Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Protesters are beginning to mass in Chicago in anticipation of the arrival of National Guard troops, hundreds of whom have come to their city from Texas: https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/10/08/texas-national-guard-broadview-illinois

...A federal judge in Illinois will consider a restraining order against the troop deployment today: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/federal-court-weigh-trumps-deployment-national-guard-troops-126354288

...A new list of companies under the title "Governor Abbott Boycott" is circulating in response to our state's meddling in the affairs of other states: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/national-guard-deployment-boycott-21090650.php

The Texas congressional delegation remains neatly divided by party on the federal government shutdown, which now enters its second week: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/10/08/texas-lawmakers-dig-in-as-shutdown-rolls-into-second-week/

The author of the new Texas congressional map testified yesterday that with the 2021 map, he had been told to leave certain minority-majority districts alone - but not on the new map: https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/top-gop-mapmaker-describes-a-texas-gerrymander-ordered-up-by-washington/

...An attorney for U.S. Reps Jasmine Crockett and Al Green pressed that same mapmaker on his knowledge that he was manipulating districts full of voters of color: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/10/08/lawyer-for-jasmine-crockett-says-drawer-of-new-texas-district-maps-knew-they-discriminated/

Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to withhold state road maintenance money from major Texas cities if they don't remove rainbow crosswalks painted in solidarity with their LGBTQ+ citizens: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas/2025/10/08/abbott-orders-dallas-and-other-texas-cities-to-remove-rainbow-crosswalks-or-lose-funding/

Houston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025event⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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We're joined today by Adrian Shelley and Cassidy Levin of the national watchdog group Public Citizen, who have uncovered a massive and years-long apparent pay-to-play scheme in which large-dollar donors to Governor Greg Abbott's campaign finance PAC appear to have been rewarded with very large, and in some cases, dubiously documented, state contracts - a situation that, while legal under Texas law, clearly raises considerable ethics questions.

Learn more about Public Citizen's Texas office at https://www.citizen.org/article/about-the-public-citizen-texas-office/.

Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.

Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued a press release regarding a new escalation his office plans to execute against "transgenderism and Antifa", long on right-wing belligerence and short on actual facts: https://www.keranews.org/news/2025-10-07/ag-ken-paxton-announces-undercover-operations-of-leftist-terror-cells

Houston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025event⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Around 200 National Guard troops from Texas have been deployed to Chicago over the protests of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, ostensibly to back up ICE agents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WRl6UUwYGI

...Trump's pretext is a countering of "rebellion against the federal government": https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2025-10-06/texas-national-guard-trump-illinois-abbott-pritzker

Congressman Wesley Hunt has jumped into the U.S. Senate race officially, compounding an already considerable mess for the GOP: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2025/10/06/the-gops-texas-senate-mess-00595553

During the El Paso trial over the new Texas congressional map, State Senator Phil King yesterday suddenly remembered a conversation with Adam Kincaid about race being considered in its design: https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/in-testimony-top-texas-republican-remembers-another-conversation-with-gop-mapmaker/

Professors at Texas Tech have begun to worry that vague instructions from their MAGA leadership about what and what not to discuss in class have begun to undermine the quality of their teaching: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/07/texas-tech-university-system-faculty-gender-identity/

A New York-based company, employing at least two Texas GOP operatives, has been awarded a lucrative contract to oversee Texas' new private school voucher program: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/odyssey-texas-private-school-voucher-21087243.php

Houston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025event⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Governor Greg Abbott approved a request by Donald Trump to deploy Texas National Guard troops into both Chicago and Portland, Oregon, under the pretext of protecting ICE agents from Antifa: https://youtu.be/8QFKsX1s_lM?si=Xa-pRwaY6YGgoQ0S

...A Trump-appointed federal judge has temporarily blocked that move: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5540272-donald-trump-blocked-oregon-guard/

California's Prop 50, with which that state's voters will decide whether or not to counter-gerrymander their state against Texas, has seen recent lobbying by Fort Worth State Rep. Nicole Collier in San Francisco: https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/prop-50-fundraising-21066129.php

Texas LGBTQ+ students and their families face multiple obstacles as they try to continue their social groups in spite of new state laws banning them: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/us/politics/texas-lgbtq-schools.html

Texas is second only to Florida in the number of books we've banned from our school libraries - here are five of the dumbest new picks: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dumbest-books-texas-schools-banned-last-year-40602086/

Houston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025event⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Yet another chaotic political week (should we say, typically chaotic?) ends this Friday afternoon with our regular roundtable pod. How the Democrats can have the edge with the federal shutdown, what's at stake and what to understand about the court fight over the new state congressional map, a conversation with a new key player in the RGV and more - the staff breaks down another wild week in Texas politics.

Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can help support our work at https://progresstexas.org/.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The Trump administration has offered the University of Texas access to enhanced federal funding - if it agrees to a set of conditions that will accelerate the MAGA-fication of the 40 Acres: https://thedailytexan.com/2025/10/02/ut-system-to-review-proposal-from-trump-administration/

...Academic experts see the adoption of this Trump "compact" as a dramatic capitulation to federal control: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/us/politics/trump-college-funding.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qU8.UTOI._IZAaVHmIUAQ&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Attorney General Ken Paxton and other GOP types are up in arms about accusations that TCU has cancelled a Turning Point event featuring an anti-trans activist - the school says it was never booked to begin with: https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2025-10-02/texas-ag-paxton-to-investigate-tcu-over-turning-point-event-school-says-was-not-booked

The Texas Supreme Court has decided that it will oversee Texas' law schools - instead of the nationally-established American Bar Association: https://www.tpr.org/news/2025-10-02/texas-supreme-court-breaks-with-american-bar-association-over-law-school-credentials

Disgraced megachurch pastor Robert Morris has pled guilty to multiple sex crimes against children - but he'll only serve 6 months in jail: https://apnews.com/article/texas-megachurch-pastor-sexual-abuse-oklahoma-0ca16aa31d9d8e5a810d1e1e3483dce4

...Morris' victim says he didn't have the courage to face her and her family in the courtroom: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/victim-speaks-exclusively-to-cbs-news-texas-after-gateway-church-founder-pleads-guilty-to-child-abus/

Houston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025event⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

As the second day of the federal shutdown begins, progressives and Democrats must remind themselves and others that it represents a last stand for affordable healthcare, and a stand against the destructive agenda of Donald Trump: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTM6Wvbc5/

...Should the Dems cave, as many as 1 million Texans may find themselves priced out of health insurance altogether: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/02/texas-republicans-affordable-care-act-premium-tax-credits-shutdown/

...Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer may have recently grown a spine as a result of pressure from the likes of Beto O'Rourke: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas-take/article/democrats-beto-o-rourke-chuck-schumer-21078866.php

El Paso State Rep. Joe Moody and Houston State Senator Carol Alvarado testified yesterday during the first day of the trial over the new Texas congressional map - while nobody appears to know who drew it? https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/01/texas-congressional-redistricting-map-federal-court/

Houston friends! Join Progress Texas in The Heights on Monday October 20 for our H-Town Hits Back live podcast taping event! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/houston2025event⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The major turn towards Donald Trump by Texas Latino voters, especially those in South Texas, serves as a painful memory and a fearsome harbinger of what might be in store in the 2026 midterms. A major momentum shift would come in handy for South Texas Democrats - and one may have arrived in the form of Tejano music star Bobby Pulido, who has recently announced a run as a Democrat for the U.S. Congress, challenging incumbent Republican Monica de la Cruz.

Learn more about Bobby Pulido and his run for Congress at https://bobbypulidofortexas.com/.

Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.

In a federal court in El Paso, as of this morning, a trio of judges have begun considering whether the state of Texas can use the new congressional map - ordered by Donald Trump and eventually passed during a pair of highly contentious special legislative sessions - in the 2026 election. We're fortunate to have the expert legal view of attorneys Louis Bedford IV and Jason Smith, members of Progress Texas' boards, as this all-important legal procedure gets underway.

Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.