Op-Ed: Push Abbott to pass SB 1109 during the special session
On June 18th, Governor Abbott vetoed S.B 1109 – a bill requiring age-appropriate instruction for middle and high school students regarding the prevention of child abuse, family, and dating violence as part of the health curriculum. Why is this important? According to...
Former legislative leaders speak out against Abbott defunding the legislature
On Monday, a bipartisan group of three former state leaders, two Republicans and one Democrat, voiced their opposition against Gov. Greg Abbott’s effort to defund the legislature. Former House Speaker Joe Straus, former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, and former House Speaker...
Anti-trans legislation on the agenda for special session
On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced legislation identical to Senate Bill 29, an anti-transgender bill that died in the Texas House, is on the agenda for the special session beginning July 8. SB 29 prevented transgender students from participating on...
Odus Evbagharu, the new chair for the Harris County Democrats, is ready to get to work
Odus Evbagharu made history when he became both the first Black and the youngest (at age 28) chair of the Harris County Democratic Party (HCDP). And while he’s happy to talk about such an achievement, he’s also busy planning out the next steps for the state’s largest...
The storied history of Texas special sessions
Ask any Texan who’s been around the block and they’ll tell you: Special sessions aren’t so “special” around the State Capitol. That’s because, despite their moniker, the legislative assemblies — which essentially function as politics’ far, far less entertaining...
Gov. Greg Abbot reveals special session agenda — with no power grid fixes
On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott revealed his priority items and agenda for the special legislative session set to begin Thursday. It includes much of the controversial legislation that did not come to pass the last session, including changes to election law, more...
Musings: Allen West’s Big Misadventure
There’s something about the American West generally and Texas specifically that has always attracted people looking for a place to start over. People who have washed out of every corner of American life have found their way to Texas. Some of them found life in the oil...
Hoochies of Houston: the city’s newest grassroots organization
Activist Nia Jones, also known on social media as Hoochie God, said after the killing of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant she felt a need to speak up for Black women across the country. Bryant was shot by the Columbus Police Department outside of her home. Williams...
Democrats aren’t worried about a GOP comeback in North Dallas
There’s little doubt Texas Republicans are eyeing the seat of retiring Rep. John Turner, a two-term statehouse Democrat from the Dallas suburbs, as a potential 2022 midterm pickup. Turner flipped the seat in 2018, comfortably defeating his Republican opponent by...
Musings: Allen West’s Big Misadventure
There’s something about the American West generally and Texas specifically that has always attracted people looking for a place to start over. People who have washed out of every corner of American life have found their way to Texas. Some of them found life in the oil...
Poll: Abbott’s approval and disapproval ratings are neck-and-neck
A poll released Tuesday by the University of Texas and Texas Tribune shows Texans are evenly split on Governor Greg Abbott’s job performance. Abbott’s approval rating is now at 44 percent according to the poll, with an equal percentage disapproving. The poll is...
Right-wing think tank walks back absurd critical race theory advisory
The werewolves at the Texas Public Policy Foundation got a good look at the moon Wednesday and revealed a little too much about themselves. In a since-deleted tweet, the conservative think tank shared a guide for how to spot critical race theory in the...
A breakdown of the Derek Chauvin sentencing
On Friday, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in Oak Park Heights maximum security prison for the murder of Houston native George Floyd. During the sentencing on Friday, the prosecution and defense both provided testimony...
The border stunt and Abbott’s authoritarian hypocrisy
Earlier today, Greg Abbott held an event with Donald Trump billed as a border security visit. Abbott’s stunt, a way to flex his conservative credentials ahead of a potential run for president, is also another reminder of how Abbot’s fear mongering about the border has...
Ballot initiative to decriminalize weed, ban ‘no knock’ warrants kicks off in Austin
Ground Game Texas, a new voter mobilization group, announced Wednesday they would be launching a new campaign to create a ballot initiative in Austin to decriminalize marijuana and end "no-knock” warrants. The “Austin Freedom Act of 2021” would decriminalize low-level...