Progress Texas Podcasts

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says his company is abandoning its efforts at fact-checking, and moving its content moderation operations to Texas - a move apparently meant to appease Donald Trump: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/07/texas-meta-content-moderators-fact-checking/

...Texas also provides legal cover for social media platforms who prefer to allow falsehoods to spread without limit: https://www.wired.com/story/meta-elon-musks-lead-trust-safety-billionaire-friendly-texas/

Texas remains one of the three states hosting the most organized hate-based and anti-government organizations: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/nearly-100-extremist-groups-operate-in-texas-heres-the-list-21462538

South Texas business leaders are very much concerned about Trump's deportation sweep undermining their operations: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/08/texas-immigration-mass-deportations-economy/

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Republican Party Abraham George have started a tour of the state designed to intimidate GOP lawmakers into voting for Mansfield Rep. David Cook for Speaker next week: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/paxton-issues-warning-to-texas-house-republicans-in-bitter-speaker-battle/

Elon Musk and Tesla want to hog as much as 8 million gallons of water PER DAY for their new lithium refinery near Corpus Christi - already a desperately dry part of Texas: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/musk-massive-tesla-lithium-plant-110009148.html

Texas Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Blacklock, of "Jimmy John and Jane" fame, has become the new Chief Justice of that body: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/lone-star-politics/gov-abbott-appoints-justice-jimmy-blacklock-as-texas-supreme-court-chief-justice/3734512/

...The Texas Supreme Court, just as winter weather threatens, is also preparing to review thousands of lawsuits against Texas utility companies related to the power disaster during 2021's Winter Storm Uri: https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-supreme-court-hearing-2021-winter-storm-lawsuits-could-signal-plan-change-ruling

North Texas appears to be the primary target of the incoming polar vortex - monitor the Texas power grid here: https://www.ercot.com/gridmktinfo/dashboards/gridconditions

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

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Our series of conversations with Democratic lawmakers in Texas continues with State Representative Vikki Goodwin, who is set to begin her fourth term at the Capitol as the 89th Texas Legislature gets underway. Rep. Goodwin has represented parts of Austin, Bee Cave and the Lake Travis area since she flipped her seat from red to blue in 2018. During that time, she's been a strong advocate for progressive priorities regarding public schools, small businesses and health and public safety.

Thanks for listening! Learn more about how you can support our important work at https://progresstexas.org/donate.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Today's certification of the election of Donald Trump provides a surreal beginning to a troubling new era: https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5066046-trump-insurrection-pardons-betrayal/

...Even some Republicans in Congress, at least at this point, appear hesitant about the widespread January 6 pardons Trump has promised: https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardons-congress-capitol-riot-crimes-4443c672fc3b1492640684652647cde6

Navigating between legitimate issues and culture war distraction will fall to Texas progressives as the legislative session starts soon - one legitimate issue is housing, which Republicans will likely use as an excuse to further erode local control in our bigger cities: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/06/texas-legislature-housing-affordability-crisis/

The Texas Supreme Court will hear the case between SMU and the United Methodist Church, in which the university seeks to establish its independence from the church, on January 15: https://www.aol.com/texas-supreme-court-hear-arguments-194022067.html

Texas has neglected our part in funding the federal 988 suicide hotline, resulting in thousands of those desperate calls going unanswered amidst a huge uptick in Texas' suicide rate: https://www.ksat.com/news/texas/2025/01/06/amid-a-7-million-deficit-to-texas-suicide-hotline-thousands-of-calls-are-abandoned-monthly/

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

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Despite right-wing attempts to drum up anti-immigrant fear over the New Orleans terror attack, the alleged perpetrator was a born and bred native of Texas: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/new-orleans-attacker-houston-ties-20010254.php

Elon Musk's push for more foreign tech workers to be brought to the U.S. under H-1B work visas is not only counter to the MAGA base's virulent anti-immigrant tendencies, it would also allow him to build a large tech workforce he'd be able to treat as indentured servants: https://electrek.co/2024/12/30/tesla-replaced-laid-off-us-workers-with-foreign-workers-using-h-1b-visas-that-musk-want-to-increase/

...Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders opposes Musk's plan: https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5064132-sanders-criticizes-musk-h1b-visa/

Collin County State Rep. Mihaela Plesa gets a writeup in the Texas Tribune (and is also featured one click back in this podcast feed: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/03/mihaela-plesa-greg-abbott-texas-house-democrats/

Texas Republicans next frontier in their culture war against women is the elimination of no-fault divorce: https://www.chron.com/culture/religion/article/texas-christians-no-fault-divorce-20009469.php

Two recent decisions may indicate that our institutions may not save us in this new era - first, a Texas Assistant Attorney General gets away with his efforts to undermine the 2020 election: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/31/texas-attorney-general-state-bar-lawsuit-dismissed-brent-webster/

...And two Republican U.S. Congressmen get away with what appears to have been inappropriate spending of campaign funds on personal expenses: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/30/wesley-hunt-ronny-jackson-investigation/

Our annual rundown of the Top 10 Best And Worst Texans is up! Thanks for your help in compiling this year's list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/best-and-worst-texans-2024⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

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Collin County Democratic State Rep. Mihaela Plesa - the only Romanian-American elected official in the country! - joins us for our continuing series with state lawmakers on the impending 2025 Lege. Rep. Plesa is one of the youngest elected lawmakers in Texas, and will be entering her second term in the Texas House after becoming the first Democrat to represent her district in decades - she's a Dallas native, known for her hard work in the areas of public education, public safety, heath care, school finance reform and more.

Thanks for listening! Learn more about how you can help Progress Texas fight on into the new year at https://progresstexas.org/donate.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The passing of President Jimmy Carter at the age of 100 prompts a look back at his impact on Texas, where he remains the last Democrat to have carried the Lone Star State: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/29/texas-remembers-jimmy-carter/

Elected leaders of both parties in Texas extol Carter's legacy: https://www.fox7austin.com/video/1568906

More: https://www.kwtx.com/2024/12/29/texas-politicians-react-passing-former-us-president-jimmy-carter/

Our annual rundown of the Top 10 Best And Worst Texans is up! Thanks for your help in compiling this year's list: ⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/best-and-worst-texans-2024⁠⁠⁠

Holiday shopping for your progressive pals is easy and fun 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Richardson State Rep. Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos is an educator and family law attorney by trade, but has served in the Texas House ever since she flipped a Republican-held seat in 2018. Since then she has a stalward progressive fighter at the Capitol, advocating for women's rights, LGBTQ+ equality, immigrants' rights, and much more. We welcome Rep. Rodriguez-Ramos back to the pod as part of our series of lawmakers' views on the upcoming Legislature.

Thanks for listening! Learn more about how to support our work at https://progresstexas.org/donate.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Texas transplant Elon Musk, already leading Donald Trump by the nose, has waded into German politics to back the extreme right-wing party AfD: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/20/world/europe/elon-musk-afd-germany.html

The AfD, similar to American MAGA elements, is supported mainly by lower-income and disillusioned Germans: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-23/what-s-afd-the-far-right-german-party-elon-musk-embraced

They're in a distant - but growing - second place in Germany's upcoming snap election in February: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-12-24/germany-s-far-right-afd-is-nobody-s-savior

Musk's support for AfD, if patterns hold, is likely a precursor to Donald Trump's support once he is in office next month: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/elon-musk-jd-vance-praise-afd-german-elections-rcna185457

Even Texas Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez notes (and relishes) Musk's outsized role in the upcoming Trump era: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/rep-tony-gonzales-says-it-feels-as-if-elon-musk-is-our-prime-minister-after-funding-chaos/

Our annual rundown of the Top 10 Best And Worst Texans is up! Thanks for your help in compiling this year's list: ⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/best-and-worst-texans-2024⁠⁠

Holiday shopping for your progressive pals is easy and fun 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Representative Donna Howard has represented Austin in the Texas House since her initial win in 2006 - for almost two decades, she's been a stalwart progressive standard-bearer across every issue imaginable, but in recent years has been notable as a fierce fighter for our reproductive rights, bolstered by her own professional background in nursing and healthcare.

Thanks for listening! Learn more about how you can support our important work as this pivotal session approaches at https://progresstexas.org/donate.