Progress Texas Podcasts

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Daily Dispatch 3/26/24: Make YOUR Voice Heard On Abortion Exceptions, and More Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The public comment period has begun on the Texas Medical Board and their timidity on specifics regarding abortion ban exceptions in Texas - make your voice heard here: https://progresstexas.org/blog/protect-abortion-rights-provide-public-comment-texas-medical-board

More from the Center for Reproductive Rights: https://twitter.com/ReproRights/status/1771262245562945696

Ken Paxon appears set to sign a deal allowing him to escape prosecution on nine-year-old felony securities fraud charges today: https://abc13.com/ken-paxton-securities-fraud-texas-attorney-general-to-reach-deal-dismissing-charges/14570216/

Paxton's attempts to gain the records of PFLAG National on how they've helped transgender kids with medical care have hit a legal block, for now: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/03/25/texas-judge-blocks-ag-paxton-demands-gender-affirming-care-records-transgender-minors-privacy/73095581007/

President Biden is shattering fundraising records in Texas, while his opponent's support from the donor class appears to be wilting: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/election/2024/article/biden-fundraising-haul-19367682.php

Natural water springs across Texas are going dry at an alarming rate: https://www.kxan.com/news/local/hays/study-shows-that-texas-has-nearly-3-times-more-dry-springs-than-50-years-ago/

The Texas State Board of Education's divestment from Blackrock is dumb on multiple levels: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/columnists/tomlinson/article/texas-schools-oil-banks-esg-law-19367323.php

March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

Daily Dispatch 3/25/24: Paxton Set To Slither Out Of Felony Charges, and More Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Attorneys for Ken Paxton appear close to cutting a deal with prosecutors that would bring the nine-year-long felony securities fraud charges against him to an end: https://abc13.com/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxtons-fraud-charges-could-be-dismissed-security-case-communnity-service-tribune/14559450/

There's a hearing on all of this set for tomorrow: https://www.fox26houston.com/video/1430473

A large march featuring dozens of social justice organizations was held in downtown Dallas yesterday: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas/2024/03/24/hundreds-march-through-downtown-dallas-sunday-in-protest-of-texas-senate-bill-4/

Are all those billions of dollars Governor Abbott has spent on Operation Lone Star making any difference? https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/23/us/texas-abbott-border.html

Could Democrats in Texas end up winning over SB-4? https://thehill.com/latino/4550696-texas-democrats-see-political-opportunity-in-hardline-immigration-law/

Will Biden stand up to Abbott - with investigators and lawyers? https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/22/opinions/biden-texas-border-immigration-law-downes/index.html

ERCOT admits underestimating San Antonio's growth - and has left the grid exposed to failures as a result: https://www.expressnews.com/business/article/ercot-admits-texas-grid-faces-risk-cascading-19363129.php

...While a new solar and battery storage facility is underway near Dallas: https://electrek.co/2024/03/22/texas-installs-another-big-solar-battery-storage-project/

March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

Daily Dispatch 3/22/24: SB-4, Desperation At The Border, and More Mar 22, 2024

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

A large group of desperate migrants pushed through border fortifications at El Paso yesterday, highlighting the humanitarian crisis being created by Republican policy: https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2024-03-21/migrants-on-texas-southern-border-breach-wire-barriers-erected-under-operation-lone-star

...U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, on a diplomatic mission to Guatemala, calls SB-4 "unconstitutional": https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/u-s-homeland-security-secretary-mayorkas-calls-texas-immigration-law-unconstitutional

...While officials in Mexico continue adamantly opposing the new law, predicting the discrimination and criminalization its citizens are likely to face: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-fears-discrimination-strained-us-relations-under-new-texas-immigration-2024-03-21/

President Joe Biden wrapped up a two-day fundraising visit to Dallas and Houston yesterday: https://www.khou.com/article/news/national/president-joe-biden-houston-texas-campaign-trail/285-e10b6875-71f5-41e6-939b-4e800c70a45e

Is the U.S. Supreme Court giving a green light to state leaders like Governor Abbott to turn their states into far-right dictatorships? https://www.salon.com/2024/03/21/grants-gov-greg-abbotts-wish-to-turn-texas-into-a-far-right-dictatorship/

Abbott says he's just two House votes short of making private school vouchers a reality in Texas: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/20/greg-abbott-tppf-vouchers-primary-runoff/

Ted Cruz gets schooled by a former Harvard Law classmate: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ted-cruz-law-school-hated_n_65fbddd0e4b0d2a3e7775421

A top executive at Blackrock implores the Texas State Board of Education to reconsider pulling over 8 billion dollars from its management, as that's not a wise move financially: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/blackrock-dismayed-8-5-billion-194252592.html?guccounter=1

The Texas Observer publishes a poignant response to Richard Linklater's new documentary on the death penalty in Texas: https://www.texasobserver.org/death-penalty-god-save-texas/

March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

Daily Dispatch 3/21/24: Confusion Threatens Chaos Over SB-4, and More Mar 21, 2024

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals was not successful in reaching a decision yesterday regarding whether to allow SB-4 to take effect while being considered by the courts: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68613083

...Texas sheriffs appear enthusiastic about SB-4 but are inconsistent about their views on enforcing it: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-migrant-arrests-texas-8e232b8a0c2979943c87c7309652ed34

...Dallas House Rep. Victoria Neave Criado calls SB-4 "extreme, terrible legislation": https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/watch/-extreme-terrible-legislation-texas-gop-immigration-law-set-to-spark-national-controversy-207222341926

...Republican-led states, starting with Iowa, are lining up to mimic SB-4: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/us/texas-immigration-republican-states.html

...The ACLU of New Mexico is warning Hispanic travelers heading to Texas to be ready for racial profiling: https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/aclu-renews-warning-for-new-mexicans-traveling-to-texas/

...A nice flyover graphic of Eagle Pass and Shelby Park by the New York Times is worth studying: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/20/us/abbott-immigration-texas-border.html

The Texas Medical Board is set to discuss possible clarification of guidelines regarding exceptions to Texas' near-complete abortion ban: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article286741925.html

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering the case of a Bexar County City Council Member who claims she was arrested out of retaliation for criticizing the Castle Hills City Manager: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/20/supreme-court-castle-hills-sylvia-gonzalez/

President Joe Biden is in Texas for three fundraising events: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/20/joe-biden-texas-visit-dallas-houston/

Texas U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions is named in testimony on a group of Republicans who have worked to dig up dirt on President Biden and his family: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2024/03/20/ron-johnson-did-russias-bidding-on-biden-lev-parnas-tells-congress/73043736007/

March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

Happy Hour 148 - Unified Jam Part 2: Social Media Vs Political Messaging Mar 20, 2024

Show notes

These days, it seems that Facebook, Instagram and other major social media platforms would much rather deal in cat videos than politics - perhaps political talk is too much trouble to moderate, or maybe too intellectually challenging to be much fun for much of their attention-addled audiences. In this second of two full panel discussions from this year's Unified Jam in Austin, Unified Head of Partnerships Brian Smith discusses the current collision between politics and social media with two power players in the digital political messaging space: Shaniqua McClendon is VP of Politics for Crooked Media, the producers of Pod Save America, Lovett Or Leave It and a whole array of great progressive podcasts and digital products, and Kyle Tharp is Managing Director of the political news platform Courier Newsroom and the author of the popular weekly "FWIW" newsletter.

Find out more about Unified at https://www.joinunified.us/.

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

Daily Dispatch 3/20/24: SB-4 On, Then Off Again, and More Mar 20, 2024

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

After yesterday's allowance of SB-4 to take effect by the U.S. Supreme Court in returning the case to the 5th Circuit of Appeals, the 5th Circuit renews the hold- as of this morning, it's blocked: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03/19/us/texas-immigration-supreme-court

...Reactions within Texas border communities: https://apnews.com/article/texas-state-law-abbott-biden-migrants-mexico-f63836e590f2cdea15acd387b78ef292

...Reactions from the White House: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2024/mar/19/us-supreme-court-texas-migrant-law

...Reactions from the three SCOTUS liberal Justices: https://thehill.com/campaign-issues/immigration/4542757-sow-chaos-sotomayor-chastises-supreme-court-for-allowing-texas-law-to-stand/

...Reactions from Mexico: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/19/us/mexico-texas-border-immigration.html

The Texas Permanent School Fund has yanked over 8 billion of your tax dollars from the investment company Blackrock over that company's environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/03/20/esg-blackrock-texas-permanent-school-fund-withdraws-investment/73028870007/

A University of Houston survey finds that President Biden is lagging behind Donald Trump among Texas Latino voters: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/election/2024/article/texas-latinos-prefer-trump-biden-matchup-uh-poll-18642473.php

Governor Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan hung out publicly yesterday in Dallas - is that weird? https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/19/greg-abbott-dade-phelan-primary/

March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

Daily Dispatch 3/19/24: SCOTUS Still Can't Square SB-4, and More Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito extends the Court's stay on SB-4 a third time, seemingly indefinitely: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68597752

...Indicating anything but an open-and-shut matter: https://www.nytimes.com/article/texas-border-law-challenge-explainer.html

The Dallas Morning News kicks Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi on his way out the door: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2024/03/19/will-texas-gop-continue-its-descent-without-matt-rinaldi-as-chair/

...Apparent successor Abraham George was recently stopped by police from confronting his wife's lover with a gun: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/state/texas-news/texas-gop-chair-candidate-tried-confront-wifes-alleged-lover-with-loaded-gun/287-cfd22953-0cea-443c-9cc5-cd9c0d430367

...A new review of the descent into conspiratorial madness by the Texas Republican Party: https://www.npr.org/2024/03/18/1239283038/how-the-texas-gop-has-grown-more-and-more-conservative

Attacks on contraceptive options for Texas teens is just another step in the conservative throttling of reproductive rights: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/18/teenager-birth-control-parental-consent-texas/

The Gillespie County GOP's primary hand-counting experiment was a failure - but other county parties are likely to repeat it: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/19/texas-republican-hand-count-election/

The historic fires recently in the Texas Panhandle are only the beginning as climate change parches the landscape and electrical transmission remains hazardous: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/epic-wildfire-texas-panhandle-just-preview

Stay tuned to this feed for two panel discussions from this year's Unified Jam in Austin: https://www.unifiedjam.com/

March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

Happy Hour 147 - Unified Jam Part 1: Real Talk With Real Candidates Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

Earlier in March, we participated in the annual Unified Jam - a political discussion and gathering event hosted by the progressive organizing social media network Unified - in the midst of Spring festival season in Austin. In this first of two panel sessions we're presenting in podcast form, introduced by Unified CEO Shion Deysarkar and moderated by our own Chris Mosser, we meet three young Texas women who've been in the thick of running for office in 2024, and they openly shared the many ups, and difficult but manageable downs, of navigating the campaign trail in Texas. Molly Cook is in the May runoff election for the Texas State Senate seat vacated by new Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Ashika Ganguly is a candidate for Austin City Council District 10, seeking to replace the term-limited Alison Alter, and Angel Carroll, while coming up short in her primary for House District 52, is in it for the long haul and will certainly be on a ballot near you in coming years. A great and inspiring conversation for YOU, if you've thought about running for something - let's do it!

More on Unified at https://www.joinunified.us/.

Thanks for listening! Find out more about how to support Progress Texas this all-important election year at https://progresstexas.org/.

Daily Dispatch 3/18/23: SCOTUS-a-Go-Go with SB-4, Drag Bans and Judge Shopping, and More Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

The U.S. Supreme Court is likely to issue a ruling on SB-4, Texas' new harsh and possibly unconstitutional new border security law: https://komonews.com/news/nation-world/scotus-decision-on-sb-4-sweeping-texas-border-security-law-could-come-by-monday-immigration-border-security-southern-border-migrant-crisis-operation-lone-star-initiative

...While SCOTUS declines to hear a case against West Texas A&M's ban on drag shows, leaving the ban intact: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/drag-show-ban-at-texas-university-left-intact-by-supreme-court

...The new rule against "judge shopping" doesn't solve the problem of activist conservative Trump-appointed judges, who will still get to rule on important cases: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/03/john-roberts-matthew-kacsmaryk-nationwide-injunctions-judge-shopping.html

...Reaction from John Cornyn and other GOP lawmakers shows how fond they were of being able to shop judges: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/republican-reaction-mcconnell-kacsmaryk-judge-shopping-rcna143610

A UT geologist warns that climate change will soon drive Texans indoors, into uneasy "fortresses of solitude": https://thehill.com/policy/equilibrium-sustainability/4529404-climate-change-is-trapping-texans-in-an-arid-fortress-of-solitude-expert-says/

Texas A&M's former president wants an independent review of the University's decision to sever ties with its Qatar campus: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2024/03/16/tamu-president-qatar-decision-needs-transparency/

And be sure to remind the Trump fans in your life that, once in power, dictators don't tend to worry themselves about who voted for them or not: https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-strongman-fantasy?action=share

March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

Daily Dispatch 3/15/24: Texas Medical Board To Clarify Abortion Exceptions, and More Mar 15, 2024

Show notes

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

At the behest of two Texas attorneys, the Texas Medical Board is set to discuss clarification for medical exceptions to the near-complete ban on abortion care in Texas: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/14/texas-medical-board-doctors-abortion-guidance/

Ken Paxton escalates his assault on Frisco ISD, whose social media posts about funding he sees as illegal electioneering: https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort-worth/frisco/education/2024/03/14/texas-attorney-general-claims-frisco-isd-violated-restraining-order-files-contempt-motion/

A shadowy Texas company that paid an FBI informant now under indictment for lying to his handlers about Hunter Biden has been connected to Donald Trump: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/14/company-paying-fbi-informant-trump-connections

...While Republicans freak out at the suggestion by U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez that Trump is kinda like Hitler: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/14/vicente-gonzalez-trump-jews-for-hitler/

Good and bad news for the Texas grid as a major fossil fuel-fired power plant will go offline next March: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-14/texas-s-strained-power-grid-is-poised-to-lose-a-big-gas-plant

...While a Spanish renewable energy company prepares to build a huge renewable generation and battery storage facility in Texas: https://www.yahoo.com/news/battery-storage-facility-texas-continues-040000054.html

March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.

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