From Blood member to activist: a conversation with Antong Lucky
At 21 years old, Dallas 415 gang member Antong Lucky was sentenced to seven years in prison by the United States criminal legal system that locked up minority citizens for the “War on Drugs.” The infamous drug crack cocaine filled the streets of urban...
Poll shows Greg Abbott with two-point lead over Beto O’Rourke
On Friday Texas Lyceum released its annual statewide poll, a major survey on the top issues facing Texans and their opinion on Texas leaders. The biggest attention-grabbing news from the poll is just how close things are at the top of the ticket in the 2022...
Biden’s budget had a billionaire tax but Manchin shot it down
The White House’s budget released Monday included a new tax on billionaires but it didn’t take long for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) to throw cold water on the idea. The proposed “Billionaire Minimum Income Tax” would impose a new minimum tax of 20 percent on...
Texas House LGBTQ Caucus Chair Mary Gonzalez on Abbott’s anti-trans order
Texas House lawmakers recently penned a letter to Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Jaime Masters expressing concern with Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to investigate the parents of transgender youth for child abuse. Lawmakers said the order (which...
Op-Ed: I’m a Christian Mom and I Love My Trans Daughter
Moms of trans kids are so tired. We can’t keep living in flight or fight mode. We need you. I’m a Christian, a nurse, and a hard working, loving mom of seven children. One of them, my 11-year-old daughter Kai, is transgender. She’s happy and healthy, with a huge...
Harris County gets shoutout as example of successful bail reform
Harris County's misdemeanor bail reform efforts recently got a hat tip from the Prison Policy Initiative, a non-profit, non-partisan national advocacy group that focuses on mass criminalization. Since 2019, the state’s largest county has taken aim at the money...
Death Penalties for Abortions and The Ultra-Rightwing Runoff in Texas
In North Texas, a runoff election between a Republican incumbent and challenger has generated headlines over whether or not there should be death penalties for abortions. The race for House District 91, however, goes beyond that gruesome debate and highlights just how...
Jan. 6 committee investigating Ted Cruz’s role in plot to overturn 2020 election
The House select committee to investigate January 6 is looking into Ted Cruz’s alleged role in the plot to overturn the 2020 election, according to the Washington Post. The Post reports that the committee is interested in Cruz’s contact with Trump lawyer John Eastman,...
Abortion funds threaten to sue Rep. Briscoe Cain for false and defamatory statements
Earlier this month, Republican Texas House lawmaker Briscoe Cain sent Texas abortion funds cease-and-desist letters, threatening the funds, their donors and volunteers with criminal prosecution unless they stopped helping fund abortions in Texas. Now, the Texas Equal...
Pasadena ISD responds to concerning disciplinary data
Earlier this month, the Signal reported on Texas Civil Rights Project disciplinary data highlighting Pasadena Independent School District’s alarming numbers on discipline and over-policing. The report by TCRP highlighted the number of arrests, suspensions,...
Don’t turn the Gulf into a sacrifice zone, environmental groups tell Biden
Gulf Coast environmental groups are speaking out against a new plan by the Biden administration to expand U.S. gas supply to Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The White House plan is an attempt to curb Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels,...
Texas Democrats Press For Expanding Medicaid (Again)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) celebrated its 12th anniversary this week, and Texas Democrats used the opportunity to talk about Medicaid expansion. And specifically, the fact that Texas hasn’t done it. Texas is just one of 12 states that has not expanded Medicaid...
Texas could be a target for Russian cyberattacks
President Joe Biden issued a dire warning on Monday that Russia is considering cyberattacks against the United States. The war in Ukraine is going rather poorly for Russia, with Western-supplied weapons wreaking havoc on Russia’s military while sanctions pummel...
Bipartisan Texas House lawmakers ask execution of Melissa Lucio to be stopped
Lawmakers from both parties gathered on Thursday to hold a press conference in favor of delaying or stopping the execution of Melissa Lucio, a 53-year-old woman convicted of murdering her two-year-old daughter. “I have never seen a more troubling case than the...
Texas Supreme Court hears arguments against new GOP redistricting maps
On Wednesday, the Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments against the state’s newest redistricting maps that were finalized last year and are set to last until the next decennial census. The litigation is being brought forth by the Mexican American Legislative...