Progress Texas Podcasts

This is the first of two podcasts episodes marking one year since the Dobbs decision, by which the Trump-stacked United States Supreme Court wiped away decades of precedent with the Roe V Wade decision that guaranteed the Constitutional right to an abortion for all Americans. That year has seen the redoubling of efforts by abortion rights organizations across the country to regain those rights and more, including Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, who held a terrific live event last weekend at The Cathedral, a beautiful space in East Austin. This episode presents that event, featuring Wendy Davis, State Rep. Donna Howard and more - all standing firm in the fight for the freedom for ALL of us to maintain control over our bodies and our destinies. Watch for part two, a discussion with representatives of the Frontera Fund and Planned Parenthood of the Rio Grande Valley, for a closer look at what's happening on the abortion rights front in that very important part of Texas, in the next couple of days.

Learn more about Planned Parenthood Texas Votes at https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/planned-parenthood-texas-votes/leadership-team.

And, there's still time to support Progress Texas in our June membership drive! Learn more at https://progresstexas.org/donate.

The Asian American and Pacific Islander community are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States - but in Texas politics, they are ignored at best, and demonized at worst. Why have Republican lawmakers determined that AAPI Texans are a threat to be countered and dehumanized - and why have Democrats in Texas been so slow to fully embrace this rising political force? We had a fascinating conversation with Texas State Representative Gene Wu, who has represented a large part of Houston in the House for over a decade, and Lily Trieu, interim Executive Director of the political action org Asian Texans for Justice.

Find Representative Wu via his flame-throwing Twitter account at https://twitter.com/GeneforTexas.

Learn more about the great work Lily Trieu is doing alongside Asian Texans for Justice at https://www.asiantexansforjustice.org/.

And, if you're enjoying our podcast, please consider helping us to keep producing it by becoming part of the family! Find out more about our June membership drive at https://progresstexas.org/donate.

For only the third year, Juneteenth is officially observed across the nation as a Federal holiday this Monday, June 19 - thanks to the tireless work of Black historians and activists across Texas. We're proud to welcome this week one of the pre-eminent authorities on Juneteenth: Donald Payton is president of the African American Genealogy Interest Group, former Dallas County Historical Commissioner, and a member of the special state committee that originally elevated Juneteenth to state holiday status - “the unofficial historian of Black Dallas”. We also welcome as a special guest host Kardal Coleman, the freshly-elected Chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party and co-founder of the Liberation Fund, a national civil rights organization dedicated to providing legal representation to defendants in need.

Learn more about Donald Payton at https://blog.smu.edu/theanti-apartheidmovementinnorthtexas/biography/don-payton/, and follow Kardal Coleman at https://twitter.com/KardalColeman.

Thanks as always for listening - and please consider becoming part of the Progress Texas family by joining forces with us during our June membership drive! Learn more at https://progresstexas.org/donate.

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.

After the wanton and seemingly inexhaustible ugliness directed towards the LGBTQ+ community during this year's legislative session, there's no better time for ALL Texans to express our solidarity than Pride Month, throughout the month of June. We're proud to welcome to the podcast James Poindexter, a public school teacher and board member of Pride San Antonio, for a look inside the planning process of this year's Pride events in Alamo City. Wherever in Texas you might be, make it a point to join the fun AND stand behind our brothers and sisters during Pride Month.

Learn more about Pride San Antonio at https://pridesanantonio.org/.

And - please accept our invitation to become part of the Progress Texas mission during our June membership drive! Learn more at https://progresstexas.org/donate.

NOTE - We recommend listener discretion for this episode, which contains graphic details of the crime scene at Robb Elementary in Uvalde.

As the grim first anniversary of the Robb Elementary massacre arrives, and the closing days of the Texas legislative session creep by, not only have GOP lawmakers stonewalled any opportunity to prevent future mass shootings, but the pace at which those shootings happen in Texas has escalated. While we rarely re-publish our podcast content, we thought it an opportune moment to give our conversation from April with Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez a fresh listen. Senator Gutierrez continues his fight for the families of Uvalde and children across the Lone Star State - his battle has just begun, and the same is the case for all of us.

The first year mark for Uvalde is gaining national attention:

More on Senator Roland Gutierrez's continued fight at the Capitol: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/uvalde-shooting-year-later-roland-gutierrez-still-pushing-gun-reform/

And, please consider supporting Progress Texas and our ongoing mission with a donation: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate

Not only has Governor Greg Abbott declared what he calls "school choice" (in reality, the undermining of funding for Texas public schools) a top priority for the current Legislature, he and other Republican schemers have wrapped it an intricate web of deceptive marketing designed to distract Texans - especially rural Republicans - from their true intentions. We set the record straight this week with two esteemed Texas education experts: welcome back Patty Quinzi, Director of Public Affairs and Legislative Counsel for the Texas chapter of AFT - the American Federation of Teachers - AFL/CIO. And also Gwenn Burud, retired lifelong educator, educational sign language interpreter, and teacher of deaf and hard of hearing students, now, the executive director of Texans Defending Democracy. This is all happening NOW - making NOW the time to reach out to your representatives in Austin and share your thoughts.

Learn more about Texas AFT at https://www.texasaft.org/, and learn more about Texans Defending Democracy at https://www.texansdefendingdemocracy.com/.

Thanks for listening! Help Progress Texas continue our work by considering a donation: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate.

You may have heard that HB 2744, otherwise known as the Raise The Age Act, has become a true rarity - a measure based on sensible, basic gun ownership regulation in Texas that has been voted out of committee. It would raise the minimum purchasing age of certain semi-automatic firearms from the current age of 18, to 21. We've rushed this episode of the podcast to encourage YOU to do all you can to help sustain this rare opportunity. We're proudly joined by Nicole Golden, Executive Director of Texas Gun Sense, and Liz Hanks, Texas Chapter Lead for Moms Demand Action.

These are the Republican members of the House Calendars Committee, who are in control of the future of HB 2744. We encourage YOU to call their offices to express support of the Raise The Age Act.

Dustin Burrows (Chair) (512) 463-0542

Toni Rose (Vice Chair) 512-463-0664

David Cook 512-463-0374

Charlie Geren 512-463-0610

Cole Hefner 512-463-0271

Jared Patterson 512-463-0694

Shelby Slawson 512-463-0628

Ed Thompson 512-463-0707

In addition, please support the national action being promoted by Moms Demand Action by texting "FedUp" to 64433.

Learn more about Moms Demand Action at https://momsdemandaction.org/, and about Texas Gun Sense at https://www.txgunsense.org/.

As always, we appreciate your support - consider a donation to help us continue our work at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate.

After a month of the heightened presence of Texas Department of Public Safety troopers in Austin, centered primarily on parts of the city that are home to a large percentage of Austin's non-white communities, concerns and questions are rising - and in parallel, the violent crackdown on transgender rights activists at the Texas State Capitol this week by DPS troopers may further illuminate the reality of the situation. We welcome two guests very close to the story: Austin City Council Member Zo Qadri, who has had a front row seat at Austin City Hall while all of this has unfolded, and prominent Austin-area criminal defense attorney and longtime progressive political activist Rick Cofer, who interacts with both DPS and APD officers on a daily basis, both join us for an intensive analysis. How does DPS differ - in both goals and culture - from municipal or county-level law enforcement agencies? What exactly is DPS's mission and method in Austin? How was the decision at the top levels of the city's leadership to bring them in reached? And, what happens next: when, and how, can this uncomfortable partnership come to a peaceful close?

By the way, as you'll hear in our conversation, the May "Prop A vs Prop B" election in Austin is directly related to today's topic. If you're listening on release day (Saturday May 6) - PLEASE get out and vote TODAY! Learn more at GoVoteTexas.org. You have until 7pm!

On Twitter: find CM Zo Qadri at https://twitter.com/ZoForAustin, and Rick Cofer at https://twitter.com/rickcofer.

And, if you appreciate our work and would like to help us continue, please consider making a donation: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate.

A double-header this week! For our first segment, we're joined by famed Texas progressive political commentator and consultant Ed Espinoza - until just recently, president of Progress Texas - for a look into the recent recordings made public of Ted Cruz discussing the Republican plot to overturn the election of Joe Biden and keep Donald Trump in office. Not just the usual Cruz pinata party this time - we discuss solid steps YOU can take to prevent another term for the oiliest Congressman in America. Also, there's probably never been a better time to grab some fresh Humans Against Ted Cruz gear! Link below.

And for our second segment, a discussion of the recently-instituted and blatantly transphobic dress code at the Texas Department of Agriculture, under the leadership of one of the Texas GOP's most colorful clowns, Sid Miller. We're joined by the writer who broke the story, Texas Observer Digital Director and genderqueer movement journalist Kit O'Connell, and Texas Stonewall Democrats president Jeff Strater for a discussion of the harm this new policy not only brings to LGBTQ+ employees of this taxpayer-funded office, but also the possibility of similar policies developing under bad precedent.

Latest on the "Cruz Tapes": Ted Cruz Fox News tapes are being handed over to the Justice Department for its Jan. 6 inquiry https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/ted-cruz-fox-news-tapes-handed-justice-department-17922681.php

Humans Against Ted Cruz: wear it proud! https://humansagainsttedcruz.com/

Kit's terrific Texas Observer piece: https://www.texasobserver.org/sid-miller-department-agriculture-dress-code-transgender/

And a follow-up...Ag Commissioner Sid Miller Doubles Down On Transphobic Dress Code: https://www.texasobserver.org/sid-miller-dress-code-transphobia-texas-agriculture/

Follow Texas Stonewall Democrats here: http://www.stonewalldemocrats.us/texas

AND, if you're picking up what we're putting down, please consider supporting Progress Texas with a donation! https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate