Texas' summer heat was beating down yesterday in Austin when former Congressman and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke took the stage in front of thousands of onlookers. The crowd, which rally organizers estimated ran between 3,000-5,000 attendees and included...
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Ken Paxton: The political cockroach
The stories flooded across the country in 2015. “Grand Jury Indicts Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, on Felony Charges,” a New York Times headline read. Another by the Texas Tribune declared “Paxton Surrenders in Securities Fraud Indictment.” Nevermind that it had...
Inside Senator Sarah Eckhardt’s Big Gamble
In the pantheon of Texas royalty, there are few politicians with more cachet than State Senator Sarah Eckhardt (D-14). Her mother, Nadine, worked as assistant with LBJ and legendary political firebrand Molly Ivins, and was also the first wife of author Billy Lee...
Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick failed — again
Sniping tweets. Public critiques and blistering feuds. And the leader of one chamber of the Legislature being denied entry to another. The tension between top Texas Republicans has been impossible to ignore over the past week, a stretch that’s proven to be one of the...
Austin’s camping ban was always a GOP Trojan horse
It’s been an eventful month for Texas, to say the least. Bravo’s Housewives of Dallas was embroiled in race-fueled controversy. New arrival Elon Musk hosted one of the most awkward shows in Saturday Night Live history. And the Dallas Mavericks, who haven’t won a...
The 1836 Project is a desperate effort steeped in misinformation
Growing up in Texas, you learn two things in public schools right away: Remember the Alamo, and never, ever forget the year 1836—when rugged frontiersmen like Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin rallied an undermanned force to win their independence from an oppressive...
Quintin Jones’ impending execution strikes at the core of Texas’ death penalty problem
Over the past week, Texas death row inmate Quintin Jones’ pleas for clemency have galvanized criminal justice reform advocates and once again shined a spotlight on the state’s frequent use of capital punishment. Captured in a New York Times–produced video and op-ed...
How Texas Republicans are using the pandemic to fortify their power
We’ve all seen the images. Crowds of impassioned protesters and activists streaming into the Texas State Capitol to fight, scream, and implore lawmakers to not just hear them out, but acknowledge their humanity. Many of us have personally been in those throngs of...
LGBTQ activist Ash Hall is doubling down
Tuesday, August 15, 2017 is a night Ash Hall will never forget. For nearly seven months, the Clear Lake, Texas, native had spearheaded advocacy efforts to combat the state legislature’s now-infamous “bathroom bill” — an undertaking that was as ceaseless as it was...
Austin’s Prop B isn’t just a battle over homelessness. It’s a referendum on our society’s ability to act decisively, rationally, and compassionately
In June 2019, Austin leadership voted to roll back ordinances that prohibited camping and panhandling across town. The move, which came as a shock to many at the time, represented a key shift in the city’s desire to take on deep-seated, systemic issues with bold,...