Progress Texas Podcasts

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

As three Texans die, millions go without power, and flooding threatens multiple parts of the state, Governor Abbott continues a tour of East Asia, playing President: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/abbott-hurricane-beryl-acting-governor-patrick-19561623.php

A Texas oil billionaire family finds itself in the crosshairs of the Federal Trade Commission on anti-trust suspicions as their massive contributions to state regulatory officials come into focus: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/01072024/texas-pioneer-natural-resources-political-contributions/

A significant protest of this weekend's event being held at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden by a right wing extremist group by multiple Fort Worth progressive advocacy groups is expected: https://defenseofdemocracy.org/news/

Can abortion restrictions in Texas get even worse than they already are? Hell yes they can: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article289581064.html

Marijuana decriminalization appears headed to the November ballot in Bastrop: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/texas-activists-turn-in-signatures-to-put-marijuana-decriminalization-on-local-ballot-in-bastrop/

Elon Musk's SpaceX company is accused by environmental activists of excessive disruption of the ecosystems around Boca Chica: https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-boca-chica-texas-starbase-bird-habitat-2024-7

Residents of Granbury have been falling ill with a gruesome set of symptoms thought to be connected to noise coming from a nearby Bitcoin mining facility: https://time.com/6982015/bitcoin-mining-texas-health/

Donald Trump still owes El Paso over a half-million dollars for bills related to a rally he held there in 2019: https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/trumps-campaign-still-owes-el-paso-over-500k-for-2019-rally-other-cities-also-unpaid

ALL progressives should learn all they can about Project 2025, in order to resist its becoming actual U.S. policy: https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration

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

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Hurricane Beryl has made landfall at Matagorda and is currently slamming the Houston metro area: https://www.khou.com/article/weather/weather-impact/hurricane-beryl-texas-gulf-coast-landfall/285-c5815723-a9d2-440b-9b15-93341665e0c0

...While Governor Abbott is out of the country on an economic excursion to Taiwan: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-lt-governor-dan-patrick-is-acting-governor-where-is-greg-abbott/287-76ddfe70-4c04-4453-a0ec-95654dc0207b

...California Congressman Eric Swalwell has noticed: https://x.com/RepSwalwell/status/1810137695009542498?t=qdMmC4qhbRGiAlNUR6pSzQ&s=03

Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett is catching hell from Texas progressives for recommending that President Biden abandon his race for re-election: https://www.statesman.com/story/opinion/letters/2024/07/04/lloyd-doggett-joe-biden-withdraw-stunt-act-of-disloyalty-letters/74293475007/

...But, others are praising the move: https://www.statesman.com/story/opinion/letters/2024/07/06/lloyd-doggett-deserves-praise-openly-calling-president-biden-to-quit-presidential-race/74310790007/

...While Doggett affirms that he'll support the President, or whomever the Democratic nominee is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uXL_OPO4_A

...President Biden will speak at UT Austin's LBJ Presidential Library next Monday: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/07/texas-joe-biden-lbj-library/

Media Matters finds that mainstream national media essentially ignored the massive infant mortality spike in Texas related to our near-complete ban on abortion: https://www.mediamatters.org/broadcast-networks/national-news-media-barely-covered-infant-mortality-spike-followed-texas-anti

Lavish gifts to Supreme Court justices like Clarence Thomas are paying off big time for billionaires like Texas' Harlan Crow: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/columnists/tomlinson/article/chevron-supreme-court-texas-crow-thomas-19549205.php

The City of Fort Worth has intervened and is forcing the Fort Worth Botanic Garden to host a hateful conference being held by the extremist True Texas Project next weekend: https://fortworthreport.org/2024/07/04/fort-worths-ban-on-discriminatory-events-on-city-property-very-likely-to-be-removed/

Former USC and NFL QB Matt Leinart is the target of online backlash over a smiling photo he posted on July 4 with Ted Cruz: https://thespun.com/nfl/heisman-trophy-winner-is-getting-crushed-for-photo-with-ted-cruz

ALL progressives should learn all they can about Project 2025, in order to resist its becoming actual U.S. policy: https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration

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

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

A new poll (from a conservative think tank, mind you) shows only a three point advantage for Ted Cruz over Colin Allred, with women and independents far in Allred's favor: https://www.newsweek.com/ted-cruz-polls-texas-senate-allred-narrow-lead-1921176

A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked a new Federal Trade Commission ban on non-compete agreements: https://www.axios.com/2024/07/03/ftc-non-compete-agreement-ban-workers

Prisoners inside Texas' uncooled prisons plead for mercy as summer heat builds: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/texas-inmates-in-uncooled-prisons-plead-for-relief-in-another-hot-summer/

A former Republican Congressman writes on Christian Nationalism, which is more closely connected to the cultural fears of older white Texans than to their religious piety: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/2024/07/06/make-america-christian-again/

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

Stories we're following here at Progress Texas:

Austin U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett has become the first House Democrat to publicly call for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/02/us/who-is-lloyd-doggett-biden.html

...Dallas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett disagrees strongly: https://x.com/JasmineForUS/status/1808295266992128154?t=5YH20SnNuChhoWaGrzrgIw&s=03

...As does Houston U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee: https://x.com/SJacksonLee/status/1808243082108063829?t=DQ_VZQ0ZX7_lkEd9dqdDMw&s=03

...Doggett uses President Lyndon Johnson's withdrawal from the 1968 race as an example - that ended in Richard Nixon handily defeating Hubert Humphrey: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/02/lloyd-doggett-joe-biden-withdraw-election/

The Biden Administration has issued a rule allowing emergency medical providers to conduct abortions in situations where the mother's life is at risk: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/biden-admin-directive-on-abortion-could-protect-texas-doctors-from-political-prosecution

The Biden Administration has also proposed new rules protecting workers from excessive heat, following the lead of Austin U.S. Rep. Greg Casar: https://www.ksat.com/news/texas/2024/07/02/biden-administration-proposes-rule-to-protect-workers-from-extreme-heat/

Ken Paxton has lost that legal battle he picked with longstanding immigrant shelter non-profit Annunciation House: https://www.chron.com/culture/religion/article/ken-paxton-annunication-house-texas-catholics-19551657.php

Amarillo voters will have a direct say in that city's proposed abortion ban, marking the closest Texas has seen to a direct referendum on reproductive rights: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/02/amarillo-texas-abortion-travel-ban/

Residents of Sutherland Springs are resisting plans for the 100 year old church that was the site of the 2017 mass shooting that took 26 lives and has been since been converted into a memorial: https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/sutherland-springs-church-raze-sanctuary-mass-19551486.php

"Texas Is In Danger Of Becoming A Theocracy": https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/opinions/columns/article/texas-school-vouchers-19524200.php

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

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The implications of the U.S. Supreme Court's granting of broad immunity to the President are only beginning to develop: https://apnews.com/article/trump-immunity-supreme-court-capitol-riot-trial-72ec35de776315183e1db561257cb108

...Basically, if the President wants you dead, you're dead: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trump-immunity-supreme-court/

...Not easy, but the Trump call is the worst of the year for SCOTUS: https://progresstexas.org/blog/supreme-injustices-corrupt-high-court

Texas gun enthusiasts are also fixated on how the law might protect them should they decide to open fire: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-stand-your-ground-true-texas-project/

Houston multi-millionare mega-pastor Joel Osteen is mercilessly roasted for an out-of-touch tweet about "the simple things in life": https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13590173/Millionaire-televangelist-Joel-Osteen-roasted-tweet-followers-simple-things-life.html

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

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Friday's SCOTUS move to overturn Chevron v NRDC represents a massive power grab by MAGA courts: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/06/elena-kagan-dissent-supreme-court-john-roberts-chevron-disaster.html

...SCOTUS also backs the right to criminalize homelessness: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/28/supreme-court-texas-homelessness-camping-bans/

...While the Texas Supreme Court defends a Waco-area judge's right to refuse to marry same-sex couples: https://www.tpr.org/news/2024-06-29/waco-judge-can-sue-over-reprimand-for-not-marrying-gay-couples-texas-supreme-court-rules

...And a Sherman-based, Trump-appointed federal judge blocks a Biden administrative rule that would have required employers to fairly compensate salaried workers when they put in over 40 hours in a week: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-overtime-pay-ruling/269-236181d7-509f-41bd-a76a-c59c54db2748

A history professor who has correctly predicted 9 of the 10 last Presidential elections advises that replacing President Biden on the Democratic ticket would be "foolhardy nonsense": https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/06/30/lichtman-dems-replace-biden/74260967007/

Disgraced Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris once offered to pay off his child sex abuse accuser: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/28/robert-morris-gateway-child-abuse-transcript

...While four of Gateway's "elders" are taking a leave of absence while a legal review takes place: https://www.chron.com/culture/religion/article/robert-morris-sexual-abuse-elders-19546307.php

Dallas stands to become the largest Texas city to decriminalize small-time marijuana possession: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/inside-politics/texas-politics/dallas-largest-texas-city-to-decriminalize-marijuana/287-0d9cf889-dc1f-4b54-9084-5410a701a907

Instagram users: be sure to enable political content on that platform, which has begun opting users out: https://x.com/ProgressTX/status/1771276124498100667?s=20

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

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people dates far, far back before the horrific events of October 7, 2023 - this is a generational conflict that is seen by some, especially considering recent events, as a truly unbridgeable divide. That's not the view of Atidna, a student-led and Texas-based organization that has dedicated itself to fostering positive connections between the two sides, partly in educating both on the many common aspects of their respective histories, and attempting to teach the potential rewards of peace over endless war - inspiring and critical efforts that have drawn the attention of national media and high-level elected officials.

Learn more about Atidna at https://www.atidnainternational.com/.

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

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Last night's debate between President Biden and Donald Trump was a failure...but this election is about more than two candidates - it's about two wildly different visions of America: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/trump-biden-debate-takeaways-19543481.php

...CNN's format allowed Trump to tell dozens of lies with no fact-checking guardrails: https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-election-debate-trump-biden-577507522762aa10f6ee5be3a0ced2bb

Two Uvalde police officers have become the first of the dozens who were onsite during the Robb Elementary mass murder in 2022: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/two-uvalde-officers-indicted-over-deadly-texas-school-shooting-local-media-2024-06-27/

A 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling appears to indicate that a federal investigation into the same allegations that led to Ken Paxton's impeachment is in fact moving forward: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/27/ken-paxton-federal-investigation/

Texas is one of 13 states who opted OUT of a generous U.S. Department of Agriculture program to help feed economically-challenged kids during the summer, when their families cannot rely on school for meals: https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-texas-among-13-states-rejecting-program-summer-meals-kids-2024-6

It's the final weekend of Pride Month! Check out the history of Pride and a full calendar of events happening across Texas throughout the month: https://progresstexas.org/blog/deep-heart-pride-celebration-pride-month-texas

Instagram users: be sure to enable political content on that platform, which has begun opting users out: https://x.com/ProgressTX/status/1771276124498100667?s=20

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

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The Texas Criminal Court of Appeals has denied, without explanation, a request from Travis County DA Jose Garza to review Governor Greg Abbott's unorthodox pardoning of convicted murderer Daniel Perry:

79 of the misdemeanor criminal trespass cases stemming from the crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests at UT Austin in April have been dismissed:

Steven Monacelli dives into the details of Gateway Church, rocked lately by a child sex abuse scandal, and its broad connection to far-right, Christian Nationalist politics: https://www.texasobserver.org/pastor-texas-gop-christian-nationalism-sex-abuse/

Rural school districts are lately hiring far more unlicensed teachers than those with proper credentials: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/unlicensed-teachers-dominate-new-teacher-hires-in-rural-texas-schools-19418069

The epic battle between Dallas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and MAGA darling Marjorie Taylor Greene continues: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4733614-jasmine-crockett-marjorie-taylor-greene/

...While Brigitte Bandit gets her shots at MTG in as well: https://time.com/6992726/marjorie-taylor-greene-slammed-by-texas-drag-artist/

Pride Month continues! Check out the history of Pride and a full calendar of events happening across Texas throughout the month: https://progresstexas.org/blog/deep-heart-pride-celebration-pride-month-texas

Instagram users: be sure to enable political content on that platform, which has begun opting users out: https://x.com/ProgressTX/status/1771276124498100667?s=20

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

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The spike in infant mortality relative to abortion restrictions in Texas lays bare the cruelty of hopeless pregnancies forced to term:

Brad Pritchett of Equality Texas weighs in on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to consider laws barring transgender youth from medical care: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-lgbtq-supreme-court-transgender-rights/3575310/

...Houston surgeon Eithan Heim directly violated his HIPAA training in releasing confidential patient records to a right-wing blogger, rather than filing official complaints about his suspicions of malfeasance: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/crime/2024/06/25/eithan-haim-texas-transgender-care-whistleblower-never-filed-complaint-houston-childrens-hospital/74197903007/

The Texas Rangers remain the only Major League Baseball team that doesn't host a Pride Night: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/state/2024/06/25/texas-rangers-only-mlb-team-without-lgbtq-pride-night/74203298007/

...The team's official statement, claiming to welcome all in the conspicuous absence of Pride recognition, coddles its most homophobic fans: https://apnews.com/article/rangers-pride-mlb-lgbtq-4671a9124b12cf2b67f1bfbf405af99b

...For example, former pitcher Derek Holland, who took to Twitter to defend the Rangers in an anti-Pride screed: https://www.si.com/mlb/rangers/former-texas-rangers-pitcher-takes-dig-at-pride-month-lgbtq-community

...Speaking of which, Pride Month continues! Check out the history of Pride and a full calendar of events happening across Texas throughout the month: https://progresstexas.org/blog/deep-heart-pride-celebration-pride-month-texas

Instagram users: be sure to enable political content on that platform, which has begun opting users out: https://x.com/ProgressTX/status/1771276124498100667?s=20

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