Progress Texas Podcasts

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Happy Hour 251: High Time For Change On Texas' High Courts Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

Texas is unique in that it is one of only two states in the U.S. (the other is Oklahoma) that operates a bifurcated high court system - instead of having one single state supreme court that handles everything, Texas splits its highest judicial authority between two specialized courts: the Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. All of the seats on these courts are elected statewide, and just like every other statewide post, they've all been held by Republicans since the late 1990's (if you don't count Larry Meyers). Our guests today are looking to change that: Justices Chari Kelly, Cory Carlyle and Maggie Ellis are all running for seats on the Texas Supreme Court, Judge Christine Weems ran for that court in 2024, is running for reelection in Houston, and is present today for moral support, and our friend Holly Taylor is running for a seat on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Learn more about Holly Taylor at https://www.hollytforjudge.com/.

Learn more about Cory Carlyle at https://carlyle4justice.com/.

Learn more about Maggie Ellis at https://www.maggieforjustice.com/.

Learn more about Chari Kelly at https://charikelly.com/.

Learn more about Christine Weems at https://www.weemsforjudge.com/.

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

Daily Dispatch 1/20/26: Texans, Worried About ICE, Now Also Worry About Ice - And More Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

A third death in the last two months at the Camp East Montana ICE detention facility at El Paso has lawmakers from multiple states demanding answers: https://www.commondreams.org/news/ice-detention-center-deaths

...A summary of ICE activity in Texas so far, and a reminder of your rights if confronted by them: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/19/texas-immigration-ice-arrests-raids-police/

Ken Paxton thought it would be funny to issue a long-winded (and legally toothless) condemnation of Texas DEI programs on MLK Monday: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/19/ken-paxton-john-cornyn-mlk-day-legal-opinion-dei-republican-primary-senate/

...Paxton is also leading the way in the use of fake AI-generated video of his opponents in his campaign ads - AI use that, in Texas, remains perfectly legal: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/ai-generated-video-of-crockett-cornyn-dancing-takes-center-stage-in-paxtons-1st-campaign-ad/

Mount Pleasant State Rep. Cole Hefner is in a twist over an "Islamic Games" event scheduled for May in Colleyville - it will be the event's third year in that city: https://x.com/ColeHefnerTX/status/2013371002776854667

...Learn more about the Islamic Games, which will also return to Houston in October: https://islamic-games.com/

Icy weather is coming this weekend to Texas - and Texans are having Winter Storm Uri flashbacks: https://www.chron.com/news/article/cold-front-brings-freeze-risk-north-southeast-21303269.php

Progress Texas will be covering the debate held by the Richardson Area Democrats between Texas Attorney General candidates and Dems Joe Jaworski and State Senator Nathan Johnson! RSVP to join us live: ⁠https://www.mobilize.us/richardsonareademocrats/event/879644/⁠

Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KPFT-FM in Houston⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and to our Spanish expansion ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Happy Hour 250: MLK Day And More With Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

There has been intense statewide focus on Tarrant County for weeks lately, and for good reason - the promising performance of Democrat Taylor Rehmet in the special election to fill the SD-9 State Senate seat, held for three decades by Republicans, has become a beacon of hope that this bellwether region of Texas is ripe to flip blue. Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons has been in the middle of the fight against the MAGA ravaging of the Fort Worth area for years, and is currently running to oust her arch-nemesis Tim O'Hare from the post of County Judge. As we mark MLK Day amidst an alarming rise of federalized street crackdowns by ICE, Commissioner Simmons weighs in on Dr. King's message and how we should interpret and implement it at this crucial, pivotal moment.

Learn more about Alisa Simmons and her campaign at https://votealisasimmons.com/.

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

In Progress: Paxton Polls Poorly And Tarrant is Turnt for Taylor - with Gabe Rivas Jan 17, 2026

Show notes

Our weekly meeting of the minds sees the PT debut of Tarrant County political strategist Gabe Rivas, who is currently running for the Precinct 2 seat on the Tarrant County Commissioner's Court - a post he's assisted the beloved Alisa Simmons with for some time. Loads to discuss as always, so strap in people.

Learn more about Gabe and his campaign at https://www.gaberivasfortarrant.com/.

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

Daily Dispatch 1/16/26: Polling Reveals Vulnerabilities For Ken Paxton Against Democrats, And More Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Polling released this week shows an uphill battle for likely Democratic nominee and State Rep. Gina Hinojosa against Governor Greg Abbott in November, with a gap of about 8 points: https://www.newsweek.com/gina-hinojosa-chances-beating-greg-abbott-flip-texas-gop-poll-11366360

...Abbott is sitting on a massive war chest of $106 million: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/15/texas-governors-race-greg-abbott-gina-hinojosa-2026-election/

...The poll also shows Ken Paxton to be the weakest of the three potential Republican nominees against both Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico: https://www.newsweek.com/crockett-vs-talarico-chances-of-flipping-gop-texas-senate-seat-new-poll-11364958

A migrant's death earlier this month at the ICE detention facility at El Paso is being investigated as a homicide: https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/immigration/2026/01/15/cuban-immigrants-death-at-camp-east-montana-was-likely-homicide-report-el-paso/88204666007/

...He is one of four migrants to die in ICE custody in just the opening days of 2026: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5686408-immigration-detention-deaths-early-2026/

An analysis of the 291 private schools so far approved for the Texas voucher scam finds that the vast majority are Christian schools, many of which require a profession of faith for admission, specifically exclude LGBTQ+ and special needs kids, and engage in a host of questionable and exclusionary practices: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-voucher-schools-openly-discriminate/

Police in Goliad County have been using a highly questionable smartphone surveillance platform that has been rejected by Meta as "surveillance for hire" while being embraced by the authoritarian regime currently running El Salvador: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-police-invest-tangles-sheriff-surveillance/

Progress Texas will be covering the debate held by the Richardson Area Democrats between Texas Attorney General candidates and Dems Joe Jaworski and State Senator Nathan Johnson! RSVP to join us live: https://www.mobilize.us/richardsonareademocrats/event/879644/

Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KPFT-FM in Houston⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and to our Spanish expansion ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Daily Dispatch 1/15/26: Record Democratic Fundraising, New Senate Polling, And More Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The Texas House Democratic Committee reports a record $2.2 million fundraising windfall in 2025, fueled largely by the summer Democratic House quorum break: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/15/texas-house-democratic-caucus-2-2-million-fundraising/

New Emerson College polling shows a nine point lead for Austin State Rep. James Talarico over Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic race for Senate, while incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton remain in a low-scoring virtual tie: https://emersoncollegepolling.com/texas-2026-poll/

...Congresswoman Crockett put on a masterclass in destroying conspiracy theories yesterday, taking on January 6th types: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyHS28RsmQU

...While Rep. Talarico appeared this week on the New York Times' Ezra Klein Show: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-james-talarico.html

The special election runoff for the Texas Senate in Tarrant County's Senate District 9 is increasingly seen as a bellwether for the following primary and general midterm elections: https://fortworthreport.org/2026/01/14/a-bellwether-election-tarrants-texas-senate-runoff-draws-national-attention/

Local resistance in Hutchins, Texas is rising in relation to a massive planned "human warehouse" being developed there by Donald Trump's ICE. Initial report: https://baptistnews.com/article/trump-preparing-to-warehouse-immigrants-like-cargo/

...And an update: https://baptistnews.com/article/update-on-proposed-human-warehouse-in-texas/

Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KPFT-FM in Houston⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and to our Spanish expansion ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Happy Hour 249: A Deep Dive On Venezuela with State Rep. Jon Rosenthal and Bill Burch Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

The recent Trump move against Venezuela, even at this early stage, is already a model for disastrous geopolitical planning. Did we really need to disrupt a neighboring country by plucking away its leader, in order to seize oilfields full of substandard oil and in a complete state of infrastructure decay - at a moment when there's a glut of supply? While that baseline answer might seem clear, the situation is a complete mess, and Texas stands to be right in the middle of it. Joining us to try and unravel it all for this talk, we welcome Houston State Representative and Democratic nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission Jon Rosenthal, and Progress Texas-endorsed former Railroad Commission candidate and petroleum science expert Bill Burch.

Learn more about Rep. Rosenthal and his campaign at https://jonrosenthaltx.com/.

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

Daily Dispatch 1/14/26: Tarrant Dems Strike Back Against GOP Candidate Challenges, And More Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The Tarrant County Democratic Party, following Republican administrative challenges against 7 of its judicial candidates by the Tarrant GOP, has responded by challenging 43 Republican candidates: https://fortworthreport.org/2026/01/13/tarrant-democrats-seek-to-remove-all-gop-judicial-2-texas-house-candidates-from-ballot/

...All of this amounts to a "weaponizing of election integrity": https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/inside-republicans-strategy-to-weaponize

The process of approving private schools to benefit from Texas' new voucher scam has been brought to a crawl by acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, who is apparently seeking to exclude schools with Muslim or Chinese ties: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/private-schools-voucher-program-21290944.php

An ICE assistant chief counsel based in Dallas who had been removed from duty upon the revelation that he runs a racist, Nazi-sympathizing X account, is back on duty: https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-prosecutor-racist-account-back-at-immigration-court/

Texas A&M's heavy-handed crackdown on "woke" curriculum - lately including a censoring of the works of Plato - has drawn a formal condemnation from the American Association of University Professors: https://www.kbtx.com/2026/01/13/national-education-group-condemns-texas-am-course-material-changes/

Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KPFT-FM in Houston⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and to our Spanish expansion ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Happy Hour 248 - Voting Time, Cowtown! An Update With Taylor Rehmet Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

With the eyes of Texas progressives across the state focused on the March primary and the November midterm general election in November, voters in parts of Fort Worth and Houston may have missed hugely important runoff votes coming up in just days. Both Texas Senate District 9, encompassing the northern portion of Tarrant County, and Congressional District 18 in Houston have runoff elections on January 31st - from our posting date, just 19 days away.

Union leader Taylor Rehmet took the popular vote and bested second-placer and current runoff opponent, Republican Leigh Wambsganss, by over 10 points back in the fall - and at the end of this month, he has a chance to flip a vital State Senate seat blue - Taylor joins us for an update on his campaign.

Learn more about Taylor Rehmet and his run for the Texas Senate at https://www.taylorfortx.com/.

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

Daily Dispatch 1/13/26: What Are Your Rights In An ICE Confrontation? And More Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

As more and more confrontations between regular citizens and ICE pop up on our screens, it's important to understand your rights - and how ICE is likely to violate them: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article314293265.html

...The difference between the power ICE has over you, and that of local police or sheriff's department officers, is getting a lot harder to define: ⁠https://thedailytexan.com/2026/01/12/texas-law-enforcement-required-to-work-with-ice-by-end-of-year/⁠

...Lone Star Left reminds us that while the focus lately has been on Minnesota, the lion's share of ICE arrests since Trump's crackdown began have happened in Texas: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/history-will-name-this-moment

The Texas House Democratic Caucus has demanded that Attorney General Ken Paxton take several steps to counter the child porn generating capabilities of Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot in Texas: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14PaMYsCsjRqcLnT_4jBnwNhzKEWqMuvH/view

...On the heels of that scandal and while visiting Texas and Space X, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon is about to integrate Grok into their data systems: https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-pentagon-hegseth-musk-7f99e5f32ec70d7e39cec92d2a4ec862

The Funky East Dallas Democrats (the FEDDs!) will host an online meet and greet TONIGHT with a bunch of Democratic statewide candidates, including Senatorial candidates Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico: ⁠⁠https://www.fedds.org/eventinfo/jan1326statewide⁠⁠

Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠KPFT-FM in Houston⁠⁠⁠⁠ - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative ⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠, and to our Spanish expansion ⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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