Podcasts about Texas Democratic Party

Progress Texas Executive Director Kathleen Thompson took part in a terrific celebration and fundraising event for the Texas Democratic Party hosted by the Funky East Dallas Democrats club - better known as The FEDDs - as they celebrated the rise of one of their founding members, Kendall Scudder, to the position of party chair! Kathleen asked important questions regarding recent progressive wins, how to keep the momentum going, and the plan to lead Texas Democrats out of the wilderness in 2026.Learn more about The FEDDs at https://funkyeastdallasdemocrats.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:"Vote harvesting" - voter assistance practices long in place in many Black and Latino communities, but outlawed by the Texas GOP in 2021 - is the crime several Frio County officials have been charged with committing, resulting in their arrests: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/07/texas-ken-paxton-vote-harvesting/Donald Trump's polling approval on the economy has hit a new all-time low in Texas, at only 40%: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/donald-trump-economy-approval-rating-20311330.php...More in the latest Second Reading podcast from UT Austin's Texas Politics Project: https://podcasts.la.utexas.edu/second-reading-podcast/podcast/new-texas-politics-project-poll-finds-the-economy-and-shifting-immigration-views-shaping-views-of-trump-and-of-legislative-priorities/Trump's bullying of Mexico has inflamed anti-American sentiment south of the border, particularly unfortunate for Texas, where our cultural ties with Mexico are strong: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-04-25/the-united-states-is-the-villain-of-our-story-nationalism-surges-in-mexico-amid-trump-threatsRising conservative megadonor Alex Fairly has soured on the hard-right apparatus put into place by his fellow fat cats - perhaps further indication that more Republicans are tiring of their lunatic fringe: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/08/alex-fairly-texas-republican-donor-tim-dunn-texas-house/Congressman Henry Cuellar, threatened with sanction by the Texas Democratic Party, insists he'll continue his "bipartisan" voting pattern, and that he intends to remain a Democrat: https://www.krgv.com/news/congressman-cuellar-responds-to-efforts-from-the-texas-democratic-party-to-sanction-him/We look forward to celebrating our 15th anniversary this summer! Join us for a celebratory gathering in Dallas on Monday June 9: ⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/2025anniversary⁠⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks 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:Could Texas Republicans be feeling the heat from recent losses in the May municipal elections? A bill amounting to a GOP intellectual takeover of state universities may be scaled back: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/06/texas-house-higher-education-diversity-equity-teaching-bill/...On the same track, Ken Paxton has dropped his lawsuit against Coppell ISD, which he had accused of teaching "critical race theory": https://www.keranews.org/news/2025-05-06/texas-attorney-general-paxton-drops-critical-race-theory-lawsuit-coppell-isdOtherwise, it's business as usual for Republicans at the Capitol - while the public school funding bill HB 2 marks two weeks in committee limbo, SB 412 will be signed by Governor Abbott soon - it will allow for teachers in Texas to be targeted for presenting "obscene" materials in class, whatever that means: https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/texas-bill-removing-educator-protections-heads-to-governors-deskAudio from body cameras at the UT Austin pro-Palestinian protest crackdown shows that some of the officers deployed to that action were questioning its legality: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/texas-students-arrested-pro-palestine-protest-sue-abbott-1235332777/The Texas Democratic Party is set to vote on a resolution censuing Laredo Congressman Henry Cuellar: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/06/henry-cuellar-texas-democratic-party-condemnation/We look forward to celebrating our 15th anniversary this summer! Join us for a celebratory gathering in Dallas on Monday June 9: ⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/2025anniversary⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We've published select episodes from other podcasts on the Progress Texas feed before, but we believe this is the first time we've run a radio show! Galveston attorney, former Mayor and 2022 candidate for Texas Attorney General Joe Jaworski hosts "Midterms", a half-hour talk show on the upcoming 2026 elections, on the legendary KPFT-FM in Houston every Tuesday morning. This week, his guest was Kendall Scudder, the newly-elected Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party.Learn more about KPFT and Joe's show at https://kpft.org/schedule-hd1/.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can help support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.

The position of precinct chair is generally the party job closest to the actual action: meeting, motivating, and mobilizing the voters themselves, who happen to be your neighbors and friends! If you're a regular Progress Texas listener, you already know most of what you need to know to effectively fill this position. Many districts, in just about every corner of Texas, have vacancies in this vital grassroots role - leaving those voters without anyone to personally guide and inspire them. If you're fired up, and looking to step up and really make a difference, this is the perfect opportunity at a crucial political moment.Learn more about becoming a precinct chair for the Texas Democratic Party at https://www.traviscountydemocrats.org/precinctchair.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how to support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.

This Day in Legal History: Smith v. AllwrightOn April 3, 1944, the United States Supreme Court delivered a landmark decision in Smith v. Allwright, reshaping the landscape of voting rights in the American South. The case centered on Lonnie E. Smith, a Black voter from Texas who was denied the right to vote in the Democratic Party's primary election due to a party rule that only allowed white voters to participate. At the time, the Democratic primary was the only meaningful election in many Southern states, as the party dominated politics, making exclusion from the primary tantamount to disenfranchisement.The Texas Democratic Party argued that, as a private organization, it had the right to determine its own membership and voting rules. However, the Court, in an 8–1 decision authored by Justice Stanley Reed, held that primaries were an integral part of the electoral process and could not be exempt from constitutional scrutiny. The justices concluded that excluding Black voters from primaries violated the Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting.This ruling effectively overturned the Court's 1935 decision in Grovey v. Townsend, which had upheld the use of white primaries. The Smith decision marked a critical step toward dismantling the legal architecture of Jim Crow voter suppression. While states continued to use other tactics to limit Black political power, the ruling energized civil rights activists and laid the foundation for future litigation.By reasserting federal authority over state electoral practices, Smith v. Allwright signaled a turning point in the judicial battle against racial segregation and disenfranchisement. It also demonstrated the Court's growing willingness to confront systemic racism in voting, a commitment that would deepen during the civil rights era. This case is remembered as one of the pivotal moments in the long struggle for voting rights in the United States.The U.S. Supreme Court largely upheld the FDA's authority to deny applications for flavored vaping products, supporting actions taken during the Biden administration under the 2009 Tobacco Control Act. The unanimous ruling rejected arguments from companies like Triton Distribution and Vapetasia LLC, which claimed the FDA unfairly imposed new testing requirements and ignored their marketing plans. These companies had applied to sell flavors like “Suicide Bunny Mother's Milk and Cookies” and “Killer Kustard Blueberry.”The Court found the FDA's approach consistent with its earlier guidance, despite claims from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the agency had pulled a “regulatory switcheroo.” Justice Samuel Alito wrote the opinion, agreeing with most of the FDA's decisions but sending the case back to the appeals court to reassess whether the agency erred in refusing to consider the companies' marketing plans—an element the FDA had previously called “critical” for evaluating youth appeal.Though the ruling solidifies the FDA's regulatory role, its long-term impact is uncertain. President Trump, in furtherance of his undying effort to always be on the wrong side of everything, has promised to “save vaping,” though his campaign never clarified what that means in terms of future regulation. The case, FDA v. Wages and White Lion, leaves the appeals court to decide whether any procedural missteps by the FDA were ultimately harmless.Supreme Court Largely Backs Biden-Era FDA on Flavored Vapes (1)Elon Musk's time in Washington as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DGE) appears to be nearing its end. Both Musk and President Trump have hinted that his departure is imminent, with Trump noting that DGE itself “will end.” Originally designed as a temporary advisory panel to cut federal costs, DGE has morphed into a more integrated part of the government, staffed with Musk allies tasked with canceling contracts and slashing budgets.However, signs of a wind-down are emerging. DGE staff are being reassigned to federal agencies, layoffs are underway, and the organization's influence seems to be diminishing. Musk, a special government employee limited to 130 working days per year, is approaching that limit, though neither he nor the administration has confirmed when his tenure will end.Musk's recent political involvement also took a hit when his preferred candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court lost, despite significant financial backing and a campaign visit. Tesla's 13% drop in quarterly sales adds further pressure. Trump praised Musk's contributions but acknowledged his corporate obligations, suggesting a graceful exit is likely rather than a public fallout.DGE had once shared leadership between Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, but Ramaswamy left to run for Ohio governor. While Musk boasted about aiming to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars, critics say the group's progress has been overstated. Despite speculation, Trump hasn't committed to keeping DGE operational post-Musk, indicating the administration may be moving to a new phase of governance.Musk could be headed for a Washington exit after turbulent times at Trump's DOGE | AP NewsPresident Donald Trump announced a new agreement with law firm Milbank, marking another chapter in the growing divide among U.S. law firms over how to handle pressure from his administration. According to Trump's Truth Social post, Milbank initiated the deal, which includes a commitment to provide $100 million in pro bono legal services for causes like veterans' support and combating antisemitism.The agreement comes amid a broader Trump administration effort to punish firms that have opposed or challenged his policies. Several law firms—such as Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, and Jenner & Block—have filed lawsuits seeking to block executive orders they claim were retaliatory and violated constitutional protections of free speech and due process. Federal judges recently issued temporary blocks on parts of those orders.In contrast, other firms including Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps, and Willkie Farr have opted for settlement-style deals with the administration to avoid similar sanctions. Milbank's chairman, Scott Edelman, reportedly described the agreement as aligned with the firm's values and praised the productive talks with the administration.This situation underscores a growing rift in the legal community: some firms are resisting what they see as political coercion, while others are choosing cooperation to preserve their standing with the federal government.Trump reaches agreement with Milbank law firm | ReutersPresident Trump announced a sweeping new tariff policy during a Rose Garden press conference, unveiling a "reciprocal" trade strategy aimed at countering what he described as decades of unfair treatment by U.S. trading partners. Holding a copy of a government report titled Foreign Trade Barriers, Trump declared that the U.S. will now impose tariffs that are approximately half the rate other countries charge American exports—but with a minimum baseline tariff of 10%, and many rates going significantly higher.Countries hit with new tariffs include:* China: 34%* European Union: 20%* Japan: 24%* South Korea: 25%* Switzerland: 31%* United Kingdom: 10%* Taiwan: 32%* Malaysia: 24%* India: 26%* Brazil: 10%* Indonesia: 32%* Vietnam: 46%* Singapore: 10%Trump also confirmed a 25% tariff on all foreign-made automobiles, stacking on the above-referenced rates, effective at midnight, and pointed to motorcycle tariffs as a key example of longstanding trade imbalances. He argued that U.S. manufacturers face rates as high as 75% abroad, while the U.S. imposes just 2.4%.The president justified the move as necessary to protect American jobs and industry, singling out countries like Canada and Mexico for benefiting from U.S. subsidies and defense spending. Detroit autoworker Brian Pannebecker spoke in support, calling Trump's actions a hopeful step toward revitalizing shuttered factories.While Trump emphasized that the tariffs fall short of full reciprocity to avoid overwhelming allies, he made clear the era of what he called “economic surrender” was over. The announcement included plans to sign an executive order formalizing the new tariff regime, which boosted U.S. stock futures as markets reacted positively to the aggressive trade stance. Oh no I'm sorry, I got that wrong: stock futures tanked.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Kendall Scudder was elected to succeed Gilberto Hinojosa as the first new Chair of the Texas Democratic Party since the latter's election in 2012 on Saturday, winning an outright majority in the first round of voting from the members of the State Democratic Executive Committee in Austin. This pod features our first talk with Scudder, just minutes after his election was confirmed, and takes from a handful of key players who were present at the event.Coverage from the Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/29/texas-democrats-party-chair/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:Texan John Ratcliffe is at the center of what's becoming known as "Signalgate" - and also "the dumbest fascist timeline ever": https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/signalgate-fallout-hegseth-gabbard/Amid the West Texas measles outbreak, kids are now showing up with Vitamin A poisoning as their parents opt for "alternative" measles prevention over vaccines: https://futurism.com/neoscope/measles-patients-vitamin-overuse-rfk-jr...While Elon Musk and DOGE yank funding that Lubbock's health department depends on to fight the outbreak: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/26/texas-measles-public-health-funding-cut/Propublica's investigations into needless maternal deaths connected to Texas' abortion bans have been instrumental in new bills to clarify those policies for doctors (stay tuned for a talk with Austin State Rep. Donna Howard on that legislation): https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-gop-lawmakers-propose-amending-abortion-banDeer Park Republican Rep. Briscoe Cain's bill to convert the city of Austin into a state-controlled district was laughed out of the House Committee On State Affairs on a unanimous 11-0 rejection: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/texas-legislature/texas-house-district-of-austin-laughed-down/269-0d1e48dd-ddba-43b1-90ec-4d7ce65f5d26Colin Allred is expressing interest in running for Senate again, against John Cornyn next year - considering what happened last time, we think there are far more helpful options: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/colin-allred-senate-cornyn-20242509.phpWatch out for weirdoes around the UT Austin campus this weekend - the Natalist Conference, a gathering of enthusiasts of eugenics, genetic manipulation, race dominance theory and more starts tomorrow: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2025-03-21/eugenics-controversy-looms-over-natal-conference-at-uts-atat-center/Get tickets for Draggieland, which after a legal win by Texas A&M's Queer Empowerment Council and FIRE, is happening in College Station tonight at 7:30: ⁠⁠https://boxoffice.tamu.edu/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=8C3D300E-E6B8-4952-9B39-27A91F9CCDC1&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=A6B1EF1D-CE46-4EED-BAEB-9FFED77A5A87⁠⁠We're proud to welcome Mayor Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On March 29th, the State Democratic Executive Committee will choose a new chair for the Texas Democratic Party - while you don't get to vote in this very important election, you have a representative on that committee, and you should let them know your preferences: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/most-important-election-you-don%E2%80%99t-know-about⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks 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:Republican Texas U.S. Congressman Pat Fallon told a town hall crowd that today's young people won't have Social Security - he recommends they "get a second job": https://www.reddit.com/r/texas/comments/1jk1dxc/the_way_we_can_fix_social_security_is_to_tell/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_buttonThe Signal group chat scandal continues, with longtime Texas Republican elected official and current Trump CIA director John Ratcliffe on the hot seat before House Democrats again today: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2025/03/25/the-sloppy-texan-in-the-trump-group-chat-that-texted-war-plans-to-a-reporter/This morning, HB-139 is being heard at the Capitol - this is the bill that would allow Texas employers to offer their workers insurance packages that omit federal coverage mandates including child coverage and mental health options: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/healthcare/2025/03/20/employer-health-insurance-texas-house-bill-139-reduce-coverage-mandates-requirements/82516916007/OPINION: Dallas Rep. Jasmine Crockett should apologize for remarks made about Governor Abbott's disability - but in an all-out political battle, mistakes will be made, and should be considered in proper context against the cruelty Republicans display on a daily basis: https://www.notesfromthecircus.com/p/governor-hot-wheels...Disability rights groups similarly express disappointment in Rep. Crockett, but also recognize her value as a long-term ally: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/25/jasmine-crockett-greg-abbott-reaction-027823...Perceptions of ineffectual resistance by mainstream Democrats is likely fueling the surge of popularity that progressives like Crockett, Greg Casar, AOC and Bernie Sanders are seeing lately: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/democrats-reaching-trump-tipping-point?utm_source=chatgpt.comGet tickets for Draggieland, which after a legal win by Texas A&M's Queer Empowerment Council and FIRE, is happening in College Station on Thursday: ⁠https://boxoffice.tamu.edu/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=8C3D300E-E6B8-4952-9B39-27A91F9CCDC1&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=A6B1EF1D-CE46-4EED-BAEB-9FFED77A5A87⁠We're proud to welcome Mayor Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On March 29th, the State Democratic Executive Committee will choose a new chair for the Texas Democratic Party - while you don't get to vote in this very important election, you have a representative on that committee, and you should let them know your preferences: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/most-important-election-you-don%E2%80%99t-know-about⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks 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:Senator John Cornyn was a big cheerleader for Trump Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who now finds himself at the center of the Yemen group chat scandal: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5211309-cornyn-calls-war-plan-group-chat-a-huge-screw-up/...El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar calls Donald Trump's claim yesterday that he didn't know anything about the security breach "astounding ignorance and profound incompetence": https://x.com/RepEscobar/status/1904254728923398355A wave of anti-Elon Musk vandalism against Tesla cars, charging stations and dealerships now includes a live bomb threat at an Austin Tesla location: https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/crime/tesla-owners-on-edge-wave-threats-vandalism-across-us/500-8ea26273-ffc9-46ee-996e-3361b0364772...Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi are escalating rhetoric that they consider attacks against Tesla "domestic terrorism": https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/24/tesla-austin-bomb-squad...Bondi has demanded apologies and retractions from Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, who has been vocal with her criticism of Elon Musk: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pam-bondi-jasmine-crockett-tesla-b2720908.html...A bill at the Texas Legislature would grant Musk's SpaceX the authority to close the public Boca Chica Beach for its launches: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/spacex-elon-musk-beach-control-20237154.phpThe "Life Of The Mother Act", ostensibly designed to grant more clarity and guidance for Texas doctors in treating pregnant women undergoing difficult pregancies, may also carry aims to entrench our ban on abortion: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/03/abortion-exceptions-republicans-kentucky-texas-fetal-personhood.htmlA federal judge has blocked the Texas A&M Board of Regents' ban on this year's Draggieland drag show: https://thebatt.com/news/federal-judge-blocks-drag-show-ban-allows-draggieland-to-proceed/...Get tickets for Draggieland, happening on Thursday: https://boxoffice.tamu.edu/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=8C3D300E-E6B8-4952-9B39-27A91F9CCDC1&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=A6B1EF1D-CE46-4EED-BAEB-9FFED77A5A87San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg celebrates his city's new friendship agreement with Quebec City: https://x.com/Ron_Nirenberg/status/1904262055944695984...And we're proud to welcome Mayor Nirenberg as our guest for a live podcast taping in San Antonio on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives at our Party For Progress - RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On March 29th, the State Democratic Executive Committee will choose a new chair for the Texas Democratic Party - while you don't get to vote in this very important election, you have a representative on that committee, and you should let them know your preferences: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/most-important-election-you-don%E2%80%99t-know-about⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks 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 has approved SB-12, a bill that will expand its ban on DEI efforts to our K-12 public schools: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/24/texas-dei-public-schools-k12/Also in the Senate, SB-37 would establish an additional layer of bureaucracy over state universities, for the purpose of ensuring that “courses do not endorse specific public policies, ideologies or legislation”...vague language that would let them crush any view with which they disagree: https://www.statesman.com/story/opinion/columns/your-voice/2025/03/24/texas-senate-bill-37-sb37-weaken-public-universities-opinion/82556335007/And SB-31, which would clarify what doctors can do to intervene in problematic pregancies amidst Texas' near-complete abortion ban, sees support from doctors, but less enthusiasm from advocates for the broader restoration of reproductive freedom: https://www.kut.org/politics/2025-03-24/texas-legislation-life-of-the-mother-senate-bill-31-abortion-ban-doctorsWater is a key topic in the Legislature, and while a major investment is widely seen as necessary, exactly how to spend that money remains troublingly unclear: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/24/texas-legislature-water-supply-infrastructure-repair-perry-harris/Two bills designed to limit the impact of bots and digital fraud will either help alleviate those problems - or will show which party feels they actually benefit from disinformation on social media: https://www.nathanfortexas.com/posts/release-senator-johnson-files-sjr-82-wg77pOn March 29th, the State Democratic Executive Committee will choose a new chair for the Texas Democratic Party - while you don't get to vote in this very important election, you have a representative on that committee, and you should let them know your preferences: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/most-important-election-you-don%E2%80%99t-know-about⁠⁠⁠⁠Women's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks 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:Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton were all present and cheering yesterday at the White House as Donald Trump signed an executive order dismantling the federal Department of Education: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/20/texas-greg-abbott-trump-education-department/...Despite an intake of $12 billion in annual federal education funding, Texas ranks 29th among U.S. states for education quality: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/education/2025/03/21/trump-highlights-texas-in-dismantling-department-of-education/82579774007/Texas now faces the possibility of being the epicenter of an eventual national - or maybe even global - measles epidemic: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/21/texas-measles-vaccine-new-mexico-oklahoma-us/...Demonstrating how deep down the rabbit hole some anti-vaxxers have dug, the parents of the Gaines County child who died amidst the outbreak are still advocating against vaccines: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/20/texas-measles-family-gaines-county-death/...Texas Congressional Democrats are demanding answers from the CDC on what they're doing about the outbreak, and why they're not doing more: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/healthcare/2025/03/20/lloyd-doggett-cdc-measles-outbreak-texas-symptoms-vaccine/82551785007/The Tesla Cybertruck, built at the Austin Gigafactory, has seen its full line recalled over weak glue holding an exterior stainless steel panel in place - ALL of them have been recalled: https://www.the-independent.com/tech/tesla-cybertruck-recall-glue-panels-musk-b2719222.html...The reliance on electric power for the doors of Tesla cars may have turned them into deathtraps in certain accident situations: https://oaklandside.org/2025/03/18/cybertruck-crash-report-says-witness-could-not-open-door-to-save-victims/RSVP's are required for Monday's All In For Equality Advocacy Day at the Texas State Capitol, including bus transportation from San Antonio, Houston and Dallas, training on legislative visits, a noon rally, and lunch! https://secure.everyaction.com/-BQtCcqCQEGykR0ohWT3tQ2On March 29th, the State Democratic Executive Committee will choose a new chair for the Texas Democratic Party - while you don't get to vote in this very important election, you have a representative on that committee, and you should let them know your preferences: ⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/most-important-election-you-don%E2%80%99t-know-about⁠⁠⁠Women's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:An anonymous tip in January led to a weeks-long investigation of the clinics in the Houston area, resulting in the arrests of midwife Maria Margarita Rojas and two of her colleagues: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/houston-texas-midwife-arrested-abortions-clinics/285-b028b728-0db8-4e4f-9255-7f6f11c77f47Rare bipartisan cooperation on clarifying medical exceptions to Texas' abortion ban is in play at the Capitol: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/abortion-ban-emergency-access-20228656.phpThe Texas Senate has passed "the toughest THC ban in the nation", and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is advising retailers to close up shop ahead of its eventual signing into law: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/03/19/texas-thc-retailers-should-close-as-proposed-ban-looms-lt-gov-patrick-warns/In addition to bills designed to give landlords more leeway in evicting their tenants, two more Republican bills would allow tenants to be kicked out while their eviction proceedings are under appeal: https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/SB1904/2025And another Republican bill would allow Texas employers to provide their employees with benefits packages that exclude basic, state mandated services like cancer screenings and coverage for children: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/healthcare/2025/03/20/employer-health-insurance-texas-house-bill-139-reduce-coverage-mandates-requirements/82516916007/On March 29th, the State Democratic Executive Committee will choose a new chair for the Texas Democratic Party - while you don't get to vote in this very important election, you have a representative on that committee, and you should let them know your preferences: ⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/most-important-election-you-don%E2%80%99t-know-about⁠⁠Women's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks 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:A third arrest, that of a nurse practitioner, has been reported in the case of Houston-area clinics run by midwife Maria Rojas, who has been accused by Ken Paxton of conducting abortions illegally: https://abc13.com/post/texas-attorney-general-announces-third-arrest-illegal-abortion-case-involving-houston-area-midwife/16044651/...A patient cited in the affadavit says she was referred to Rojas' clinic by her doctor after it was determined that her pregancy had a low likelihood of success and a high risk of medical complications: https://www.thecut.com/article/texas-abortion-arrest-maria-margarita-rojas-midwife.html...These arrests are seen as only the beginning of aggressive law enforcement action related to abortion, with patients who leave the state for care likely on the target list: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/03/texas-midwife-first-abortion-prosecution-maria-rojas.html20 new Texas measles cases reported yesterday bring our state total in the current outbreak to 279 - all but two in unvaccinated people: https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-measles-cases-outbreak-2025-march-18-update...If the outbreak takes over a year to contain, the United States will lose its status as a nation where measles has been eliminated - a status we've enjoyed for 25 years: https://www.statnews.com/2025/03/18/measles-outbreak-could-last-a-year-texas-public-health-official-predicts/Texas officials have been documenting the personal data of people who request changes to the sex listed on their state documents - and those who even inquire about it - all while remaining silent on why: https://www.kut.org/politics/2025-03-19/texas-transgender-drivers-license-data-collectionOn March 29th, the State Democratic Executive Committee will choose a new chair for the Texas Democratic Party - while you don't get to vote in this very important election, you have a representative on that committee, and you should let them know your preferences: ⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/most-important-election-you-don%E2%80%99t-know-about⁠Women's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:In a first under Texas' abortion ban, and what's believed to be a first nationally since the overturning of Roe v Wade, two Houston-area maternity care professionals have been arrested under suspicion of performing illegal abortions: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/17/texas-abortion-midwife-arrested/...The two Houston defendants face life in prison - despite widespread public opinion that abortion should not be so heavily restricted: https://newrepublic.com/post/192839/texas-arrests-abortion-provider-terrifying-signTwo South Texas detention facilities are being readied to hold thousands of immigrant detainees - including entire families being incarcerated together: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/us/family-detention-immigrants-trump.htmlHB-2, a public school funding bill featuring a $9 billion increase that its GOP backers call "historic", is actually less than half of what education advocates say our schools need: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-house-republicans-call-school-funding-plan-historic-but-advocates-say-it-falls-short/HB-4806, designed to limit payouts in injury lawsuits, would hit lower-income Texans hardest, as they generally tend to use those payouts to settle medical debts: https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/texas-house-bill-could-cap-injury-claims-sparking-outcry-from-legal-expertsA lawsuit on behalf of the Texas A&M Queer Empowerment Council is challenging that institution's new ban on drag performances: https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/state/texas-am-queer-empowerment-council-files-federal-lawsuit-board-regents-drag-ban/500-00e242ae-070f-45a1-b1e1-1d82046ef509On March 29th, the State Democratic Executive Committee will choose a new chair for the Texas Democratic Party - while you don't get to vote in this very important election, you have a representative on that committee, and you should let them know your preferences: https://progresstexas.org/blog/most-important-election-you-don%E2%80%99t-know-aboutWomen's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

For more than 30 years, our state Democratic Party has relied on high-dollar donors and high-dollar consultants to “win Texas.”

The Progress Texas staff were pleased to be a part of today's forum of five of the candidates to become the new Chair of the Texas Democratic Party in March. We gathered for a quick post-event recap - enjoy and keep it here for future forums.

On today's Friday News Roundup, the City Cast Austin team discusses several headlines that caught our eye: What the Texas Democratic Party chairman said that led to him stepping down, Austin City Council finally wrote a check to the Red River Cultural District, and — no joke — The Onion has purchased local conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars. Plus, host Nikki DaVaughn, Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw, and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec share what they're getting into this weekend. And, stick around after the roundup for our Don't Go Gently tip for this weekend, sponsored by Tecovas.  Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter.  Follow us @citycastaustin You can also text us or leave a voicemail.  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Mandate, D-EXIT, or whatever you term it, the real question is if Trump, and at this point Vance, can keep it. Or, do they do as happened in other cases and turn to inward DC deal making in such a way that the people no longer perceive the fight to be on their behalf?Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.The vile and bigoted Texas Democratic Party chairman resigns after ‘devastating' losses. Bexar County Democratic Party chairman announces resignation days after election results.Attorney General Ken Paxton Wins Major Victory, Blocking Biden-Harris Administration's Unlawful “Parole in Place” Policy. Also see: EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Intel Report Warns Venezuela Sending Intel Operatives, Released Prisoners to ‘Neutralize' Targets in U.S.Lt. Governor Patrick says Texas school choice is his “top priority” in the upcoming legislature.North America Rig Count Report.Texas A&M Board of Regents ends ‘LGBTQ Minor' and other ‘Low Performing' programs backed by woke faculty. Also, A&M – Commerce is no more – it is now East Texas A&M.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The head of the Texas Democratic Party has resigned following controversial comments about transgender rights and the issue’s role in elections. Lauren McGaughy of the Texas Newsroom joins us with the latest.He’s Texas' senior senator for now, but could he soon be known as Senate Majority Leader John Cornyn? We’ll hear more, as well as […] The post Texas Democratic Party chair resigns after controversial comments appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Gilberto Hinojosa, Chair of the Texas Democratic Party since 2012, is reported to be set to announce his resignation today: https://quorumreport.com/quorum_report_daily_buzz_2024/texas_democratic_party_chairman_hinojosa_to_announ_buzziid32336.html ...This follows uproar over comments Hinojosa made using the TDP's defense of trans Texans as an example of a reason for the historic election loss this week: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/democratic-party-chair-texas-19898371.php ...Texas LGBTQ+ advocacy orgs were especially incensed: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-democratic-party-chair-on-defensive-after-blaming-losses-on-support-of-trans-rights-36010763 ...At the same time, Ted Cruz's multi-million-dollar smear of Texas' transgender community paid huge dividends for him at the ballot box: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/08/transgender-ads-motivate-texas-republicans/ The Progress Texas staff gathered yesterday for an opening conversation on the Democratic disaster, why it happened, and how to move forward: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/happy-hour-180-understanding-the-trump-win-and/id1552998795?i=1000676159392 Republican success reaching older Hispanic voters along the Texas border may come back to haunt those voters who have children protected by DACA: https://www.tpr.org/border-immigration/2024-11-07/texas-daca-recipients-say-theyre-scared-of-their-future-under-trump Black Texans are being affected right away as well, with a barrage of racist texts targeting students at our historically Black colleges: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/black-americans-targeted-racist-texts-texas-us/ There IS good news today - the failure of an "abortion travel ban" ballot initiative in Amarillo may provide evidence of some room for reasonable conversation with abortion opponents: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas/2024/11/07/voters-in-a-conservative-texas-city-reject-abortion-travel-ban/ Our annual holiday fundraising parties approach! We'll be gathering both in Dallas and Austin this December, and there are sponsorship opportunities available and individual tickets are now on sale: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/progress-texas-holiday-parties-2024⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Project 2025 is no longer a warning: it's now the playbook of the next American administration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Multiple Texas news outlets are pointing to the Texas Democratic Party, led by Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa since 2012, which must own a major part of this historic defeat. Reform Austin: https://www.reformaustin.org/elections/after-three-decades-of-defeat-will-texas-democrats-finally-demand-change/ ...The Texas Observer: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-house-dems-defeat-2024/ ...The Texas Tribune: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-house-dems-defeat-2024/ ...The Dallas Morning News: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2024/11/07/texas-republicans-rewrote-states-political-playbook/ What the battle is likely to look like in Texas under the second Trump administration: https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2024/11/06/trump-election-texas-impact Why NOW is the time to renew our commitment and stand up for our values: https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2024/11/trump-victory-democracy/680549/ We salute the Texas State University students who stood down a Christian Nationalist demonstration on their San Marcos campus yesterday: https://universitystar.com/28322/multimedia/photo-gallery-demonstrators-spark-counter-protest-of-hundreds-at-txst/ Our annual holiday fundraising parties approach! We'll be gathering both in Dallas and Austin this December, and there are sponsorship opportunities available: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/progress-texas-holiday-parties-2024⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Project 2025 is no longer a warning: it's now the playbook of the next American administration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

With progressives being some of the most diverse voters in the big tent party, and with hope to unite get out the vote efforts, we invited leadership and members of the Texas Democratic Party's Progressive Caucus to talk specifics on their platform and work uniting our movement. As young Texans decide whether to sit this election out, vote third party, or make history by showing up to the polls in force, we give time to the biggest topics on their minds, including the call for peace in the Middle East. Progress Texas Advocacy Manager Reagan Stone hosts Texas Progressive Caucus President Clayton Tucker, Vice President Emad Salem, Treasurer Angel Viator Smith, and Joshua Garcia, TPC Advisory Board member. Enjoy, and learn more about the Texas Progressive Caucus at https://www.texasprogressivecaucus.org. Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and the many ways you can support our ongoing mission at https://progresstexas.org/.

Join me for another one-on-one discussion with Beto O'Rourke.

With another backstage update from Chicago, as the 2024 Democratic National Convention moves into its climactic fourth day, Progress Texas Advocacy Manager Reagan Stone brings us a view from behind the scenes with two of our favorite Texas progressive players: we welcome back our long-time bud Kendall Scudder, among other important roles Vice Chair for Finance of the Texas Democratic Party. And, for the first time, Lisa Reyna Loe joins us - Lisa is an activist for disability-related causes in Texas and is also the state lead for Women For Harris. Find out more about Kendall Scudder at https://www.kendallscudder.com/, and learn more about Lisa Reyna Loe at https://twitter.com/lisareynaloe. Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can help support our important work at https://progresstexas.org/.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: We were proud to be included in yesterday's celebration of the Texas Rangers' 2023 World Series victory with President Joe Biden at the White House: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40784277/biden-hosts-world-series-champion-rangers-white-house Governor Abbott has signed an executive order demanding information on undocumented people who seek medical care at Texas hospitals: https://abc13.com/post/texas-hospitals-ordered-inquire-patients-immigration-status/15162069/ An enormous scheduling backlog at Texas DPS's drivers license division is causing months-long appointment delays - and yet another obstacle to voting: https://www.nbcdfw.com/investigations/texas-dps-staffing-shortages-missed-appointments-massive-delays-getting-drivers-license/3616134/ Climate change is certain to continue pushing your insurance premiums skyward, as we're on track to set a new state record for natural disasters costing over $1 billion: https://www.lonestarlive.com/weather/2024/08/texas-on-track-for-record-breaking-year-of-billion-dollar-natural-disasters.html Texas civil rights groups continue pushing state school districts to modify their student dress codes to accommodate the CROWN Act, with varying success: https://www.texasaft.org/profession/know-your-rights/texas-aclu-finds-dress-codes-of-51-school-districts-violate-crown-act/ State election officials ignore the objections of the Texas Democratic Party and evidence of petition malfeasance, declaring that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has qualified to be on the November ballot in Texas: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/08/kennedy-texas-ballot-signatures-election-2024/ See Progress Texas' analysis of Project 2025, and what it will mean for Texas should it be enacted: https://progresstexas.org/blog/project-2025-vs-progress-2025 ...And a complete guide to Project 2025 from Media Matters: https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration The deadline to register for the November election is October 7. Are you registered? Are you sure? ALL Texas voters should confirm their registration, right now: https://govotetexas.org/ Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at https://progresstexas.org.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The voter registration site Vote.org reports a massive spike in registrations since President Biden stepped out of the race: https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1816088296583209122?t=sv_uB_VvIGtnW5Zh2AkL7w&s=03 ...While we're also hearing about mysterious suspensions of registration here in Texas - we must ALL confirm we're good to go in November: https://govotetexas.org/ Vice President Harris speaks this morning at 10 in Houston at the national convention of the American Federation of Teachers - stream to watch: https://www.aft.org/ Once the target of consternation from some of his fellow Texas progressives, Austin Rep. Lloyd Doggett's public call for President Biden to stand down now seems prescient and courageous: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/25/lloyd-doggett-joe-biden-kamala-harris-texas/ The Texas Democratic Party, nominee for Senate Colin Allred, VP Harris and other progressive leaders are launching a new coordinated campaign on Sunday: https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-launch-major-coordinated-attack-strategy-texas-1929695 Several Texas Democrats sat out of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial address to Congress yesterday: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2024/07/24/several-texas-democrats-skip-israeli-pm-benjamin-netanyahus-address-to-congress/ ...While Governor Greg Abbott draws parallels between the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 and Texas' immigration issues before a crowd of law enforcement officers: https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-hamas-sheriffs-border/ The Lubbock City Council has voted to strip funding from a popular monthly arts walk over false accusations of promoting "sexualized content" to kids - yes, they're worked up about a drag show: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/24/lubbock-texas-drag-show-arts-trail-funding/ See Progress Texas' analysis of Project 2025, and what it will mean for Texas should it be enacted: https://progresstexas.org/blog/project-2025-vs-progress-2025 ...And a complete guide to Project 2025 from Media Matters: https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at https://progresstexas.org.

On May 16, Jennifer Dominguez, Wilson County Democratic Party chair-elect, presents to Wilson County Democrats the proposed reorganization of the Wilson County Democratic Club in order to re-align with Texas Democratic Party objectives. The meeting included the appointment of 10 new precinct chairs.Article Link

[This blog will always be free to read, but it's also how I pay my bills. If you have suggestions or feedback on how I can earn your paid subscription, shoot me an email: cmclymer@gmail.com. And yes, I am available for speaking engagements. And if all this is too big a commitment, I'm always thankful for a simple cup of coffee.]Happy Monday, folks!It's that time again. I'm sorry for missing last week; I was under the weather. Here are five positive/interesting/fun things that'll hopefully make you smile, make you laugh, and make you think. And in case you missed it, check out the previous iteration.1. The Mega Viral Ad for Down Syndrome AwarenessThis past Thursday (3/21) was World Down Syndrome Day, first celebrated in 2007 and observed by the United Nations since 2012. In advance of it, the folks at the National Down Syndrome Society released an absolutely fantastic ad about those proudly living with it. Starring actress and model Madison Tevlin, it humorously points out how ridiculous it is to have low standards for folks with Down Syndrome. The ad has been making enormous waves online, garnering praise and widespread discussion. And if this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.2. Historic World Championship Free Skate By Teenager Ilia MalininIf you don't yet know Ilia Malinin, you will soon. The 19 year-old American figure skating superstar captured the world title this past weekend with what's being called by many the greatest free skate performance of all-time. His name was already in the history books: two years ago, he became the first person to land a Quadruple Axel, almost 45 years after the first Triple Axel was landed in competition. All that is wildly impressive, sure, but what undeniably sets apart the performance aspect of his routine on Saturday was setting it to the theme of “Succession” — unexpected and totally right. I reached out to my pal Kaitlyn Weaver, three-time Canadian national champion and three-time world medalist, for her expert take: “Ilia is performing elements that have never been done before! He's giving the sport the BADASS reputation it deserves.” (By the way, you should absolutely follow her on Instagram; she's fantastic.)3. “Stranger Planet” by Nathan W. PyleHow do I even explain this comic? Imagine a completely wholesome world in which alien beings use overly complex language (yet adorably specific) to describe the minutiae of the day-to-day life of human beings. Part of the fun is deciphering what's being referenced in our real world (“Existence??” = LIFE cereal, for example). It's always witty, interesting, warm, and hilarious. Pyle's artistic and comedic approach is strikingly optimistic against a moment in our cultural landscape that leans heavily on cynicism and ironic detachment.4. University of Idaho Pep Band Fills in for Yale UniversityCollege basketball phenom Caitlin Clark is probably the biggest story in sports at the moment, so it's understandable that other narratives coming out of March Madness may get overlooked (“March Madness” is the nickname for the NCAA Division I basketball national championship tournament, for you non-sportsball folks). That's why I wanna draw some attention to this heartwarming nugget. Yale University's men's team—the Ivy League Champs—played their first round in Spokane this past week, but the university's pep band couldn't make the trip due to a travel conflict. So, naturally, the University of Idaho's pep band stepped up and said: “You know what? We got y'all covered.” With only one practice beforehand (to learn Yale's music, cues, etc.), the band dressed up in Yale garb and came out swinging. This is the same game in which Yale (#13 seed) delivered a huge upset against Auburn (#4 seed). How damn cool is that?5. I'm Speaking at the Texas Democratic Convention in JuneAs many of you know, I'm from Texas, and the folks down there on the ground are fighting tooth-and-nail for a better future for all people. From Rep. Colin Allred to Rep. Jasmine Crockett to Lauren Ashley Simmons, there are Democrats up and down the ballot who deserve our support because of how powerfully and relentlessly they're advocating for our collective future. So, when the Texas Democratic Party reached out and asked if I'd like to speak at their convention in El Paso this year, it was a very easy decision, to say the least. On a more personal note, this was something of a childhood dream for me, the kind of thing that, while growing up, I imagined would be pretty cool to do someday but never thought I'd actually do it. And yet, here I am. I wanna thank all of you for supporting my writing and advocacy. You made this possible. For those of you living in Texas, come to the convention!Charlotte's Web Thoughts is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Charlotte's Web Thoughts at charlotteclymer.substack.com/subscribe

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: More election follow-up including who advocating for and supporting homosexuality is central to the Texas Democratic Party and a key statehouse runoff. Also, more of the Leftwing effort that almost worked to unseat one of Texas most conservative Supreme Court justices. And, Abbott has already issued a runoff endorsement: Katrina Pierson over RINO state Rep. Justin Holland.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.As I reported last week, Xcel Energy had a role is starting Texas' largest wildfire ever. Maybe it is time the Left-leaning utility based in Minneapolis, Minnesota spent more time and money maintaining infrastructure and less time pushing the Leftwing climate-change agenda!Local government sales tax receipt numbers are out, it's lower than this period last year. Look up your town here.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - State Rep. Erin Elizabeth Gámez of Brownsville has led the tributes to former state Rep. René Oliveira, who has passed away at the age of 68.Oliveira served as Brownsville's representative in the Texas House for 33 years, from 1981 to 2019. He sat out two terms in the House when he ran unsuccessfully for the Texas Senate. At the time he left office in 2019 he was dean of the Rio Grande Valley legislative delegation and the fifth longest serving member of the House. At various times he chaired the Ways & Means Committee and the Economic Development Committee. And he and then-House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Pitts introduced Elon Musk to the Appropriations Committee when the SpaceX was looking for state support.“I'm heartbroken that our former state Representative René Oliveira passed away. I had the privilege of working in his office during college. He exemplified what it meant to be a public servant. He dedicated his life to working for the people of Cameron County and being a champion for those who needed someone to be their voice,” Gámez said.“The impact of his decades of work in the Legislature is immense. Particularly the work he did for the children of Texas - from improving public education, making higher education more attainable, and improving child support collections just to name a few. Though he is no longer with us the impact he made on our community will live on.”Oliveira, who had had heart problems for many years, died Jan. 23. But former state Rep. Juan Escobar of Kingsville said he seemed in good spirits when he spoke to him over the past weekend.“I cannot believe this. I just spoke to him on Saturday at around 5:00 PM and he sounded in good spirits. Our condolences to the family. May he Rest In Peace,” Escobar said. Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr., said Oliveira was a great leader, not just for Brownsville but for South Texas in general.“My relationship with Rene goes back pretty much to my teenage years. His family and my family and my parents, my Dad in particular knew each other for decades. But my most immediate recollection of Rene was when I was in college and unfortunately my younger brother (Ernie) had been killed in a tragic accident when he was nine years old,” Treviño told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service.“Rene, shortly thereafter, was in the House of Representatives. And he authored a proclamation recognizing my little brother and it was a gesture that my parents appreciated, our entire family did, because it was something that he did on his own because of the relationship that he had with my family. He knew how this terrible tragedy had impacted us. And he did this this small gesture, but it meant so much to my family.“After that, he and I always had a very good personal and professional relationship, once I got back to practicing law. So, he was a leader in our community for decades. He gave himself of his community, serving at the House of Representatives. And more importantly, he always had the needs of the community at the forefront. “He was involved in legislation that helped take care of Brownsville, Cameron County, the Valley, and South Texas. And for that we will always be in debt, on a community level, and, obviously, for me on a personal level for this gesture that I just mentioned earlier.”But, it's a sad, sad, day for Brownsville, Cameron County, for the Valley, and for South Texas, because he was a true leader in every sense of the word and he will be sorely missed.”Editor's Note: Here is an audio interview with Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa about Rep. Oliveira. To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

Opportunities abound for progressive Texans this election year. From the chance to send Ted Cruz packing, to the possibility of virtually guaranteeing a second Joe Biden term with our 40 electoral votes, a massive show of force in the Lone Star State would be a truly historic moment - and it's up to US to bring that moment into reality. Top of mind nationally for progressive folks is abortion rights - and specifically the national implications for reproductive freedom should Republicans gain too much power in November. Joining us to talk about this all-important election year are representatives of the Texas Democratic Party: Executive Director Monique Alcala and Convention Director Emma Pickering give us the rundown on how abortion rights form the spearhead of Democratic messaging strategy in 2024 - and a preview of the Texas Democratic Convention, happening in El Paso this June! Hope to see YOU there. Learn more about the Texas Democratic Party at https://www.texasdemocrats.org/, and make plans to attend the Convention at https://texasdemocraticconvention.com/. Thanks for listening! Please check out our web store and more ways to support Progress Texas in our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.

On the last day she could file to run, state Rep. Victoria Neave Criado confirmed the rumors and announced she wants to unseat fellow Democrat, state Senator Nathan Johnson. But neither time nor money are on her side. The Texas Democratic primary is 80 days away and Johnson has a lot more money. So, why is Neave Criado taking the gamble? And will this race help or hurt the Texas Democratic Party in a high-stakes election year?   GUESTS: State Rep. Victoria Neave Criado / D-Dallas State Sen. Nathan Johnson / D-Dallas

On the last day she could file to run, state Rep. Victoria Neave Criado confirmed the rumors and announced she wants to unseat fellow Democrat, state Senator Nathan Johnson. But neither time nor money are on her side. The Texas Democratic primary is 80 days away and Johnson has a lot more money. So, why is Neave Criado taking the gamble? And will this race help or hurt the Texas Democratic Party in a high-stakes election year? GUESTS:State Rep. Victoria Neave Criado / D-DallasState Sen. Nathan Johnson / D-Dallas

 Former Texas House Representative Glen Maxey was born near a refinery in Baytown, Texas, in 1952. His first job was working in a traveling rodeo and his first serious foray into politics was as a student at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, where he led the charge to allow alcohol to be sold in that formerly dry county. Although he was already a known quantity in the Texas Democratic Party by his early 20s, it wasn't till he was almost 30 and left teaching 5th grade in rural Texas that he got his first job working at the Capitol. In 1981 after getting Kent Caperton elected to the State House, Glen was asked to join Representative Caperton's staff and immediately began cultivating a relationship with the most powerful senator in the state, Oscar Mauzy. The following year, Glen lost his own race for an open House seat in Bryan-College Station. He quit teaching and permanently relocated to Austin to join the staff of Sen. Mauzy. Glen lived an extremely closeted life as a gay man. But that ended in 1985, when, using the bull horn of Sen. Mauzy's office, he stood up against Texas's draconian response to the HIV crisis, and overnight became a very public gay rights activist and the first executive director of the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby (LGRL). No one thought he had a real chance to win an election in Texas in the early 90s; his good friend Governor Ann Richards said, “Don't do it. Even if you win, they'll never let you do what's important.” Glen Maxey proved them all wrong becoming the first out gay man elected to the Texas State House in 1991 and over the next 12 years passing more impactful legislation than any legislator in Texas history. 

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin announced he's not running for his seat in 2024, sending shivers down the backs of Democrats hoping to hold a Senate majority. I spoke with Kendal Scudder, host of "Pod Bless Texas" & vice chair of the Texas Democratic Party to discuss why Democrats struggle in rural places like West Virginia (and Texas). Then there's the opportunity to review the latest GOP presidential primary debate. Who won? Does it matter? WHy Vivek is going after Nikki Haley & more.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Big political news from Big D: Saying “American cities need Republicans,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announces his switch to the Republican Party in the pages of today's Wall Street Journal. Johnson lists solid reasons for his switch and Texas Democrats are furious. The Texas Democratic Party responded with “hate speech” against the black, male mayor – at least that's what Dems would call it if the words came from Republicans.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Texas Tech's shameful reintroduction of racial segregation thwarted by anti-DEI law and one student decries the move as she favors DEI's new form of segregation and lowered expectations for select, Left-favored minorities.The Texas border with Mexico is again dominating the news. Empirically Operation Lone Star is not making any significant dent in illegal crossings, and crossers go right through the Texas razor wire, so why not scale back the expensive theater security and focus on what is working: Moving these folks the feds release to other parts of the county in a much higher volume.TX19's Jody Arrington proposes a federal budget that would go a long way to righting the American fiscal ship – can enough of it ever pass?After a few good weeks of adding oil and gas drilling rigs, the rig count takes another plunge.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates. www.PrattonTexas.com

The scene in Texas on the eve of crucial 2024 elections: defiance of Federal elections law in Galveston County. The inexplicable dumping of a solid national voter roll verification system. The monkey-wrenching of election procedures in Texas' largest county. Contradictory and confusing laws surrounding behavior at polling locations - some carrying felony-level penalties. Sensing imminent irrelevance, the Texas GOP has launched a full assault on the elections process in the Lone Star State - and we can't counter this attack unless we fully understand it. With that as our goal, we've invited two Texans in prime position to lead the fight for voting rights and election integrity in Texas: Jenna Royal is the new Voter Protection Director for the Texas Democratic Party, and Louis Bedford is a Dallas-based attorney with extensive experience in elections justice, having worked with both the Texas Civil Rights Project and the Dallas County Democratic Party on voter protection programs. WE NEED PROGRESSIVE POLL WATCHERS. If you've wondered how YOU can stand up to bullying from the right, this is a perfect opportunity. Learn more: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedHuGsvh9bXsTWuxs623SaWODLGW8wGcC_EdsXBSwBYhIODg/viewform?usp=send_form Thanks as always for listening - as these crucial elections approach, our work at Progress Texas is more important than ever. Please consider supporting our work at https://progresstexas.org/donate. Note: we made an error in discussing whether poll workers, and not solely election judges in Texas, are allowed by law to carry firearms - they are not. But, it's not like Texas Republicans didn't try: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/08/nation/texas-bill-that-would-permit-poll-workers-carry-guns-moves-forward/

The impeachment of long-indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton is being seen as a sort of consolation prize for Texas progressives, having been denied ANY meaningful political gains in the Republican-stacked legislature again this year - but how did we get here, what's really at stake, and what's likely to happen next? Our guests this week have had a front row seat for the Paxton soap opera for years: State Representative John Bryant of Dallas has just returned to service in the House and was present for the impeachment proceedings that eventually succeeded in sending the Paxton case to the Senate. And, Texas rock star attorney Justin Nelson - lately fresh off successfully suing Fox News on behalf of Dominion Voting Systems - ran a terrific campaign against Paxton for AG in 2018. We're also proud to welcome guest host Kendall Scudder to the conversation - Kendall is currently Vice Chair for Finance of the Texas Democratic Party, and is also a podcasting veteran as co-host of the beloved Pod Bless Texas podcast. There's a lot going on with the Paxton case, with potential implications for just about every member of the Legislature, and for politics across the entire state - join us and dig in. Reach Rep. Bryant at https://house.texas.gov/members/member-page/?district=114, find Justin Nelson at https://www.susmangodfrey.com/attorneys/justin-a-nelson/, and follow Kendall Scudder's recent exploits on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kendallscudder. And - please consider becoming a sustaining part of the Progress Texas family by joining us for our June membership drive! Learn more at https://progresstexas.org/donate.

The Oct. 8 event in Austin will mark the Biden administration's highest-profile political appearance in Texas since President Joe Biden and Harris took office.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: O'Rourke takes $1 million from one of the most radical Leftist donors in the U.S: George Soros who backs district attorneys who will not prosecute many criminals. And, the racism and bigotry of the Texas Democratic Party flares up in the RGB where Republicans have been making gains.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Homosexual marriage, Obergefell vs. Hodges, and a Congress intent on taking away the right of the people of the states to decide their own laws.More Uvalda massacre fallout.Crime, guns, and…. COVID? Austin crime report shows guns aren't really the problem but does lay some blame at the un-American lockdowns for high violent crime rates.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Episode 45: Progressives at The Texas Democratic Party Convention in DallasHello Fort Worth and welcome to another episode of the Fort Worth Freedom Review.We are a show about local politics that aims to get more people engaged in local issues. My name is Anthony Sosa. I'm here today with Thomas Moore to discuss the Texas Democratic Party convention in Dallas, TX this past weekend and to highlight many of the progressive candidates that will be on the ballot in November and the issues they pushed: Legalization of Cannabis, workers rights and protections and the ability to unionize, expanding access to healthcare and abortion rights, investment in rural communities, investment in improving our grid, divestment of fossil fuels and policing the border etc. All of the resources used will be provided below in the show notes.This podcast is made possible by The Justice Reform League, a Fort Worth based non-profit. You can sign up for our blog at our website www.justicereformleague.net where we will occasionally post op-ed type articles. If you would like to submit something to the blog or have any episode ideas or additional stories you would like us to cover on Twitter at @FWReview and on Instagram at @fortworthfreedomreview and at FWFreedomReview@gmail.com.Music by Anthony Sosa Blog Signup: https://justicereformleague.substack.com/ Thomas Moore Go Fund Mehttps://www.gofundme.com/f/tom-fixes-his-car-and-gets-back-to-work?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1  Beto NewsWith $27.6 million haul, Beto O'Rourke sets a new fundraising record in Texas politics https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/15/texas-governor-2022-abbott-orourke-fundraising-record/ Beto O'Rourke gets $2 million, his largest campaign donation yet, from Austin couplehttps://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/16/beto-orourke-donor-simone-tench-coxe/  Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa fends off two challengers, wins another termhttps://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/16/texas-democratic-party-hinojosa/ “Working Together for the Future of Texas — Democratic Convention” (FULL SPEECH) - Beto O'Rourke Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChrwCEgrxHg Inside Texas Politics: The race for Texas governor is tighteninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QId2-lceIl4 Texas governor candidate Beto O'Rourke headlines Texas Democratic Convention in Dallas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU6KeZMdw_c  Other Candidates JAY KLEBERG FOR TEXAS LAND COMMISSIONERhttps://www.jay4tx.com/ Michelle Vallejo for Congresshttps://michellefortx15.com/ Michelle Vallejo on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/michellevfortx?lang=en Greg Casar for Congresshttps://www.casarforcongress.com/  Greg Casar on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/gregcasar Jasmine Crockett for Congresshttps://www.jasmineforus.com/ Jasmine Crockett on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JasmineForUS Ronald Reynolds for Texashttps://www.ronaldreynolds.org/ Ana-Maria Ramos for Texashttps://www.ramos4texas.com/ Mike Collier for Lt. Govhttps://www.collierfortexas.com/ Rochelle Garza for TX Attorney General https://www.rochellegarzafortexas.com/ Beto O'Rourke for Governorhttps://betoorourke.com/ 

This week on The Texan's “Weekly Roundup,” the team discusses all things Roe v. Wade — giving you the full rundown breaking down the Dobbs decision, abortion clinics halting abortions in Texas, a judge blocking DAs from enforcing bans, the Texas Democratic Party calling on local officials not to enforce pro-life laws, and Texas lawmakers preparing relevant bills ahead of the 2023 legislative session.  Plus, a Texas GOP nominee is indicted, state officials announcing school safety funding, dozens of corpses are found in a tractor trailer in an apparent human smuggling attempt, updates on the lawsuit against Title 42, and Biden and Abbott sparring on energy.  Got questions for the reporting team? Email editor@thetexan.news — they just might be answered on a future podcast.

In episode seven of the 12-part podcast series, "https://www.workshouldntsuck.co/white-men-journey (White Men & the Journey Towards Anti-Racism)," Tim interviews Raphael Bemporad (Founding Partner) and Bryan Miller (Chief Financial Officer) of BBMG, a branding and social impact consultancy. This series was created to be a resource for white men who might be wrestling with questions like, “What's my role in anti-racism, equity, inclusion, and justice work as a white man with power and privilege?” and “How might my personal commitment to do this work manifest itself in the organization I help lead?” Are you new to the series? Check out https://www.workshouldntsuck.co/podcast2/ep54 (episode 54) where podcast co-hosts Lauren Ruffin and Tim Cynova introduce and frame the conversations. Explore https://www.workshouldntsuck.co/white-men-journey (the other episodes in this series) with guests: Ted Castle (Founder & President) & Rooney Castle (Vice President), Rhino Foods Ron Carucci, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Navalent David Devan, General Director & President, Opera Philadelphia Jared Fishman, Founding Executive Director, Justice Innovation Lab Jay Coen Gilbert, Co-Founder, B Lab; CEO, Imperative21 Kit Hughes, Co-Founder & CEO, Look Listen Marc Mannella, Independent Consultant, Former CEO KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools John Orr, Executive Director, Art-Reach David Reuter, Partner, LLR Sydney Skybetter, Founder, CRCI; Associate Chair & Senior Lecturer, Theatre Arts & Performance Studies Department, Brown University Want to explore related resources primarily *not* by white guys? Check out https://www.workshouldntsuck.co/white-men-journey (our compilation of 30 books, podcasts, and films). Read Rha Goddess's "https://rhagoddess.medium.com/an-open-letter-to-my-beloved-white-male-allies-4fd22960c345 (An Open Letter To My Beloved White Male Allies,)" mentioned in this episode. Bios RAPHAEL BEMPORAD As Founding Partner of BBMG, Raphael unites branding, sustainability and innovation to help organizations create sustainable growth and positive impact in the world. An expert in brand strategy, public affairs and social innovation, Raphael is a passionate champion for a new approach to branding that's driven by empathy, collaboration, shared values and mutual relationships. “I'm a passionate champion for a new approach to branding that places our humanity at the center. At BBMG, we help clients unlock the human truths in their brands and unleash the humanity in their businesses so they win hand in hand with the people they serve,” Bemporad says. “We believe the imperative of our generation is to unite the power of business with the meaning and influence of brands to shape our aspirations, behaviors and relationships for a more just and sustainable future.”  He has directed recent branding and marketing programs for clients such as Adidas, CLIF Bar, Disney, Earthbound Farm, Eileen Fisher, Estée Lauder, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oréal Paris, NBC Universal, Nespresso, Target, The North Face and Walmart. He has also worked with many leading nonprofits including ASPCA, Giffords, Greenpeace, OceanX, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Rainforest Alliance and Urban Teachers, as well as the Case Foundation, Ford Foundation, Kresge Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  Raphael also has an extensive background in political communications, getting his start as a press aide to Texas Governor Ann W. Richards. He also served as communications director for the Texas Democratic Party, as communications director for Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston), and as press secretary for U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas). Raphael received his BA in Philosophy with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. He currently serves as an adjunct professor of marketing and communications at the NYU Stern School of Business, and he sits on the advisory boards of...

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Senator Bob Hall is rightly calling for much needed reforms of the Texas Medical Board. The problems have long existed, and in many ways are quite un-American, but it is WuFlu that has made those problems know to a wider audience. Holly Hansen at The Texan has provided excellent coverage of the issue.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.A visit with Konni Burton, founder of The Texan and a former state senator, on her efforts to provide straight news in a world of “advocacy journalism.”Texas Democratic Party fight for chairman heats up with allegations of “workplace violence.”Some Tarrant County “Republicans” want a Democrat County judge because the Republican nominee is actually a conservative.Lt. Gov. Patrick wants a Texas version of Florida's new law to prevent schools from sexualizing young children. Texas press runs the Leftist propaganda phrase “don't say ‘gay'” in headlines even though the bill has no such requirement.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The top headlines from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Monday, February 28, 2022, including a complaint by the Texas Democratic Party against Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, an arrest in a suspected murder case involving a missing Arlington woman and the return of the Cowtown Marathon.

This week, we talk about the Terra blockchain, the fourth largest DeFi blockchain and highlight the most important crypto news and stats of the week. We also highlight the top reports from Arcane Research, a16z and Pantera Capital!

Episode 30: Texas Democratic Party PlatformHello Fort Worth and welcome to another episode of the Fort Worth Freedom Review.We are a show about local politics that aims to get more people engaged in local issues. I am Anthony Sosa and today I am here with Christopher Rose & Thomas Moore to discuss the Texas Democratic Party platform. All of the resources used will be provided below in the show notes.This podcast is made possible by The Justice Reform League, a Fort Worth based non-profit. You can sign up for our newsletter and get updates on FW political news and deep dives into local issues at our website www.justicereformleague.orgFeel free to contact us if you have any episode ideas or additional stories you would like us to cover on Twitter at @FWReview and at FWFreedomReview@gmail.com .Music by Anthony Sosa Newsletter Signup: https://justicereformleague.substack.com/ Texas Democratic Platformhttps://www.texasdemocrats.org/our-party/texas-democratic-party-platform/Texas GOP Platformhttps://www.texasgop.org/platform/The Reddit thread that started this:https://www.reddit.com/r/texas/comments/op5aro/the_texas_republican_party_platform_is_insane/

It's Monday and that means we are back with another all-new episode of Politex.   This week, I assembled a panel of voting rights experts to discuss recent voter suppression bills in Texas and Georgia, and how we fight back against them:    Rose Clouston is the Voter Protection Director for the Texas Democratic Party.    Saira Draper is the Voter Protection Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia. 

Tune in to Eyes Wide Open: DemBlogTalk on BlogTalk USA (and visit DemBlogNews) for current events in the news and politics! Tonight's Featured Guests: Texas Politicos and Proud Progressive Democrats, Michael Messer and Mark Greene