Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Lawsuits against technical moves made by Elon Musk and his team of hackers that have exposed sensitive data are gaining steam:https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/02/federal-workers-sue-opm-elon-musk-takeover.html

...Musk and DOGE's disruption of USAID has potentially derailed a new HIV vaccine, and has disrupted programs to mitigate malaria:https://futurism.com/neoscope/usaid-trial-hiv-vaccine

...Senior Texas U.S. Senator John Cornyn says concern about Musk's bulldozing of the federal government is "hysteria" - he's up for re-election in 2026, and we need to get started on that now:https://www.kgns.tv/2025/02/06/texas-sen-cornyn-backs-trump-nominees-defends-elon-musks-role/

...Musk's SpaceX company is becoming notorious among local South Texas contractors for failing to pay its bills:https://www.chron.com/culture/article/spacex-overdue-bills-texas-19454904.php

Ken Paxton is targeting both Dallas and Irving ISD over accusations of allowing "boys to compete in girls sports", spurred by heavily edited and now-viral videos:https://www.keranews.org/education/2025-02-06/texas-paxton-trans-athletes-dallas-irving-isd-video

January 6th rioter Andrew Taake, released after his pardon despite the Houston District Attorney wanting him held on a child sex charge, has been captured in rural Leon County after two weeks as a fugitive:https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/06/arrest-trump-pardon-insurrection/

Secular Houston and a coalition of partners are holding lobby days at the Texas Capitol on several bills related to religious freedom on Monday and Tuesday of next week:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oJKNq0q702KVnFVY3BOq5d4LwsVR5NSr_9e3pXPZlO0/edit?gid=0#gid=0

As Super Bowl weekend begins, former Texas Tech football coach and current Alabama U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville's claims of a close relationship with former Red Raider and current Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes are flatly denied by Mahomes:https://athlonsports.com/college/texas-tech-red-raiders/texas-tech-red-raiders-football-patrick-mahomes-super-bowl-tommy-tuberville-recruiting-comments

We celebrate Black History Month throughout February! See a great essay on this year's celebration, happening amidst so much turmoil, and a listing of related events happening across Texas:⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/black-history-month-2025-celebrating-texas-culture⁠

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

No surprise that the Texas Senate has fast-tracked approval of SB2, Governor Abbott's private school voucher scam, to approval: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/05/texas-senate-school-voucher-vote/

Austin saw hundreds turn out for Texas' share of the national protest against the Trump administration's policies organized in all 50 states yesterday: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/protesters-rally-at-texas-capitol-against-project-2025

...The ACLU of Texas is providing training materials on best practices related to public protest, how to interact with police and immigration officers, and more:

...A letter from administrators of Alice, Texas' school district warn parents that their students could face immigration raids on their school buses while traveling through South Texas: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/05/alice-texas-buses-students-citizenship-border-patrol/

Senator John Cornyn taunts protestors in a Facebook post, complete with Indivisible and MoveOn tags, showing complete contempt for half of his constituents in Texas: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dc2UW9aLw/

Houston U.S. Congressman Al Green plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Donald Trump over his plans for an American takeover of Gaza: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/05/al-green-trump-impeachment-articles-gaza

Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar responds to newbie DFW Congressman Brandon Gill's call for her to be deported, calling him a "dumbass" and a "nepo baby": https://www.chron.com/politics/article/texas-ilhan-omar-20148422.php

We celebrate Black History Month throughout February! See a great essay on this year's celebration, happening amidst so much turmoil, and a listing of related events happening across Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/black-history-month-2025-celebrating-texas-culture

The early giving period for this year's Amplify Austin Day has begun! Support Progress Texas at

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Dallas Rep. Jasmine Crockett was a prominent voice yesterday as lawmakers and civilian protestors rallied against Elon Musk's "hostile takeover" of the financial systems of the U.S. Department of Treasury: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/04/democrats-protest-elon-musk-treasury-washington

...Crockett notes that the Trump administration appears to have little regard for the legality or Constitutionality of their opening moves: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5125167-jasmine-crockett-donald-trump-constitution/

Dallas-area freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill has called for collegue Rep. Ilhan Omar to be deported over her advice to her constituents to know and exercise their rights if confronted by ICE officers: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5126520-freshman-texas-lawmaker-calling-for-deportation-of-ilhan-omar/

Operation Lone Star, despite having little to show for the $11 billion that's been blown on it and an uptick from federal border enforcement, appears to remain a popular and very expensive budget goal for Republicans: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/05/texas-border-security-immigration-spending-operation-lone-star/

A new survey of Texans of both parties finds that very few Texans want to keep marijuana prohibition as it is, with the majority in both parties supporting the decriminalization of personal-use possession: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-marijuana-laws-recreation-2025-legislature/285-db2ece8c-f9cf-4b3f-9ac6-320ea6cc075e

Next door in New Orleans, NFL crews are busily removing the "End Racism" slogan from the Super Bowl field end zones - a move appearing to appease Donald Trump, who will be in attendance on Sunday: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/nfl/nfl-will-remove-end-racism-end-zones-ahead-super-bowl-rcna190686

Protesting today? Be aware of your surroundings and keep things legal, peaceful and safe: https://apnews.com/article/50501-protests-project-2025-trump-state-capitols-ddd341171a54ba9b498cbfe7530e18ab

The early giving period for this year's Amplify Austin Day has begun! Support Progress Texas at

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Protests against Donald Trump and Greg Abbott's immigration policies and deportation efforts have begun rising across Texas, including Houston: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/immigration/2025/02/03/512709/hundreds-march-through-west-houston-in-opposition-of-immigration-policy-changes/

...And Conroe: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/immigration-protest-arrests-conroe-texas/285-add40d0c-73a2-466a-a1b8-76358d4861e4

...And Austin: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/anti-ice-protest-north-lamar-rutland-drive-north-austin-texas

...And San Antonio: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/san-antonio-isd-students-organize-walkout-to-protest-threat-of-ice-raids-in-schools-36678048

...And Leander: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/leander-texas-glenn-high-school-students-walkout-protest-ice

...Meanwhile a national protest against Project 2025's implementation by the Trump administration is planned in all 50 states on Wednesday: https://www.newsweek.com/50-states-anti-trump-protest-nationwide-february-5-details-2025300

Governor Greg Abbott, with the blessing of the Trump administation, has given Texas National Guard troops the authority to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-national-guard-arrest-migrants-new-agreement/

Elon Musk's blitzkrieg against American political norms, moving almost to fast to cover, is briefed in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/musk-federal-government.html

...NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/elon-musk-doge-usaid-treasury-government-rcna190450

...CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/04/politics/usaid-cuts-thousands-american-jobs/index.html

...More CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/04/politics/musk-washington-chaos/index.html

...Is Donald Trump beginning to grow weary of Musk's dramatic rampage? https://www.axios.com/2025/02/03/trump-musk-usaid-democrats

Is Donald Trump vulnerable to his growing negative polling numbers? The Republican Party sure is: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-approval-rating-start-second-term.html

The early giving period for this year's Amplify Austin Day has begun! Support Progress Texas at

Progress Texas is now ranked in the top 3% of all podcasts worldwide for listenership - thank you! ⁠⁠https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/progress-texas-podcasts-progress-texas-pHdPjbaN-7B/⁠⁠

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Learn more about Ground Game Texas at https://www.groundgametexas.org/.

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Elon Musk and DOGE have been granted access to the highly-sensitive payments system at the heart of the U.S. Treasury Department: https://abcnews.go.com/US/treasury-dept-elon-musks-team-access-federal-payment/story?id=118380399

...Senator Elizabeth Warren, top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, is demanding answers from new Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/warren-bessent-treasury-musk-doge.html

...Meanwhile, Musk and DOGE have launched an all-out attempt to dismantle and destroy USAid, the U.S. government's primary foriegn aid agency: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/03/elon-musk-says-usaid-is-beyond-repair-and-he-is-working-to-shut-it-down

Governor Greg Abbott laid out seven emergency items in his State Of The State address yesterday - limiting the 89th Legislature to dealing with those items for the rest of the session's first 60 days:

...Outgoing Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa and a gathering of other Texans responded in a pre-recorded video: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/texas-democrats-abbott-doesnt-have-a-clue-about-everyday-citizens-needs/

Next time you get targeted online by MAGA hate, keep in mind that most of that is likely coming from bots: https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/texas-house-speaker-bots-20068116.php

The early giving period for this year's Amplify Austin Day has begun! Support Progress Texas at

Progress Texas is now ranked in the top 3% of all podcasts worldwide for listenership - thank you! ⁠https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/progress-texas-podcasts-progress-texas-pHdPjbaN-7B/⁠

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Donald Trump says he plans to follow through with applying a 25% tariff to all goods imported from Mexico starting Sunday - consumers in border states like Texas will feel the pinch immediately: https://thehill.com/business/5117233-trump-mexico-canada-tariffs-threat/

East Texas freshman GOP State Rep. Brent Money has filed legislation that would define life as beginning at fertilization - rendering illegal IVF, IUD's and Plan B: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/breaking-brent-money-bill-to-criminalize

...All while hundreds of Texans have been fleeing the state to get abortion care - lately including at least six girls under the age of 12: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/texas-abortion-ban-teens-20047622.php

More puzzlement, considering the massive federal immigration intervention underway, over Texas Republicans' apparent plan to keep staffing and funding Operation Lone Star: https://www.tpr.org/military-veterans-issues/2025-01-30/as-more-federal-troops-deploy-to-the-border-the-fate-of-texas-state-military-mission-is-unclear

...Schools are no longer safe - a Conroe parent is furious that her daughter was grilled for her immigration status by her Spanish teacher: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/conroe-schools-immigration-20065867.php

...Churches are no longer safe, and experts say that's both a tragic backslide into prior historical injustices, and an erosion of the First Amendment: https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-churches-christianity-constitution-trump/

Governor Abbott is set to give a statewide address to outline his legislative priorities on Sunday evening at 5pm: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/31/greg-abbott-state-of-the-state-speech/

Progress Texas is now ranked in the top 3% of all podcasts worldwide for listenership - thank you! https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/progress-texas-podcasts-progress-texas-pHdPjbaN-7B/

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

13 U.S. House Republicans from Texas - more than any other state - are among the 67 members of their party who are co-sponsors of H.R. 722, which would establish a national ban on abortion: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/722/cosponsors

...More on H.R. 722: https://thistleandmoss.com/p/hr722-the-republicans-try-to-ban?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick's list of his top 25 legislative priorities include prayer and the posting of the Ten Commandments in schools, banning books, and doing away with "Drag Time Story Hour": https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/29/dan-patrick-priorities-texas-senate/

...Private school vouchers are on Patrick's list too, and he insists the Republican voucher plan won't pull funds from Texas public schools: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/lt-gov-dan-patrick-texas-senate-set-to-approve-bill-for-thousands-of-students-to-attend-private-s/

...Should vouchers pass, Texas' private schools are all but certain to raise their tuition rates, as their counterparts in other states with voucher programs have: https://www.lonestarlive.com/news/2025/01/texas-voucher-plan-could-lead-to-higher-private-school-tuition-experts-say.html

A Facebook post by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, highlighting that most of Texas' biggest companies have not yet raised consumer prices in anticipation of Donald Trump's import tariffs, fails to note that almost a third of them have: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18hvHuM39f/

Ted Cruz lies on national TV that "thousands and thousands" of Americans died during the building of the Panama Canal - in fact most of those deaths were of workers from the Carribean, while about 300 were Americans: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/sen-ted-cruz-falsely-claims-thousands-of-americans-died-building-the-panama-canal-36629308

A Lubbock dad of three, working on securing a green card, has been swept up in Trump's deportation sweep after a Lubbock police officer turned him in to ICE during a traffic stop: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/29/texas-immigration-lubbock-police-traffic-stop-ice-deportation/

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We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Hard to know where to start in evaluating the devastating impacts on Texas that Donald Trump's freeze on federal spending would have: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/28/texas-trump-federal-spending-freeze/

Several Texas Republicans in the U.S. House have presented bills designed to codify recent Trump executive orders into permanent law: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/27/texans-congress-trump-executive-orders/

Austin Congressman Greg Casar is one of 20 House Democrats who have written to Donald Trump, wondering what happened to his promise to lower food prices: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/texas-food-prices-trump-20061041.php

D/FW Republican Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne has filed legislation to end federal financial backing of the development and production of cleaner transportation fuels: https://biomassmagazine.com/articles/texas-lawmaker-introduces-bill-to-repeal-45z-clean-fuel-production-credit

Texas House Minority Leader and Houston Democrat Gene Wu gave a great talk via the Texas Tribune yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWqVKuJy6wU

The Texas Senate Committee on K-12 Education has fast tracked Senate Bill 2, which would establish a private school voucher program, to a full vote in the Senate: https://www.kvue.com/video/news/state/texas-news/texas-school-voucher-plan-advances-sb2-senate-vote-private-school-funding/269-e3372769-b66b-4123-928a-3f326dd6d80d

The head of Israel's World Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem has criticized Elon Musk for encouraging German citizens to disregard their own fascist past: https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/27/europe/israel-holocaust-memorial-chair-musk-criticism-intl/index.html

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We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

In spite of renewed federal border control efforts, a very low current flow of migrant traffic at the border, and after $11 billion wasted - Governor Abbott has deployed more Texas National Guard troops to Operation Lone Star: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-gov-greg-abbott-deploys-hundreds-more-troops-texas-mexico-border/

...San Antonio State Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer is as confused as we are - and wants an audit of Operation Lone Star's expenditures: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democratic-state-rep-fischer-opposes-gov-abbott-s-deployment-of-400-more-texas-troops-to-the-border/vi-AA1xYyFa

Fort Worth ISD officials are working to identify a North Side High School substitute teacher who posted to Twitter an invitation for ICE to raid that heavily Hispanic-serving school: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/fort-worth-isd-investigating-social-media-comment-calling-for-ice-at-high-school/

Actress and singer Selena Gomez has pulled down an Instagram post expressing her distress at the uptick in deportations, after coming under a massive MAGA attack - including Senator Ted Cruz: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/selena-gomez-raids-cruz-20058899.php

One of the January 6th rioters pardoned by Donald Trump is free despite a request from Texas law enforcement for him to be kept in custody - he's wanted for soliciting sex from a minor, and is now at large: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/january-6-trump-pardons-andrew-taake-b2687340.html

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

We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.