Progress Texas Podcasts

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

A third special session called this year by Governor Greg Abbott is set to kick off this morning at the Texas State Capitol: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/school-vouchers-border-security-and-covid-mandate-bans-heres-what-to-expect-in-texas-3rd-special-session/

...Which we covered extensively in this weekend's special edition of the Progress Texas Happy Hour: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/happy-hour-130-why-school-vouchers-are-bad-for-texas/id1552998795?i=1000630493979

...Already breaking ranks, at least one Democratic lawmaker: Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins of San Antonio: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/inside-politics/texas-politics/texas-democrat-compromise-school-choice-vouchers/287-2c051461-4bc3-47ee-8cd0-c479a7f2b084

...And another House Democrat, Gene Wu, has a theory on why public school funding was left off the agenda: https://x.com/GeneforTexas/status/1710296945225306451?t=wYU0An7_knEQmhND-7BClg&s=03

...As protests begin over the weekend at the Capitol grounds and Governor's Mansion: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/texas-legislature/austin-state-capitol-anti-voucher-rally/269-c7589d65-a454-4abd-994f-9506832d1393

...And Republicans remain smugly confident that vouchers will pass: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/inside-politics/texas-politics/texas-school-choice-bill-legislation-chair-house-public-education-committee-likes-odds-passing/287-d0a89ea3-a3ae-4b59-bb01-de7966ffaaa9

Also on the special session agenda: immigration, with the Colony Ridge neighborhood near Houston singled out by name: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/08/us/texas-migrants-housing-colony-ridge.html

...While progressives puzzle over the Biden Administration's decision to authorize 20 more miles of border wall through an environmentally sensitive zone: https://www.npr.org/2023/10/08/1204545880/the-biden-administration-is-building-a-controversial-part-of-the-border-wall-in-

Texas law enforcement steps up monitoring of worship sites and military installations in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/law-enforcement-increase-patrols-in-metroplex-after-attack-on-israel/

...While U.S. Rep Michael McCaul worries that his own party's fragmented leadership may encourage American foreign adversaries: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/08/congress-israel-hamas-mike-mccaul-00120514

Prominent Texas Republican operatives Jonathan Stickland and Matt Rinaldi are caught hosting notorious anti-Semite and generally gross person Nick Fuentes at a Fort Worth office building (warning that this read is particularly disgusting): https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/08/nick-fuentes-kyle-rittenhouse-jonathan-stickland/

A high-ranking Exxon executive is busted for sexual assault at a Magnolia hotel: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/exxon-mobils-top-shale-exec-arrested-on-sexual-assault-charge-in-texas-df29c965

And there IS a little good news this morning, for South Texas anyway: looks like it's gonna rain: https://www.expressnews.com/san-antonio-weather/forecast/article/tropical-storm-lidia-south-texas-18412692.php

Thanks for listening! Find out all you need to know about voting in the constitutional amendment proposition election next month at https://govotetexas.org/ , and consider helping Progress Texas continue our important work at https://progresstexas.org/.

Governor Greg Abbott has followed through with his promise to call the Texas Legislature back for a third time - at the very least - in his effort to push through his deeply unpopular plan to redirect millions of taxpayer dollars to private schools - many of them with church ties - at the expense of the public schools those dollars were collected to support. School vouchers have been defeated over, and over, and over for decades in Texas - WHY is the Governor so dead set on something almost nobody, save the minority of well-off Texans already opting for private education, wants at all? We try to answer that question, and measure the potential for resistance, with a special talk featuring Texas Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, Patty Quinzi of the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, and Dr. Chloe Latham Sikes of IDRA - the Intercultural Development Research Association. The session starts Monday October 9 - the time to express your opposition to school vouchers to your elected representatives in Austin is NOW.

Thanks for listening! Find our freshly-published progressive voter guide for November's constitutional amendment proposition election - and consider supporting our important work - at https://progresstexas.org/.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

President Joe Biden says he had "no choice" but to authorize 20 miles of new border wall through a sensitive environmental zone in South Texas: https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-mexico-border-wall-immigration-texas-f99fd10257292a898618236df3613979

Biden's lack of faith in the efficacy of border walls clashes with a statement by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who says they're needed: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/05/biden-border-wall-texas-starr-county/

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro will file a resolution today condemning right-wing talk of military intervention south of the Mexican border: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/10/05/texas-congressman-wants-house-renounce-gop-contenders-threats-of-military-strikes-mexico.html

Governor Abbott releases his agenda for the third special legislative session, set to begin Monday - public school funding is a glaring omission: https://t.co/0ciFXa93Mm

And the third annual Trans Pride Fest happens Saturday in Denton: https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2023/10/06/amid-anti-lgbtq-legislation-a-north-texas-college-town-hosts-its-third-annual-trans-pride-event/

Our super-popular progressive voting guide is up! Study up: https://progresstexas.org/2023-texas-statewide-ballot-guide

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Both sides of the political divide now recognize that the U.S. is experiencing an immigration crisis: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/influx-migrants-border-gains-renewed-attention-crisis-rhetoric-spreads-rcna118595#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16964949969634&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcnews.com%2Fpolitics%2Fpolitics-news%2Finflux-migrants-border-gains-renewed-attention-crisis-rhetoric-spreads-rcna118595

...While the Biden Administration gives an emphatic green light to Trump-reminiscent border wall construction: https://apnews.com/article/border-wall-biden-immigration-texas-rio-grande-147d7ab497e6991e9ea929242f21ceb2

...A Liberty County housing development comes under Republican fire for selling homes to undocumented citizens (which is legal): https://news.yahoo.com/texas-neighborhood-became-target-over-222036668.html

...And El Paso sees an uptick of high-speed chases related to illegal immigration, complete with gunfire: https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/crime/2023/10/04/texas-dps-el-paso-border-smuggler-pursuit-chases-intensify/71045860007/

The Texas GOP delegation in the U.S. House is being courted by multiple candidates to replace Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/mccarthy-speaker-race-18406295.php

...While talk of Donald Trump taking the job is exciting his cult following, but remains a remote possibility: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/04/texas-republicans-scalise-jordan-hern-speaker/

...And Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan faces a similar challenge to his position at the outset of the third special session: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/after-mccarthy-texas-speaker-phelan-to-face-challenge-for-gavel/

Texas House Rep. James Talarico sounds the alarm on West Texas oil tycoons spending huge money to exert religious influence on Texas government: https://t.co/pUCZqtsXak

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave a long and brainy talk at the University of Texas at Austin this week: https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-during-a-conversation-at-the-university-of-texas-at-austin-moderated-by-former-u-s-ambassador-to-nato-kay-bailey-hutchison/

And Texas may be home to the nation's biggest concentration of cheaters - but at least they're honest about it: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-cheaters/285-000833ca-28cc-4298-8f3a-8d7cba19e653#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16964920665746&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.khou.com%2Farticle%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Ftexas%2Ftexas-cheaters%2F285-000833ca-28cc-4298-8f3a-8d7cba19e653

Thanks for listening! Please consider supporting Progress Texas in our ongoing and important work at https://progresstexas.org/.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

After resisting his nomination, all Texas U.S. Reps stuck with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to the end: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/03/texas-republicans-kevin-mccarthy-speaker-vote/

...And now, Fort Bend Rep. Troy Nehls wants Donald Trump to be the new Speaker: https://www.khou.com/article/news/politics/troy-nehls-nominates-donald-trump-speaker-of-the-house/285-ac4a2f55-bbe0-4df0-90f5-ae0d8f7dc843

House impeachment managers release more dirt on Attorney General Ken Paxton, which they say they didn't have time to use during the impeachment trial: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/special-reports/paxton-impeachment-trial/new-evidence-ken-paxton-impeachment-trial-texas/269-9189a8fe-e8f9-4c6a-a55e-311f705821ad

A new outline of efforts by petroleum power players and their Republican protectors to undermine renewable energy and resist federal regulation is a frustrating read: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/columnists/tomlinson/article/texas-air-pollution-gop-lawuits-climate-change-18401627.php

...While ERCOT calls for power plants shut down due to pollution to be revived in case they're needed for winter energy shortages: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/texas-power-grid-seeks-increase-operating-reserves-winter-preparation-2023-10-02/

...One of those is a coal-fired plant near San Antonio that's been mothballed for five years: https://www.expressnews.com/business/article/ercot-calls-closed-power-plants-texas-grid-winter-18403794.php

The encroachment of conservative politics and religion into North Texas public school districts is the subject of a new podcast series from NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/politics-and-religion-s-growing-influence-in-three-texas-school-districts-194360901777

Another Democrat has declared a run for the soon-to-be-vacated Texas House seat representing El Paso: https://kfoxtv.com/renderer/kfoxtv/amp/news/local/el-paso-city-rep-alexsandra-annello-announces-bid-for-texas-state-representative

And the long process of opening a sample from an asteroid is taking even longer than expected at Johnson Space Center: https://gizmodo.com/osiris-rex-asteroid-sample-return-excess-materials-1850894913

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of San Antonio and South Texas was thankfully unharmed after carjackers stole his car at gunpoint in D.C. last night: https://apnews.com/article/congress-henry-cuellar-carjacking-capitol-texas-87eddb457f20ec614fbb473115480987

State Senator Juan Hinojosa writes an op-ed on why school vouchers would be bad for Texas: https://riograndeguardian.com/hinojosa-say-no-to-school-vouchers-in-texas/

House Speaker Dade Phelan is under increasing pressure to step down by prominent figures to his right: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2023/10/02/texas-house-speaker-dade-phelan-faces-mounting-pressure-following-ken-paxton-impeachment/?outputType=amp

Remarks by Governor Greg Abbott during a speech in New York City conjure images of "abortion enforcement" at Texas' state lines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZzg_luniz4 (index to 35:57)

House Rep. Frederick Frazier of McKinney, under two felony indictments for over a year, may see yet another extension of his trial date due to the upcoming special session: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/02/frederick-frazier-texas-criminal-trial/

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a new trial for death row inmate Robert Roberson, convicted of killing his young daughter on the basis of debunked medical science and his autism: https://www.tpr.org/criminal-justice/2023-10-02/supreme-court-declines-to-stop-texas-from-executing-man-over-junk-science-conviction

...SCOTUS will also soon review Texas and Florida laws that seek to force social media platforms to support objectionable and false conservative content: https://www.wokv.com/news/local/florida-texas-social-media-censorship-laws-headed-us-supreme-court/4CJA7CKOCVETRJOVJRHJRCMNSM/

Rice University's President laments the reluctance of faculty recruits to move to Texas due to our oppressive political environment: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-02/texas-politics-are-making-it-harder-to-hire-professors-at-rice#xj4y7vzkg

Texas transplant Elon Musk has been sued for slandering a man on Twitter/X, by the same lawyer who successfully sued Alex Jones in the Sandy Hook case: https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2023-10-02/elon-musk-sued-for-slander-by-attorney-who-successfully-sued-alex-jones/

Progress Texas ED Kathleen Thompson will take part in a press conference today in Dallas supporting Prop. 14, which if passed would grant more funding to Texas state parks: https://ballotpedia.org/Texas_Proposition_14,_Creation_of_the_Centennial_Parks_Conservation_Fund_Amendment_(2023)

And finally - FINALLY - hard science proves that Whataburger is quantifiably superior to In-N-Out Burger: https://www.mysanantonio.com/food/article/whataburger-innout-debate-18397650.php

Thanks for listening! Learn more about how YOU can support Progress Texas at https://progresstexas.org/.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Four U.S. House Reps from Texas fought to the bitter end in their mission to shut down the government: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/29/texas-republicans-government-shutdown-vote/

...While Rep. Greg Casar of Austin sheds light on what the GOP in D.C. is really after: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2023/09/28/biden-impeachment-inquiry-republicans-refuse-acknowledge-trump-accountability-cases/70995287007/

Governor Abbott sets next Monday October 9 - Indigenous People's Day - as the start of the first of what could be many special legislative sessions in his quest for privat school vouchers: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/29/greg-abbott-texas-leglislature-school-vouchers/

...Advocates for vouchers have already spent millions, and intend to keep it up: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2023/10/01/texas-school-choice-vouchers-2023-drew-millions-statewide-campaign-spending/70786997007/

...Such a program would have the side effect of worsening segregation in Texas schools: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/letters/article/abbott-school-vouchers-education-special-session-18388020.php

...And none of this is likely to be easy for the Governor: https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-school-vouchers-special-session/

Is Texas a "battleground state" in 2024? Ted Cruz thinks so: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/how-texas-become-battleground-2024

Some Black women in Texas have begun seeking more reliable maternity care outside our borders: https://www.businessinsider.com/women-crossing-state-lines-give-birth-black-maternal-mortality-crisis-2023-9

...While research on a new DNA-based COVID vaccine in San Antonio shows promise: https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2023/10/02/new-type-of-covid-vaccine-showing-promise-at-texas-biomed/

Thanks for listening! Please consider supporting Progress Texas at https://progresstexas.org/donate, and get your registration squared for the November election NOW at https://govotetexas.org/.

Anti-abortion attorneys have begun pressing Texas abortion funds for information on the people they've assisted, and those who have supported the funds, apparently intending future legal action under SB-8: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/28/texas-lawyer-abortion-ban-procedure-patient-information

...While, as expected, remote Cochran County becomes the first county bordering another state to enact a so-called "abortion trafficking" ordinance: https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2023/09/28/cochran-county-texas-adopts-abortion-ban-travel-for-procedure/70994567007/

Dallas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett issues a scathing (and highly entertaining) critique of GOP efforts to impeach President Biden: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2023/sep/28/texas-democrat-asks-witness-how-many-times-gop-said-if-in-biden-allegations-video

Texas Republican lawmakers cheer on the impending partial federal government shutdown: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2023/09/28/in-government-shutdown-blame-game-many-texas-republicans-say-pain-will-be-worth-it/

Reuters reviews the current situation at the Texas/Mexico border: https://www.reuters.com/world/migrants-cross-into-texas-undeterred-by-razor-wire-or-new-asylum-rules-2023-09-28/

Ken Paxton gets into it with Yelp over crisis pregnancy centers: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/yelp-asks-court-block-texas-lawsuit-over-crisis-pregnancy-center-notices-2023-09-28/

...While Senator John Cornyn takes a quiet swipe at our thrice-indicted AG: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2023/09/28/john-cornyn-on-texas-ag-ken-paxton-impeachment-trial-verdict-its-time-to-move-on/

The water situation in Kyle, south of Austin, may be a bellwether for future statewide water issues: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2023-09-29/is-kyles-water-problem-a-microcosm-of-central-texas-drought-issues/

And as fall arrives, the ages-long debate over beans in Texas chili returns: https://thetakeout.com/texas-red-chili-beans-vs-no-beans-debate-origin-history-1850881556

Thanks for listening! Please consider supporting our important work at https://progresstexas.org/, and get yourself ready for November's election at https://govotetexas.org/.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

A partial shutdown of the federal government, ever more likely as of this weekend, will immediately impact Texans, in ways we may not have considered: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/27/government-shutdown-texas/

...Farmers in Texas will be impacted as well: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/27/farm-bill-texas-agriculture/

Many in the crowds of migrants overwhelming El Paso have no destination in mind, and no means to get there: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/27/us/texas-migrants-border-el-paso.html

...While a Palestine man accused in the deaths of dozens of migrants in a trafficking operation gone awry has pled guilty to an array of federal charges: https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/28/us/texas-migrant-smuggling-deaths-christian-martinez/index.html

Governor Abbott, while claiming credit for packing buses of migrants into New York City, pays the Big Apple a visit: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/after-sending-busloads-of-migrants-to-nyc-texas-governor-visits-city-to-fault-biden-for-crisis/4718565/

Abbott is also dead set on school vouchers - do Texas families feel as strongly? https://komonews.com/renderer/komonews/amp/news/nation-world/texas-may-give-school-choice-the-green-light-do-families-want-it-greg-abbott-voucher-funding-public-private-charter-crisis-in-the-classroom

Phoenix House, a treatment organization for low-income teens struggling with addiction, is folding due to reduced state funding: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/27/texas-teens-drug-treatment/

Texas lawmakers in D.C. are asking a federal agency to stop Texas from disenrolling Medicaid beneficiaries via its broken enrollment system: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/28/texas-hhsc-medicaid/

Cochran County becomes the first Texas county on a state line to consider a so-called "abortion trafficking" ordinance: https://news4sanantonio.com/renderer/news4sanantonio/amp/news/local/a-texas-county-that-borders-new-mexico-is-the-latest-to-consider-an-abortion-travel-ban-tribune-people-politics-state-community-babies-medical

Laredo, Corpus Christi, Brownsville and Lubbock all fare poorly on a ranking of U.S. cities by quality of life for women: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/safe-texas-cities-for-women-18392201.php

The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex ranks third in the world for transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/dallas-pollution-emissions-texas-18389243.php

Are robot cars the answer to all that pollution? Not so far in Houston: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/houston-cruise-self-driving-cars-18390306.php

...Nor in Austin: https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/west-austin-neighbors-petition-against-self-driving-cars/#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16958955627571&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kxan.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Faustin%2Fwest-austin-neighbors-petition-against-self-driving-cars%2F

Thanks for listening! Learn more about how YOU can support Progress Texas at https://progresstexas.org/, and all you need to know about the upcoming constitutional amendment election at https://govotetexas.org/.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

A Houston-based federal judge has found SB-12, the new state law banning drag performances, unconstitutional: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/drag-shows-lawsuit-18390106.php

State Comptroller Glenn Hegar calls Ken Paxton's bluff on his demand for back pay from his impeachment suspension: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/texas-comptroller-attorney-general-ken-paxton-cannot-receive-pay-back-from-suspension-time/

Latino lawmakers representing Texas call for Senator Bob Menendez to resign amidst bribery charges: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/26/menendez-democrats-congress-resignation/

Katy ISD's board votes to allow depictions of hineys in children's books in their libraries: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/katy-isd-books-banned-butt-18389450.php

A growing number of Texas school districts are considering stiffing the state on their "Robin Hood" payments: https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2023/09/with-a-special-session-ahead-two-north-texas-isds-delay-withholding-recapture-payments/

Angleton ISD pulls a congratulatory social media post for its homecoming king after hateful comments about his "feminine appearance": https://abc7.com/homecoming-king-eddy-wilson-angleton-texas-facebook/13831038/

...While Brazosport High bans last year's homecoming queen from crowning her successor because she wore a Mexican stole during May's graduation ceremony: https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/26/us/texas-homecoming-queen-mexican-heritage/index.html

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of San Antonio warns thousands of his constituents that their paychecks may be in peril over the looming government shutdown: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/government-shutdown-san-antonio-18389294.php

Dallas has been picked as one of three "hubs" for a new federal medical research effort: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/26/dallas-arpha-h-national-hub/

A massive new carbon storage facility is planned for the Permian Basin: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/carbon-capture-sequestration-milestone-permian-18389596.php

Texas now leads the nation for energy-thirsty Bitcoin mining: https://decrypt.co/198889/texas-top-us-state-for-bitcoin-mining-foundry-cambridge

The total eclipse on October 14 may have a negative impact on the Texas power grid: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/solar-eclipse-ercot-18390051.php

A new outside depiction of Texas gun culture is a freaky read: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/09/26/texas-guns-open-concealed-carry-laws/

Texas' storied BBQ scene may be on the verge of hard times: https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/is-texas-bbq-bubble-ready-to-burst/

Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman, featured on our most recent Progress Texas Happy Hour, is set to address the Dallas City Council - and freshly-defected Mayor Eric Johnson - personally this morning: https://dallascityhall.com/government/Pages/Live.aspx

Thanks for listening! Please consider supporting our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/, and be sure you're ready to vote this November at https://govotetexas.org/.