Progress Texas Podcasts

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

Senator Roland Gutierrez represents District 19 - a wide swath of South and West Texas, including Uvalde - and has been personally and continually immersed in the tragedy there since mere hours after the shooting began. Almost a year later, he's fighting to prevent future tragedies at the Capitol in Austin - and he's on the front lines against the heartless bulwark of gun-crazy conservatism that has taken our state government hostage. At this critical moment, as much as we'd all like to, we simply cannot look away from this horrifying problem. So, join us for a difficult but essential conversation with one of the true heroes of progressive Texas - we can't express how proud we are of Senator Roland Gutierrez.

From our Earth Day intro, the referenced video: https://twitter.com/ProgressTX/status/1648718142137352192?s=20

Follow Senator Gutierrez here: https://rolandfortexas.com/

Considering that we recorded our conversation on 4/20, please have a look at Senator Gutierrez's documentary on marijuana reform: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFg6KWIM_Wg&t=2020s

And, if you're a regular listener, please consider helping us continue the fight: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate

Efforts by Republican legislators at the Capitol to undermine the authority of local elected officials in our major cities - for the most part, Democrats - is not a new story. But this year, what has commonly been seen as right-wing bluster is threatening very real consequences for the larger municipalities of Texas. State trooper presence alongside local police departments in urban areas, takeovers of local independent school districts, and the recent threat by Governor Greg Abbott to pardon convicted murderer Daniel Perry, whose victim was a progressive BLM protester, all provide examples of real and unwelcome encroachment by conservative (and mostly rural) State lawmakers upon the internal affairs of Texas' largest cities. Joining us to discuss all of this are Democratic Texas State Senator and former Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, and Dallas City Council Member Adam Bazaldua.

Find Senator Eckhardt at https://saraheckhardt.com/, and Council Member Bazaldua at https://www.bazaldua4dallas.com/.

As always, we appreciate your support! Please consider helping us continue all of the important work we do at Progress Texas by making a donation at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate.

Things move fast at the Texas Legislature - meaning, a lot of bad stuff can happen very quickly if advocates against the conservative agenda are not engaged - and environmental issues are certainly no exception. Joining us for a second episode this week is Luke Metzger, Executive Director for Environment Texas, with a rundown of the many issues and concerns at play, including new, nefarious trends in energy production in Texas, and an update on the upcoming Alliance For A Clean Texas Lobby Day, scheduled for the Texas State Capitol on Tuesday, April 11. Please plan to join us!

All about the Lobby Day, including your registration: https://actionnetwork.org/events/act-lobby-day

All about Environment Texas: https://environmentamerica.org/texas/

And - if you're a regular listener and would like to support us at Progress Texas (thank you!), go here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate

It's near certain that one of YOUR family members, friends, co-workers or fellow church members is a member of the LGBTQ+ community - and right now, GOP lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are in the middle of a truly historic assault on their rights, with no sign of relent or restraint. What can we do to fight back? It turns out, quite a lot. We're proud to welcome back our friend Ricardo Martinez, CEO of Equality Texas, for an update on what has become a multi-session, multi-faceted and ever-escalating onslaught on an entire group of our state's citizens - seemingly, simply for existing.

Since we spoke with Ricardo on Tuesday, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would ban transgender care for minors, without exception for those in the midst of the lengthy and sensitive process: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2023/04/04/texas-legislature-senate-passes-ban-transgender-gender-affirming-care-minors/70080903007/

Learn more about and support Equality Texas: https://www.equalitytexas.org/

And, if you're finding the information you learn about on our podcast helpful, inspiring, or perhaps infuriating, please consider supporting our continued work here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate

We've come a long way, baby! Hard to believe that we've made the 100 episode mark, and as we've said, we're also proud to say that over that time, we've grown the Progress Texas Happy Hour into one of the top 10% of all podcasts globally in listenership - which doesn't happen without YOU. And, we're also proud of the impact our organization has made since its founding - ample reason to invite two of our most esteemed alumni to look back in reflection, and to look forward in resolve. Founding board member Steve Adler was Mayor of Austin for two terms, concluding at the beginning of this year, and famed Texas political consultant James Aldrete was there from the beginning as well. Join us for a tour through the history and impact of Progress Texas, and an analysis of the job at hand as we move forward into Texas' progressive future.

Article on dismantling right-wing gun garbage: https://progresstexas.org/dismantling-5-right-wing-talking-points-guns

And, if you're picking up what we're putting down, we'd very much appreciate your support - as with the recent Texas Observer situation, our future depends very much on the support of our listeners and followers. THANK YOU for considering a donation: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate

We're in the midst of the 30th anniversary of one of the darkest moments in our state's recent history: the standoff at the Branch Davidian compount at Mount Carmel, just outside of Waco, which culminated in the deaths of dozens of men, women and children. This event captured the attention of the militant white supremacist movement then, and has served as a rallying cry for them ever since. Meanwhile, this weekend, former President Donald Trump is planning a rally at Waco in a blatant pledge of alignment with the paramilitary conspiracist fringe right, in an obvious move to rally them to his side. We've invited Lindsay Schubiner, Director of Programs for the Western States Center, to join us to recall the Branch Davidian tragedy, discuss its impact on the American right over the last 30 years, and ask the question: what are Donald Trump's real goals in connecting his campaign to Waco?

Learn more about the Western States Center here: https://www.westernstatescenter.org/

Learn more about the anniversary of the Mount Carmel event here: https://www.biography.com/crime/a43329362/the-siege-at-waco-firsthand-accounts

Thanks for listening to our podcast! If you enjoy what we're doing, we'd appreciate your support. Please make a donation here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate

We were proud to be invited to attend and roll tape on the second annual Unified Jam during SXSW in Austin, and this week's podcast includes portions of two of the day's panels. The first will be of interest to listeners who have considered jumping into the fray: "I Ran For Office - AMA", moderated by former Progress Texas Executive Director Ed Espinoza and featuring former Texas State House Representative and recent Austin Mayoral candidate Celia Israel, Austin City Council Members Paige Ellis and Zo Qadri, and recent Democratic candidate for Railroad Commissioner Luke Warford. The second updates the ongoing fight for reproductive justice in Texas: "Reclaiming Rights: Organizing in a Post-Roe World" was moderated by Cy White, managing editor of Austin Woman magazine and features former Texas State Senator, Deeds Not Words founder and current Planned Parenthood Texas Votes Senior Advisor Wendy Davis, Texas State Representative Donna Howard, former NARAL Pro-Choice America president and current Purpose president Ilyse Hogue, and Avow Executive Director Emily Martin. We had a great time, and hope you'll enjoy as well.

Learn more about Unified: https://www.joinunified.us/

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider supporting its future production with a donation: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate

The horror stories that were predicted by Texas Democrats - and ignored by Texas Republicans - have become reality. A growing number of Texas women have been left at death's doorstep as doctors in our state shy away from the threat of punishment for administering lifesaving medical care related to pregnancy. The first lawsuit representing plaintiffs who have been denied essential care due to Texas' cruel and vaguely-written new laws regarding abortion has been filed. Joining us this week to celebrate the brave plaintiffs, discuss the case, and evaluate what the future holds for the ongoing fight for reproductive freedom in Texas are former State Senator and abortion rights icon Wendy Davis - now Senior Advisor for Planned Parenthood Texas Votes - and Austin Kaplan, an Austin-based attorney and progressive activist, who is working on behalf of the plaintiffs. A heartbreaking listen this time, but one that needs to be heard - we cannot give up on the essential personal rights of Texans.

Watch the presser from the Texas State Capitol here: https://fb.watch/jaTIfZmVrV/

Learn more about Planned Parenthood Texas Votes' Lobby Day (Friday April 14) here: https://www.weareplannedparenthoodaction.org/a/lobby-day2023

Learn more about the Center for Reproductive Rights here: https://reproductiverights.org/maps/state/texas/

And if you're enjoying the podcast, please consider helping us continue to produce it here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate

If you're like us, you may not have believed your eyes when you first read of a new bill that seeks to ban voting locations on college campuses in Texas. HB-2390 was authored by Texas Rep. Carrie Isaac (who herself recently got her clock cleaned via massive turnout at Texas State University) and continues to be considered by the Republican-dominated House. Joining us for a tour of the dozens of reasons this is a terrible idea are three esteemed allies, all directly involved in the fight to protect voting rights in Texas: freshly-elected Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado, MOVE Texas Advocacy Organizer Amber Mills, and Texas Civil Rights Project Senior Election Protection Attorney and Policy Counsel Emily Eby French - if you will, a bit of a voting rights super-group!

Learn more about:

The Travis County Clerk's Office: https://countyclerk.traviscountytx.gov/

MOVE Texas' Lege Agenda: getshitdoneagenda.com

Register for Texas Civil Rights Project Bill Tracking Updates: http://bit.ly/TCRPLege

Progress Texas' own voting info initiative, Go Vote Texas: https://govotetexas.org/

And, if you're enjoying our podcast, please help us keep producing it, ad-free with a donation (Thank You!): https://act.progresstexas.org/a/donate

We wanted to take a moment to tell our listeners a bit about ourselves as this year's Amplify Austin Day arrives! It's Central Texas' biggest day of giving for a wide variety of worthy charities and nonprofits. On this short bonus episode, we hope you'll take a moment to learn a bit more about what Progress Texas does and what your support helps accomplish (in short, a lot!). We're proud to be joined by Dick Lavine, a founding Progress Texas board member, who takes us through the early days and gives his viewpoint on why Progress Texas is worthy of a donation on this Amplify Austin Day, which begins at 6pm TODAY (Wednesday March 1) and continues through 6pm on March 2.

Direct link to our Amplify Austin page: https://www.amplifyatx.org/organizations/progress-texas-institute

Thanks for your support!