We recap the wild week in Texas politics. Grab a coldie and hang! Learn more about us at ProgressTexas.org.
In a federal court in El Paso, as of this morning, a trio of judges have begun considering whether the state of Texas can use the new congressional map - ordered by Donald Trump and eventually passed during a pair of highly contentious special legislative sessions - in the 2026 election. We're fortunate to have the expert legal view of attorneys Louis Bedford IV and Jason Smith, members of Progress Texas' boards, as this all-important legal procedure gets underway.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:Democrats in the U.S. House hold the line against the gutting of healthcare, as Republicans skip town - thus, a federal shutdown has begun: https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-democrats-republicans-trump-fight-c4949dace66c18d6099b5e23fd98b049...Reactions from Texas House Democrats, including El Paso's Veronica Escobar: https://x.com/RepEscobar/status/1973094484549177360?t=FQgnQH1kE5xW2fyhKK9JCg&s=03...Dallas' Marc Veasey: https://x.com/RepVeasey/status/1973132078221778992?t=NJdRbi6jJ6LPtRkA7BhVcA&s=03...Houston's Lizzie Fletcher: https://x.com/RepFletcher/status/1973147095885554004?t=aGRrGrJxec393f00LRu6_w&s=03...San Antonio's Joaquin Castro: https://x.com/JoaquinCastrotx/status/1973139890939502813?t=8solSSLz8aNURDhFAiljHQ&s=03...What does a federal shutdown mean for us here in Texas? https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/01/government-shutdown-texas-congress-benefits-parks-veterans/A federal hearing on whether or not the new Trump-ordered Texas congressional district map is constitutional begins today in El Paso: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/09/30/federal-hearing-on-new-texas-congressional-map-begins-wednesday-in-el-paso/...How we got here, starting back in May: https://www.tpr.org/government-politics/2025-09-30/the-texas-gerrymandering-trial-begins-how-we-got-hereHouston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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.
In a matter of weeks, North Texas voters have the chance to flip a Texas Senate seat from red to blue, and provide another vote for sanity in a chamber dominated by the nonsense of Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. Union president, veteran, and working class public education champion Taylor Rehmet is running against two far-right MAGA Republicans in the special election to fill a vacancy left by Republican Kelly Hancock's move to the Texas Comptroller's Office. Taylor spoke with our Executive Director Kathleen Thompson about his public policy priorities including affordable heath care, education, protecting Texas veterans, and this paramount opportunity—in a competitive district—where recent local election voters sent a clear message that they're done with MAGA extremism. Make sure your friends and family in Senate District 9 (Bedford, Fort Worth, Keller, North Richland Hills, etc.) know early voting begins October 20 and Election Day is November 4.How to get involved in Taylor's campaign: https://www.taylorfortx.comProgress Texas' voting information resource GoVoteTexas.org assists voters in navigating election deadlines, polling locations, and the current status of the state's changing voter ID laws in 5 languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi! https://govotetexas.org/
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Governor Abbott faces multiple issues that could make him vulnerable in 2026, including his inconsistencies related to on-campus free speech: https://www.texasobserver.org/greg-abbott-free-speech-charlie-kirk-universities/...His engineering of attacks on public school teachers who failed to sufficiently grieve the death of Charlie Kirk: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/30/texas-investigation-teachers-charlie-kirk-free-speech/?_bhlid=29b43cb8833938b9d33be0c7e1d0dbf7be829e1f...And a growing "pay to pay" scandal, in which Abbott has apparently channeled almost $1 billion (with a B) in no-bid state contracts to companies whose executive have made large contributions to his campaign fund: https://www.newsbreak.com/raw-story-2096750/4254968215000-pay-to-play-donors-to-texas-gov-s-pac-received-nearly-1-billion-in-state-contracts...Could Austin State Rep. Gina Hinojosa be next to throw in to challenge Abbott? https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2025/09/26/gina-hinojosa-austin-democrat-campaign-texas-governorEven as they run ICE recruitment commercials on ESPN, Disney has taken a massive financial hit as a result of the Jimmy Kimmel suspension from ABC: https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/disney-reportedly-lost-17-million-paid-subscribers-in-the-week-after-suspending-kimmel-201615937.html...Disney shareholders and journalists are demanding internal records on how the Kimmel suspension was decided, potentially resulting in lawsuits: https://deadline.com/2025/09/kimmel-disney-shareholders-deadline-legal-threat-1236565674/Houston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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 new Texas congressional district map, ordered by Donald Trump to cut his expected U.S. House losses in next year's election, is set to be considered by federal judges in El Paso starting Wednesday: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/redistricting-fight-texas-congressional-maps-courtroom-determine-constitutional/Could there be a THIRD special legislative session in Texas? Property taxes could be the excuse this time for Texas Republicans to ramp up their culture war on Texas colleges: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-for-real/id1840051875?i=1000729093370...MAGA attacks on Texas higher education has been at a fever pitch in recent weeks, including new orders at the Texas Tech system against any mention at all in classes of gender identity: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/26/texas-tech-university-system-transgender-identity-restrictions/Agriculture Commissioner and outspoken DEI opponent Sid Miller wrote a letter to UT Austin on behalf of a Latina student they had denied admission, appealing to their DEI mission: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/29/sid-miller-dei-letter-university-of-texas/An Anson man has been jailed for threatening to shoot up a Pride parade in Abilene, out of revenge for the assassination of Charlie Kirk: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/texas-man-accused-of-threatening-to-shoot-at-local-pride-event-arrested-by-fbi/#xDid you notice ICE recruitment ads on ESPN while watching college football this weekend? All the more reason to cut ties with Disney, as they undercut local law enforcement agencies: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-09-06/ice-recruitment-law-enforcement-commercialHouston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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 weekly staff roundtable covers the strife within the Texas Democratic Party over a shakeup of office locations, as Trump and Co. once again try to capitalize on another apparently political shooting, this one on an ICE facility in Dallas. We continue looking for the light amidst dark times indeed - but stick with us, we will find our way out.Thanks for listening! Join the fight for progress in the Lone Star State at https://progresstexas.org/donate.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Federal and state authorities, who were quick to characterize Wednesday's shooting that killed or wounded three suspected undocumented immigrants as an attack on the ICE agents who had rounded them up, say they have found writings at the home of the suspected shooter confirming that he was targeting ICE: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/24/dallas-ICE-shooting-fatalities/...He is said to have acquired the rifle he used legally last month, and did not expect to survive the shooting: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/joshua-jahns-handwritten-notes-revealed-plan-of-terror-40600292/...Journalist Ken Klippenstein believes the shooter was a product of a growing "irony bro" culture: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/the-ice-shooters-motivePublic Citizen has uncovered a "pay to play" scheme, under which big dollar donors to Governor Greg Abbott were awarded almost $1 billion in no-bid contracts over the last four years: https://www.citizen.org/news/public-citizen-report-abbott-donors-draw-nearly-1-billion-in-no-bid-state-contracts/The Texas Latino vote will be crucial in next year's mid-term election - and Texas Republicans are planning huge spending in pursuit of those votes: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/elections/2025/09/25/531917/texas-gop-set-to-push-back-on-democratic-organization-efforts-by-targeting-hispanic-voters/Christian Nationalist crusader David Barton has been appointed by the Texas State Board of Education as an expert advisor on new plans to refocus social studies curriculum towards U.S. history: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/24/texas-sboe-social-studies-standards-david-barton/Houston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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.
An article posted by the Texas Tribune this morning alleges that a recent reorganization of office structure and locations at the Texas Democratic Party, including the relocation of its headquarters from Austin to Dallas, has led to staff shakeups that may undermine the party's efforts related to the 2026 midterm elections. Noting that all of those quoted in the story were done so in anonymity, we've invited Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder to give us an update from his perspective, and we also extend an invitation to those unnamed sources to speak with us, on the record.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how to support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Donald Trump and MAGA have rushed to blame the latest incident of gun violence in Dallas, in which three ICE detainees were shot and one has died...on the left? https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/24/dallas-ICE-shooting-fatalities/?_bhlid=0df430cf0996f8c2bbdc882fc4c66808a4e09676...The shooter, who appears to have been much more interested in marijuana and video games than politics, doesn't fit the profile of either a left- or right-wing activist: https://time.com/7320384/ice-shooting-joshua-jahn-sniper-dallas/Thousands and thousands of Texas voter registrations remain unprocessed, just days from the October 6 deadline, due to a statewide software glitch: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/25/texas-voter-registration-system-TEAM-county-election-officials/The Texas Republican Party has invited ten of its own elected State Representatives to defend themselves against charges that they have fallen short of the MAGA agenda, ahead of a vote that could remove them from the ballot next year: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/texas-gop-censure-dustin-burrows-21063724.phpHouston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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:Nexstar Media Group joined the Sinclair Broadcast Group in blacking out the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live to ABC last night, denying the show to viewers in both the Lubbock and Midland areas - we encourage you to voice your concerns with the companies that advertise on those stations: https://www.nexstar.tv/stations/...Nexstar and Sinclair control about a quarter of the ABC affiliates across the country - thus, viewers in major cities including Washington D.C., Seattle, St. Louis, Portland Oregon, New Orleans and others were blacked out as well: https://www.axios.com/2025/09/23/jimmy-kimmel-return-sinclair-nexstar-abcJimmy Kimmel's full opening monologue from last night: https://youtu.be/aTZjo42xRH4?si=Td_SK0mWhbHjZn1jLawyers for the state of Texas, looking to undermine the arguments of opponents of the new Trump-ordered congressional map that it was done on a basis of race (as the Trump DOJ has asserted), are now saying that motive was "a mistake" - but that they want to keep the new map anyway: https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/texas-officially-walks-back-justification-for-redistricting-throws-doj-under-bus/The ACLU has sued 14 Texas school districts over the new Ten Commandments law: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-families-sue-over-ten-commandments-classroom-law/Houston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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:Jimmy Kimmel returns to the airwaves tonight, but the Sinclair Broadcast Group says they still won't run his show: https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/22/entertainment/jimmy-kimmel-returning...Find your town's Sinclair station here: https://sbgi.net/tv-stations/Even within Republican circles, the attacks on free speech to avenge Charlie Kirk are becoming too ironic to swallow: https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/charlie-kirk-free-speech-gop-21053192.php...Similarly, Texas Christian leaders are getting fed up with stories of adultery coming from Ken Paxton's marriage: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/ken-paxton-gop-primary-divorce-21049167.phpMore and more data shows that the Trump-ordered redistricting of Texas may have been designed around faulty assumptions about Latino loyalty to the GOP: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cnn-harry-enten-trump-texas-republicans-redistricting-latinos_n_68cc06a5e4b0aa8d99fe7dca...Analyst Steven Weintraub is seeing similar signs in the tea leaves: https://stevenweintraub.substack.com/p/did-democrats-actually-win-redistricting?utm_medium=emailHouston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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.
A troubling number of U.S. House Democrats - including Reps Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez - voted Friday to honor Charlie Kirk, a notorious promoter of racist views: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/119-2025/h282The same weekend as a large memorial event for Kirk in Arizona, Texas Republicans attended the Texas Youth Summit in The Woodlands, where they attempted to further radicalize Kirk's grieving fans: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2025/09/20/531467/republican-representatives-call-youth-to-action-at-charlie-kirk-tribute-in-the-woodlands/...Resistance is building against the push by Governor Greg Abbott and others to silence Texas college students who choose not to lionize Kirk: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/22/texas-free-speech-college-campus-charlie-kirk-greg-abbott/?_bhlid=4a9636c9afe8b0572ffda1819115a6e7d1f10ae7...Senator Ted Cruz, in a rare moment of clarity, says FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's threats against ABC resemble those of a mob boss - of course, he's mainly worried about future censorship of the right: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/09/19/ted-cruz-says-fcc-chair-sounded-like-a-mafia-boss-in-threats-against-abc-over-jimmy-kimmel/Perhaps surprisingly, a conversation between Joe Rogan and Matthew McConaughey finds Rogan opposing the posting of the Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms, and McConaughey supporting the new law: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/politics/article/joe-rogan-matthew-mcconaughey-21052729.phpHouston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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 staff needs a weekend bad after a week that has seen Jimmy Kimmel shown the door and massive attacks on free speech on college campuses and elsewhere as MAGA exploits the Charlie Kirk assassination to its fullest advantage. Progressive America awaits what's next from Trump, as action against "Antifa" appears primed to be an excuse to target anyone they choose. Freaky times indeed - and we're glad you're here with us in opposition.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Donald Trump has declared war on "Antifa", which isn't an actual organization - so what does his declaration actually mean? https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-targets-antifa-movement-terrorist-organization-2025-09-18/The push by the press to unseal the Ken Paxton divorce records has grown to include a broad array of news media outlets: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/angela-ken-paxton-divorce-seal-21053528.phpAs the school year hits its stride, growing numbers of Texas parents are finally clueing in that Bluebonnet Learning may be teaching their kids Bible lessons - some of questionable theological legitimacy: https://youtu.be/aky6oCEV9sk?si=XGIgibSy_JKPypOpThe Texas GOP's idea to close their primary is a bad move for democracy and a bad look for Texas: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2025/09/18/texas-gops-closed-primary-plan-is-bad-for-our-state/An unusually high degree of turnover is expected to result from the 2026 election - which, regardless of party control, represents a drain of institutional power for the Lone Star State: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/texas-congressional-delegation-midst-shakeup-21053185.phpHouston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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 suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's show by ABC for criticizing MAGA for politically exploiting the murder of Charlie Kirk proves Kimmel's own point: https://www.vox.com/politics/461887/jimmy-kimmel-suspension-air-abc-charlie-kirk-nexstar...That same outrage machine is ramping up a targeting of transgender Americans - Amarillo Congressman Ronny Jackson believes they should all be rounded up: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ronny-jackson-newsmax-trans-people-b2828571.html...All while Governor Abbott, who oversees an economy equivalent to the 8th largest in the world, has the time to target a Seguin teacher for calling Kirk's death "karma" - further proving Kimmel's point: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/greg-abbott-teacher-charlie-kirk-21053442.phpTejano star Bobby Pulido, as expected, has announced a run for Congress in CD-15, challenging Republican Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/17/bobby-pulido-launches-texas-congress-campaign/Houston families are cowering in fear as ICE raids ramp up in Texas' largest and most diverse city - as public support for immigration has grown significantly: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/houston-ice-raid-police-fear-immigrants-hpd-scotus-21042697.phpHouston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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:Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit against Beto O'Rourke and Powered By People, accusing them of bribery and other campaign finance violations, appears to be near defeat in court: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/17/ken-paxton-beto-orourke-texas-democrats-quorum-break-15th-court/?_bhlid=a0e58d7d33f7fdf5a4ed837802f072ff1560ec84Andrew White, son of former Democratic Texas Governor Mark White, is considering a second crack at the job: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/abbott-white-governor-race-21051521.phpHouston residents have been being buzzed by low-flying military helicopters this week in a joint exercise between the Houston Police Department and the Trump-rebranded "Department Of War": https://www.chron.com/news/article/military-helicopters-houston-21050797.phpA second Black Texas college student has been expelled from school for expressing a lack of support for Charlie Kirk on campus: https://www.kvue.com/video/news/state/texas-state-university-student-expelled-mocking-charlie-kirk-death/269-ff2b7021-ccd8-4518-823a-e377dae048ce...The American Freedmen Legal Fund notes that, just as the UT Austin crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators last year did, this wave of Abbott-spurred college expulsions violates the governor's own Executive Order GA-42, which protects unpopular expression on Texas college campuses: https://x.com/realAFLF/status/1968089395074044401/photo/1An important factor to consider for upcoming elections: Texas has been found, for the second year in a row, to be the second-most-diverse state in the country: https://wallethub.com/edu/most-least-diverse-states-in-america/38262...While the new Trump-ordered congressional map appears to rely on low Latino turnout: https://www.ksat.com/news/texas/2025/09/17/texas-gop-may-be-banking-on-low-hispanic-turnout-in-new-map/Houston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025eventThanks 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.
Great fun to gather with a big crowd of friends, both old and new, at Hopsquad Brewing Company in North Austin, within eyeshot of Austin FC's home stadium, for a conversation with goalkeeper and celebrated progressive activist Brad Stuver! Thanks to Landon Cotham of the Moontower Soccer podcast for co-hosting.Learn more about the Brad And Ashley Stuver Foundation at https://www.bastuverfoundation.org/.Learn more about Moontower Soccer at https://www.moontowersoccer.com/.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can help support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The Trump administration, using the Charlie Kirk killing as a reason, is pledging a widespread crackdown on progressive organizations, activist groups and media outlets - much like ours: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/us/politics/jd-vance-charlie-kirk-show.html...A Texas Tech student's arrest and expulsion over her mocking of a Kirk vigil on campus is looking central to a potential First Amendment legal fight: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/texas-tech-student-charlie-kirk-21049660.php...A Texas Education Agency invitation to parents to turn their kids' teachers in for insufficient display of grief over Kirk has resulted in almost 200 such complaints: https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2025/09/16/roughly-180-complaints-filed-against-texas-teachers-for-alleged-comments-on-killing-of-charlie-kirk/Today is National Voter Registration Day! Make sure you're good to go for November's election, especially if you've moved lately, at https://govotetexas.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:Comments from Donald Trump on American political violence echo his "stand back and stand by" comments just prior to the January 6 insurrection: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-response-charlie-kirk-melissa-hortman-shootings-rcna230825...Trump also claims that investigations of key progressive figures are already underway: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-adopts-messenger-in-chief-role-after-charlie-kirks-death-2025-09-14/...The first suspect apprehended in the Kirk shooting, later cleared and released, is a North Texas high school graduate - and he and his family are being harassed by MAGA anyway: https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/texas-high-school-graduate-charlie-kirk-killing-21047625.php...The Texas Education Agency has announced a targeting of Texas teachers who failed to sufficiently grieve Charlie Kirk online, while free speech student advocates at UT Austin express fear of violence at future events: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/from-classrooms-campuses-how-kirks-death-is-affecting-texas-educationDetails about the divorce of Ken and Angela Paxton emerge - the AG is accused of having another extramarital affair, with a "Christian influencer" and mother of 7: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/news-report-accuses-texas-ag-ken-paxton-of-affair-with-married-christian-influencer/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.
Proud to welcome Travis County Appraisal District Board Member Sheghao "Daniel" Wang to join our weekly offloading session - one that's a particularly heavy lift this week upon the political assassination of Charlie Kirk. The time is NOW to address the issue of political violence, and get back to being Americans again.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 suspect has reportedly been apprehended in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09/12/us/charlie-kirk-news-suspectTexas DPS has quietly been very actively assisting ICE in detaining suspected undocumented immigrants, focusing much of their work in Democratically-run large cities: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/12/texas-dps-immigration-arrests-trump-deportation-operation-lone-star/A new UT/Texas Politics Project poll shows sliding numbers for both Donald Trump and Governor Greg Abbott, with both showing net negative approval numbers: https://www.statesman.com/news/article/trump-abbott-approval-ratings-texas-voters-senate-21041119.phpPuzzled by what Texas State Senator's divorce from Attorney General Ken Paxton on "biblical grounds"? So is the watchdog group Campaign For Accountability, who have called for the records of the Paxton divorce to be unsealed: https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-senator-angela-paxton-divorce-recordsDon't miss a terrific shot of Dallas Justice of the Peace Adam Swartz filling his courtroom with bubbles during a wedding ceremony: https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/dallas-judge-bubbliest-wedding-officiant/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 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.
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