters...Blocked at the moment by a federal judge, SB-2420 - a law designed to require app developers to accommodate younger users - will not begin as scheduled on Thursday: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/federal-judge-texas-app-verification-law-blocked/285-f3536b2b-42c7-4a84-9bc8-e4e09d753f88Progress Texas' five most popular podcasts of 2025: #5 was our update on the July 4 flood the following Monday (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-dispatch-7-7-25-texas-flood-death-toll-a/id1552998795?i=1000716183395), #4 was our legislative preview with State Rep. James Talarico (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/happy-hour-191-texas-legislative-preview-with-rep/id1552998795?i=1000683946504), #3 was our In Progress preview of the first No Kings rally in June (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-progress-no-kings-protests-the-view-from-cali-and/id1552998795?i=1000712799933), #2 was our coverage of the "People Vs. The Power Grab" rally in Austin in July (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-live-pod-austins-the-people-vs-the-power-grab-rally/id1552998795?i=1000719192502), and our top episode of 2025, a discussion with Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder on the party's HQ relocation to Dallas: (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minisode-chair-kendall-scudder-on-staff-changes-and/id1552998795?i=1000728437380).See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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:Chris returns from a Christmas trip to New Orleans hoping to host Mayor-Elect Helena Moreno sometime next year: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/us/new-orleans-mayor-helena-moreno.htmlLast week's SCOTUS call against deploying Texas National Guard troops into Chicago is the right call - considering how Texas would likely react if the tables were turned: https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/editorial/article/texas-troops-illinois-supreme-court-21260958.phpBoth Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico have made a rare move for Democrats - openly embracing religious views in their political messaging: https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/bud-kennedy/article313929686.htmlCurrent Republican views on immigration have devolved significantly from old-school GOP views of immigrants as an economic engine for Texas: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/immigration-emmett-bush-baker-perry-republican-21257013.phpSee the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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.
'Twas a year of high highs and low lows for Texas progressive types, and as we roll through the holidays and steel ourselves for what looks like exciting prospects in the midterm year of 2026, we look back on both the Texans that gave us hope - and the Texans who gave us heartburn - in the 2025 rundown of the five best and five worst Texans of the year.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:Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock is asking Attorney General Ken Paxton for legal cover to exclude private schools with ties to CAIR or China from the state's new private school voucher program: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/paxton-islamic-schools-vouchers-21257343.phpThe recently-unsealed divorce records between Paxton and his soon-to-be-ex-wife State Senator Angela Paxton reveal full blame for the divorce from the Senator upon the AG, and his insistence that she receive "nothing" in the settlement: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/ken-paxton-divorce-records-unsealed-21254129.phpThe San Antonio Express editorial board suggests that Texas voters "flush" Ken Paxton over his "creepy" new tipline soliciting photos of alleged bathroom bill violators: https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/editorial/article/ken-paxton-transgender-bathroom-politics-21252847.phpTed Cruz is said to be formulating a 2028 run for President, setting up a clash with Trump VP J.D. Vance: https://azat.tv/en/ted-cruz-president-2028-vance-maga/See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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:New Quinnipiac University polling paints a dismal picture for Donald Trump - but also dissatisfaction among Democrats with their own party: https://www.kvue.com/video/news/politics/texas-this-week/new-polling-shows-voters-intentions-ahead-of-2026-midterm-elections-texas-this-week/269-51e19d7c-319b-40df-8408-11c9ffdba478...Trump's lack of discipline and expertise may be the undoing of his own efforts to establish an American authoritarian regime - but he still has three years to work on it: https://www.vox.com/politics/472346/trump-democracy-2025-haphazard-authoritarianMcClennan County Justice Of The Pease Dianne Hensley, cleared to sue the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct for calling her on denying same sex marriages in her courtroom, is now going after the SCOTUS decision that recognized those marriages in 2015: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/19/texas-judge-same-sex-marriage-supreme-court-obergefell/Texas' near-complete ban on abortion care has impacted both new OB/GYN trainees, creating a reproductive medicine "brain drain", but has also pressured experienced veterans of the field to either leave Texas or retire early: https://www.houstonpress.com/news/abortion-ban-is-pushing-medical-students-out-of-texas/Texas' cooperation with Trump's mass deportation efforts have undermined a growing number of criminal cases, as DA's say undocumented witnesses are increasingly reluctant to participate: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/22/texas-district-attorneys-deportation-witnesses-criminal-cases-immigrants/Polling in the race for the Democratic nomination for Texas Attorney General shows a current virtual tie between Dallas State Senator Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/meet-the-democrats-running-for-texas-attorney-general/See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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.
As we wind down another wild week, we recap the news and prepare for the upcoming holiday break. In an era when conservative Christians are weaponizing Christmas into a culture war cudgel, what deeper meaning can progressive folks take away from the Nativity story? We dive in for our regular Friday hang.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work into this crucial upcoming election year at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The U.S. House of Representatives closes down for the holiday after passing a Republican healthcare bill that does not protect ACA subsidies - all Texas Republicans voted for it, and all Texas Democrats voted no: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/19/texas-republicans-congress-health-care-obamacare-subsidies-2026-midterms/...Less unity among Texas House Democrats, however, as both Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez voted for and facilitated the passage of a bill criminalizing gender care for trans kids: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/12/democrats-should-kick-the-three-transphobes-who-voted-for-mtgs-bill-out-of-the-caucus/Senate candidate James Talarico and congressional candidate Bobby Pulido endorsed each other at a joint rally in South Texas yesterday: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/18/texas-james-talarico-bobby-pulido-senate-congress/Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett's comments on that strange Donald Trump speech this week: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/17/politics/video/rep-jasmine-crockett-on-trumps-address-to-the-nation-like-a-used-car-salesman-in-front-of-the-american-peopleDonald Trump, possibly desperate to put that bizarre speech behind him, has signed an executive order relaxing restrictions on medical use and research regarding cannabis products: https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/texas/trump-texas-marijuana-weed-medical-cannabis-industry-san-antonio/273-16dd9155-97cb-49d8-b076-262adc2c2720Texas DPS has over doubled their fleet of surveillance drones under Operation Lone Star - it's now almost as big as the U.S. Border Patrol's federal inventory: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-dps-drone-fleet-doubled-in-size/See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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:That list of over two thousand "potential noncitizens" flagged as being possible illegally registered immigrants on Texas' voter roll includes dozens who have recently proven their citizenship to Texas DPS: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/18/texas-voter-roll-citizens-investigation/...Austin State Rep. Gina Hinojosa holds a commanding lead for the Democratic nomination to take on Governor Greg Abbott in November, while the race for attorney general is a virtual tie between Dallas State Senator Nathan Johnson and Joe Jaworski: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/67aa7aa3e284b002cd6a420e/t/694292a4ac28ed4d522f38b6/1765970596857/TXDem2026GovAG_TSU.pdfHouston Mayor John Whitmire has been formally reprimanded by the Harris County Democratic Party for his centrist governing style - he's barred from future endorsements by the county party: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/houston-mayor-john-whitmire-harris-county-democratic-party-endorsement-withheld/What creative use might YOU come up with for Ken Paxton's new potty police tip line? https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/texas-womens-privacy-act-complaint-formTexas State University, citing "the current climate of our state", has rescinded their own invitation to the Black History 101 Mobile Museum to visit their San Marcos campus for Black History Month in February: https://universitystar.com/34095/news/aclu-expresses-concern-after-texas-state-revokes-approval-for-black-history-museum-visit/A blue wave continues to build with a whopping 73% win in a three-way special election by a Democrat in Kentucky for their state senate: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5651795-democrat-gary-clemons-elected/See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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.
What a terrific time at BOTH of our 2025 holiday parties! The second, in Dallas, went down at the awesome People's Last Stand in Mockingbird Station on Monday night and, like our Austin celebration, saw a record crowd come out for a great live talk with Austin State Rep. and gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa, Austin State Rep. and candidate for Texas Lieutenant Governor Vikki Goodwin, Texas Attorney General candidate Joe Jaworski, and outgoing House Democratic Campaign Committee Chair and Houston State Rep. Gene Wu! Once again, THANK YOU to all the panelists, donors and attendees who made our 2025 holiday gatherings and fundraiser a terrific success.Learn more about Rep. Gina Hinojosa at https://ginafortexas.com/.Learn more about Rep. Vikki Goodwin at https://www.vikkigoodwin.com/.Learn more about Joe Jaworski at https://www.jaworskifortexas.com/.Learn more about Rep. Gene Wu at https://www.genefortexas.com/.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work into the new year and beyond at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The Texas Democratic Party's effort to fill every state and federal race on the 2026 ballot represents the very first time that either party has done so in state history: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/17/texas-democrats-down-ballot-2026/Texas DPS has continued compiling a list of transgender Texans while refusing to explain what it's for: https://www.kut.org/politics/2025-12-15/texas-trans-transgender-drivers-license-id-list-privacyThe Gaines County measles outbreak resulted in a massive decline in school attendance at Seminole ISD schools, resulting in an educational delay that will take months if not years to overcome: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/17/texas-measles-mennonite-seminole-aftermath/...Meanwhile the Mennonite community at the center of the outbreak is more vexed by health officials blaming them for the outbreak, and are now even more deeply dug in against vaccines: https://www.hoover.org/news/absences-texas-school-district-spiked-41-percent-after-measles-outbreak-says-hoover-scholarWe had a terrific time this year at both of our 2025 Holiday Parties! THANK YOU to all of our supporters and attendees: https://progresstexas.org/blog/live-podcast-lineup-progress-texas-holiday-parties-now-releasedSee the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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:Fort Worth Congressman Marc Veasey has withdrawn his run for Tarrant County Judge, leaving Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons the presumptive Democratic nominee to face Republican incumbent Tim O'Hare: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/15/marc-veasey-withdraws-from-tarrant-county-judge-race-2026/Governor Greg Abbott intends to invest over a quarter of his war chest - about $25 million - into an effort to turn Houston and Harris County "dark red": https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/greg-abbott-harris-county-flip-control-21225365.phpA new grassroots initiative to keep tabs on the ongoing efforts to ban books across Texas' school districts is underway, and YOU can join the effort: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/book-ban-information-request-21223247.phpWe had a terrific time this year at both of our 2025 Holiday Parties! THANK YOU to all of our supporters and attendees: https://progresstexas.org/blog/live-podcast-lineup-progress-texas-holiday-parties-now-releasedSee the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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.
Former Dallas Congressman Colin Allred's pivot from a second run for the U.S. Senate is only one of the results of the late-breaking announcement of a Senate run by fellow Dallas lawmaker Jasmine Crockett last week. Allred is now in a primary contest with Congresswoman Julie Johnson, interestingly the official who replaced Allred upon his departure from the U.S. House as he challenged Senator Ted Cruz in 2024. We're glad to accommodate Congressman Allred's request to join us and share his perspective on the fast-changing primary picture in Texas.Learn more about Congressman Colin Allred's campaign at https://colinallred.com/.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 likelihood of a major swing back away from the Donald Trump GOP in Texas, especially among Latino voters, is casting doubt on the prospects of the new congressional map benefiting Trump in the way he had intended: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/14/politics/texas-redistricting-gop-latinos?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_msn...While they're grossed out by Henry Cuellar's recent pardon by Trump, it appears likely to play to Democrats' electoral advantage next year: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/15/henry-cuellar-trump-pardon-local-gop-fallout-disappointed/?_bhlid=acec7a9626e11d6a2a5d3ce13794f1944cea35a9Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett leads State Rep. James Talarico by 8 points in the first polling comparing them in the Senate race: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/jasmine-crockett-leads-james-talarico-in-first-poll-post-announcement/The Democratic primary contest between Congresswoman Julie Johnson and former Congressman Colin Allred appears to have potential for inter-party ugliness: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/15/north-texas-congress-colin-allred-julie-johnson-dallas-33rd-district-2026/?_bhlid=562456b20cdc6ef38105bc9c837f423f13c6295dWe hope to see you TONIGHT in Dallas for the second of our two 2025 Holiday Parties! https://progresstexas.org/blog/live-podcast-lineup-progress-texas-holiday-parties-now-releasedSee the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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.
We say this every week...but, what a week! The crew gathers for our weekly offload session at the end of the week following the 2026 filing deadline to discuss turncoat Democrats, the new plan to force Turning Point USA into ALL Texas high schools, and the upcoming Democratic primary - headlined of course by "Jasarico"! Our heads, as always on a Friday afternoon, are fully aspin.Thanks for listening! Learn how to support Progress Texas and our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Analysis of the contrast between the approaches of Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and State Rep. James Talarico deepens and is shaping the parameters of the primary contest between them: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/12/jasmine-crockett-james-talarico-texas-senate-primary-democrats-future.html...Also, Crockett's strategy to mobilize and grow the Democratic base comes into contrast with the more traditional strategy of inter-party persuasion of Talarico come into contrast: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/jasmine-crockett-texas-senate-race-vibes-based-political-strategy.html...Meanwhile the GOP is eager to face Crockett, claiming to have "lured" her into running for Senate: https://www.foxnews.com/video/6386303950112Lone Star Left's Michelle Davis focuses on the woefully underqualified Julie Pickren of the State Board of Education and the Democrats seeking to rid the state of her destructive influence: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-2026-texas-democratic-primaries-976South Texas Democratic Candidate Etienne Rosas tried to ask Governor Greg Abbott a question at a Weslaco event earlier this week, and ended up forcibly ejected from the event by a local police officer: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/abbott-event-rosas-removed-21237141.phpConditions for detainees at a South Texas immigrant detention center are reported to have become deplorably inhumane: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/09/politics/migrant-families-ice-detention-facility-texasSee the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.We had a blast at our first of two holiday parties in Austin, and are excited to see YOU at the second in Dallas! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/progress-texas-holiday-parties-2025Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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:For the first time in half a century, Democrats are on the ballot in every single state, federal and judicial election in 2026: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEYSRjVXZb4...The National Democratic Party and the House Democratic Campaign Committee are zeroing in on five potential State House seats to flip: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/10/texas-house-legislature-election-2026-national-democrats/...Lone Star Left projects runoffs in the races for Governor and Attorney General, but a likely outright primary win for State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, who is running for Lt. Governor: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-2026-texas-democratic-primariesAnybody else find Governor Abbott's warning to Texas high school administrators not to resist the state installation of Turning Point USA clubs in every high school in the state a little...Hitler Youth-ish? https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2025/12/11/gov-abbotts-endorsement-of-turning-point-usa-doesnt-pass-smell-test/The New York Times takes a deep dive on the MAGA overrunning of UT Austin: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/us/university-of-texas-republicans-academic-freedom-faculty.htmlThe Texas Tribune takes a deep dive on the reasons Texas A&M ran off president Mark Welsh: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/11/mark-welsh-texas-a-m-president-takeaway/A growing number of promising college professor candidates are choosing to skip the headaches of teaching at Texas colleges: https://www.houstonpress.com/news/university-professors-say-they-dont-want-to-teach-in-texas/See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.We had a blast at our first of two holiday parties in Austin, and are excited to see YOU at the second in Dallas! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/progress-texas-holiday-parties-2025Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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:The Democratic primary contest between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and State Rep. James Talarico for the nomination for the U.S. Senate takes center stage in Texas following the filing deadline: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/09/jasmine-crockett-texas-senate-democratic-primary-turnout-persuasion-2026/...A bombshell NOTUS report says that the National Republican Senatorial Committee is behind manipulative polling and covert digital information seeding meant to encourage Crockett to enter the Senate race: https://www.notus.org/senate/jasmine-crockett-nrsc-texas-senate...Former Democratic nominee for Railroad Commissioner Katherine Culbert, who has filed for that same race in 2026 as a Republican, is accused of misleading Lone Star Left writer Michelle Davis about her campaign intentions as late as October: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/how-katherine-culbert-tried-to-useAnother Democratic win after a long Republican winning streak - another sign of a building blue wave - comes as Democrat Eileen Higgins is elected mayor of Miami, Florida: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/miami-mayor-election-winner-eileen-higginsGovernor Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announce the state-sponsored establishment of new Turning Point USA chapters at all Texas high schools, complete with warnings against local resistance: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/08/texas-turning-point-usa-greg-abbott-high-schools/A majority of the Arlington City Council, ignoring overwhelming public testimony, votes not to reinstate protections for their LGBTQ+ residents: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/09/arlington-texas-lgbtq-discrimination-protections/Blinn Community College in Brenham has led the charge on the bathroom bill, installing laminated paper signs designating bathrooms specifically for "biological" men and women: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/blinn-college-biological-bathroom-signs-21230334.phpAustin techbro California transplant, Palantir and University of Austin co-founder Jon Lonsdale is calling for the return of public executions of people convicted of violent crimes: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/texas-joe-lonsdale-public-executions-21230890.phpThe U.S. Supreme Court paves the way for book banning as it declines to hear an case challenging the removal of books by local officials in Llano: https://www.axios.com/2025/12/09/texas-book-removal-case-supreme-court-llano-countySee the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, HERE and HERE.We had a blast at our first of two holiday parties in Austin, and are excited to see YOU at the second in Dallas! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/progress-texas-holiday-parties-2025Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: https://store.progresstexas.org/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.
Terrific time on Monday night at the first of our two 2025 holiday parties - Antone's in downtown Austin has become a bit of an HQ for us and we're proud to have enjoyed the biggest crowd we've had there yet! Enjoy our talk with Austin State Senator and newly-filed Texas Comptroller candidate Sarah Eckhardt, San Antonio State Senator Roland Gutierrez, and Austin City Council Member Zo Qadri.Our second holiday party this year happens in Dallas on Monday December 15, featuring another live podcast recording with a great panel of guests - learn more and grab your tickets at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/progress-texas-holiday-parties-2025.
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