Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

At the conclusion of last night's contentious hearing on Texas Republicans' push to redraw our congressional maps - at the behest of Donald Trump and with no actual maps to show - Isaiah Martin, one of the Democratic candidates for Houston's District 18, was taken to the floor twice by Capitol security and arrested by DPS on multiple misdemeanor charges: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/tempers-flare-at-texas-redistricting-hearing-as-critics-slam-mid-cycle-map-effort

...Several prominent Democrats were present to testify against the redistricting scheme, noting that no Republicans showed up to defend it: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/us/politics/texas-redistricting.html

...Texas NAACP president Gary Bledsoe and LULAC Texas State Director Gabriel Rosales both testified at the first of seven planned public hearings: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/24/texas-redistricting-hearing-house-legislature-congress/

...Republicans called the meeting at 8:30, but Democrats continued listening to testimony from concerned Texans, some of whom had driven hours to be heard: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/public-hearing-coming-to-arlington-on-mid-decade-congressional-redistricting-in-texas/287-86144250-a764-42e4-b7b8-e6cbf9757206

Attorney General Ken Paxton and his soon-to-be ex-wife, State Senator Angela Paxton, are suspected of mortgage fraud as three of the homes they own are listed as their primary residence on mortgage documents: https://apnews.com/article/paxton-mortgages-trump-primary-residence-homestead-deduction-bd259b6bd122afcaf4f11eac5a3a152e

North Texas has seen a massive uptick in ICE arrests of suspected undocumented people with no criminal history: https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2025/07/23/dallas-ice-arrests-noncriminals

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There's probably no elected Democrat in all of Texas who has been a more frequent target of right wing smear attacks than José Garza, currently in his second term as Travis Country District Attorney. He's also a great example of how, when one becomes such a lightning rod for MAGA, one is probably doing excellent work - Travis County and Austin are the safest they've been in years, and it's largely due to Garza's work - and the voters of the Austin area are largely very happy customers.

Learn more about the Travis County District Attorney's Office at https://districtattorney.traviscountytx.gov/.

Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-drive⁠⁠⁠

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

When they return from summer recess on August 18, lawmakers in California will immediately faced with tough decisions on how to respond to Texas redistricting: https://www.kcra.com/article/texas-redistricting-hearings-newsom-decides-california/65493018

After getting first to Trump's priorities, Texas Republicans finally got around to lesser concerns for them - Texas flood relief - but started with a four-hour "attaboy" session that drew the ire of Democratic Rep. Ann Johnson: https://www.eenews.net/articles/attaboys-dominate-texas-flood-hearing-as-lawmakers-shy-from-assigning-blame/

...Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd testified that his department struggles to contact local emergency managers, who themselves have almost no minumum requirements for training or certification: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/organizational-failures-highlighted-hearing-deadly-central-texas-flooding/

...Bipartisan blasting of Kerr County officials, who have opted to lower their local property taxes instead of addressing urgent needs to overhaul river flood warning systems: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/23/texas-lawmakers-blast-river-authority-for-pathetic-decision-not-to-upgrade-flood-warning-system/85350653007/

One flood won't fix Texas' drought - while AI data centers are sucking up more and more and more water: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2025-07-25/texas-is-still-in-drought-and-ai-data-centers-are-quietly-guzzling-up-water/

The Trump administration has earmarked over $1 billion for a massive detention center for ICE detainees (for now) in El Paso: https://www.chron.com/news/article/trump-awards-1-2-billion-contract-operate-texas-20782668.php

Senator Ted Cruz, with help from Senator John Cornyn, has filed a bill to target people or groups suspected of funding "antisemitic, pro-illegal" protests with RICO charges: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/ted-cruz-ice-palestine-protests-20782531.php

A Vermont school superintendent was detained and aggresively questioned by customs and immigration agents on Monday at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport in an incident that his board back home calls "deeply disturbing": https://www.advocate.com/news/vermont-gay-citizen-detained-cbp

A growing number of conservative influencers are expressing regret having followed Joe Rogan to Texas and heading back west - toodle-oo, y'all: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14930373/conservative-stars-regret-california-texas-austin-rogan.html

Tejano titan Bobby Pulido is said to be considering a pivot into politics, specifically in his native Edinburg to challenge GOP Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/24/bobby-pulido-exploratory-committee-congress-south-texas/

Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: ⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-drive⁠⁠⁠

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State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio was one of the primary captains of the 2021 Texas Democratic quorum break, staged in resistance against Republican attacks on voting access. Now, as the Texas Legislature considers mid-decade redistricting, he may soon be experiencing deja vu. We talk with Rep. Martinez Fischer about the Trump-directed assault on decades of civil rights advances, what the Dems can do about it, and what the stakes really are.

Our friend Pooja Sethi provides information on Thursday's opportunity to testify:

Thursday, July 24

2:00 PM

Room E1.030, Texas Capitol

Whether you speak or simply show up, your presence matters.

Sign up to testify or learn more:

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/schedules/html/C0552025072414001.htm

Thanks for listening! Progress Texas is in our Summer Vacation Membership Drive - if only 10% of our audience signs up for at least $10 per month in support, we'd be funded for the upcoming year. Please help us continue our important work at ⁠https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-drive⁠.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

As the Trump-ordered redistricting push continues with the special session, Democrats are weighing options - the primary of which is to break quorum: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/texas-democrats-ready-anything-block-redistricting-20779102.php

...What's the Bible say about undermining democracy via redistricting and gerrymandering? https://drawthelinespa.org/citizen-stories/why-i-see-gerrymandering-as-a-sin-that-people-of-faith-should-oppose

...National Democrats are working on a redistricting tit-for-tat in blue states: https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/20/politics/redistricting-2026-house-democrats

Governor Greg Abbott, who ostensibly called this special session to settle on a more reasonable regulatory solution on THC products, now more or less supports Dan's Ban - which he vetoed: https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/abbott-thc-hemp-ban-20780523.php

...During Senate hearings yesterday, law enforcement representatives testified that they don't have the capacity to implement regulation of THC products: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/22/texas-thc-senate-ban-abbott-hemp/?_bhlid=8f4e220171d1f484a694b36cad07bca9963c6d37

With all of that, Governor Abbott is hoping you'll forget that he's hiding months of emails between himself and Elon Musk from the press: https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/editorial/article/greg-abbott-elon-musk-emails-release-20778622.php

Ozzy Osbourne, who died yesterday at 76, had an interesting history with Texas, specifically the Alamo: https://www.tpr.org/history/2025-07-22/ozzy-osbourne-dead-at-76-remains-a-part-of-san-antonio-history

...Interesting that Alamo management posted one of the kindest tributes to Ozzy we saw yesterday: https://x.com/OfficialAlamo/status/1947729022122684862?t=k8-BPfeoTVQT_oXen2ISGw&s=03

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The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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State Senator Molly Cook returned to work as an emergency nurse in her hometown of Houston at the conclusion of her freshman session a few weeks ago - only to be dragged back to the Capitol for a special session that, turns out, is a lot more about Governor Abbott doing the bidding of Donald Trump than helping Hill Country flood victims, or even addressing Dan Patrick's stupid THC ban. Senator Cook joined us for the first of a series of updates from Democratic lawmakers as the special session continues.

Thanks for listening! Progress Texas is in our Summer Vacation Membership Drive - if only 10% of our audience signs up for at least $10 per month in support, we'd be funded for the upcoming year. Please help us continue our important work at https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-drive.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Day 1 of the special session saw a full court press on redistricting - no movement on flood relief, or any other issue: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/us/politics/texas-redistricting-floods.html

...Rigging maps to win elections is tantamount to totalitarianism - "democracy thrives or dies on how we draw political districts": https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/columnists/tomlinson/article/texas-redistricting-republican-democracy-20778376.php

...U.S. Reps Henry Cuellar, Vicente Gonzalez, Lizzie Fletcher and Julie Johnson are the likely Democratic targets: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/article/texas-redistricting-districts-trump-20778386.php

...Any proposed maps you've seen floating around, at present are probably fake: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/texas-redistricting-map-congress-20778346.php

...Until he got a call from Trump, Governor Abbott was not enthused about pursuing redistricting: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/22/texas-redistricting-abbott-republicans-resistant-trump/

...And history shows that the Texas Republican majority has never given much of a damn about keeping Texans safe from floods, so the hostage maneuver is predictable: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/21/texas-hill-country-flooding-inaction-state-legislature/

Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: ⁠https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-drive⁠

The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The scene on the opening day off what could be a contentious and historic special legislation: a massive menu of MAGA red meat, with only 30 days for Republicans to grind it out: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/21/texas-legislature-special-session-floods-redistricting-thc/

...Of course, if they don't make that deadline, Governor Abbott can just call another special session - and another, and another: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/07/21/what-to-expect-as-texas-lawmakers-return-to-austin-for-special-session/

...Austin Congressman Greg Casar calls the Texas redistricting scheme "the biggest thing in politics you haven't heard about": https://www.msnbc.com/weekends-with-alex-witt/watch/the-biggest-thing-in-politics-you-haven-t-heard-about-dem-rep-talks-texas-redistricting-243531845601

...Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke declares that Democrats must stop being "more concerned with being right than being in power": https://www.notus.org/democrats/democrats-redistricting-trump-texas-california-new-york

...Houston Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, State Rep. Jon Rosenthal and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis will hold a town hall tonight (Monday 7/21) on the redistricting situation, starting at 7pm: https://cw39.com/news/local/today-lizzie-fletcher-hosts-texas-redistricting-virtual-town-hall-meeting/

The estimate of people still missing in the July 4 flood disaster dropped from 97 to 3 on Saturday, with no change in the death toll - here's why: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/us/texas-floods-missing.html

Donald Trump's Big Bullshit Bill is set to wreak havoc on Texas healthcare and hospitals: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/health/article/texas-medicaid-cuts-big-beautiful-bill-20774741.php

Austin State Rep. James Talarico's talk on the Joe Rogan Experience led that podcaster to ask Talarico to run for President: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jOGPvMftb8

Progress Texas' financial reserves have dropped to about 3 months worth of funding. Help us avoid going on a permanent vacation this summer by becoming a sustaining member: https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-drive

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As we hit another Friday in the wild wild West of Texas politics, we do so with a wary eye towards Monday - the day that a special legislative session called by Governor Greg Abbott begins. A session originally to handle Dan's Ban, then to address the obvious need for flood emergency apparatus in our river basins, then to a giant pile of MAGA red meat - including a Donald Trump-ordered carving of Texas' congressional map in an attempt to deliver Trump five more Republican seats in the U.S. House, ahead of what every GOP member knows is otherwise gonna be a massive shellacking. What will - what CAN - the Democrats do about it? We discuss.

This week has also seen a grab at the control of the American news message, in the form of a wholesale defunding of public media - an essential ecosphere we at Progress Texas consider ourselves part of. In response we have launched our Summer Vacation Membership Drive, because you see, at any given time, Progress Texas stands about three months away from running out of funds. If only 10 percent of our audience signs up for at least $10 per month, that problem largely goes away - we could use your help. If you want PT to be part of the remainder of a 2025 that could see endless, contentious special sessions, and a 2026 that will see the leadup to a truly existential mid-term election for American democracy, please consider joining our fight at https://progresstexas.org/join-pt-summer-vacation-membership-drive.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Will the special session, partly dedicated to a Trump-ordered mid-decade redistricting start on Monday, or will Democrats walk out? The history of Democratic quorum breaks in Texas is interesting, including in the summer of 2021: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/14/texas-democrats-walkout-quorum/#:~:text=On%20July%2012%2C%20Texas%20House,pair%20of%20federal%20voting%20bills.

...Twice in 2003: https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/bud-kennedy/article251796163.html

...And the "Killer Bees" walkout of 1979: https://doggett.house.gov/media/in-the-news/dallas-morning-news-killer-bees-offer-strategic-roadmap-texas-democrats-latest

...A Florida judge has upheld that state's racially-gerrymandered Congressional map, an example of what Texas Democrats are up against: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/florida-supreme-court-upholds-congressional-map-that-eliminates-a-majority-black-district

...A Florida voting rights activist calls that decision "a direct attack on Black political power and a decision that will have ripple effects for generations": https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2025-07-17/florida-supreme-court-upholds-desantis-backed-congressional-redistricting-plan

...Meanwhile across the country in California, Governor Gavin Newsom has two options to pursue a retaliatory redistricting move - neither of which is easy: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/us/california-texas-redistricting-newsom.html

...Houston State Rep. Ron Reynolds issues a statement declaring his readiness to break quorum: https://t.co/LZVPAlXUjr

With two well-known Democrats declaring runs, the race for Attorney General is already interesting: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/this-race-could-turn-the-attorney

Almost none of the homes damaged in the July 4 flood in Kerr County are covered with flood insurance: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/kerr-county-flood-insurance-20761656.php

The case against a Venezuelan man arrested in Texas, accused of being a gang member and deported to the CECOT death prison in El Salvador - where he remains now - has been thrown out: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/17/texas-migrant-el-salvador-tren-de-aragua-deportation-dismissed/

Progress Texas Board Chair Louis A Bedford IV decries the trend of masked, unidentified ICE officers snatching civilians off of American streets: https://progresstexas.org/blog/if-ice-agents-can-hide-their-faces-who%E2%80%99s-protecting-public

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