A new collaboration for the Texas Organizing Project brings a long-term electoral strategy to the biggest battleground state
Cementing its status as the biggest and most important battleground state, Texas is getting some national support from a group focused on growing power in the legislature. The Sister District recently announced they would be joining forces with the Texas Organizing...
Rep. Chip Roy draws fire for comments during a hearing to address violence against Asian-Americans
At a congressional hearing on violence against Asian Americans, Rep. Chip Roy drew strong condemnation from colleagues for comments that appeared to glorify lynchings, and then later for claiming the hearing was primarily about policing rhetoric. The House Judiciary...
Stop Asian Hate
This past year has seen a disturbing spike in hate crimes against Asian-Americans. The horrific shooting in Atlanta, where a gunman killed eight people including six Asian women, is one of the more high-profile incidents but hardly the only one. The same day as the...
What Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package means for Texas
Last week, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law. It’s an understatement to say that Democrats went big with the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, which is in line with their campaign promises, the advice of economists and public...
Five Texas lawmakers back renewed push for Medicare for All
Five members of Congress from Texas are among the 112 co-sponsors backing the renewed push for Medicare for All in the U.S. House. Congressional Progressive Caucus Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) reintroduced the legislation for a single-payer national healthcare system on...
Musings: Greg Abbott, Big Liar
I never truly appreciated the art of a dog and pony show until I started working in Texas politics. Sure, I had orchestrated my share of “visibility events,” rallies, and press conferences across the years and states that I had worked in, but nothing really prepared...
‘Life support for the bail bond industry:’ Experts sound alarm on SB 21
The Texas Senate Committee on Jurisprudence is hearing testimony on Thursday over Senate Bill 21, a sweeping piece of legislation that would hamper bail reform efforts in Texas sought after by some local governments and civil rights groups. The bill, authored by...
Op-Ed: Police Department Chief Art Acevedo is Leaving Houston. Good Riddance.
Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo has taken a job as chief of the Miami Police Department. The move is a surprise to many Houstonians; given Acevedo’s active PR presence and high-profile appearances on national television, rumors had swirled that he might...
Texas Senate hears testimony on seven anti-choice bills
Yesterday, hearings were held at the Texas State Capitol for a slew of anti-abortion bills filed in both the House and Senate. Enacting anti-abortion legislation is a major priority for conservatives in Texas, even though a month ago millions of Texans lost power and...
Democrats continue to criticize Abbott for voter suppression bills
Democrats and local elected officials continue to sound the alarm on a series of sweeping voter suppression bills being backed by Gov. Greg Abbott. “We don’t have voter fraud in Texas but we did have massive systemwide grid failure, statewide power outages, bursted...
Harris County residents protest governor’s phony push for election integrity
Protesters gathered outside state Sen. Paul Bettencourt’s Houston area office on Monday to protest the arrival of Gov. Greg Abbott at a press conference backing GOP legislation that would prevent local counties from expanding voting methods. “Whether it’s the...
Musings: Let’s Talk About Your Bracket
There’s nothing I love more than a good tournament. Basketball, football, softball, baseball, combat sports, cricket. You name it, and if they play it in a tournament format somewhere, I can probably get down with it. If only there were a way that would allow me to...
Lessons from Harvey survivors for Texans recovering from the snowstorm
As Texans continue to recover from the snowstorm and electrical grid failure, thousands are now looking to the government for help repairing their homes and restoring normalcy to their lives. It will not be easy, survivors of Hurricane Harvey tell the Signal. Juanita...
The foreign policy vision of Joaquin Castro
The United States currently finds itself in the most complex and challenging geopolitical environment at least since the end of the Cold War. Liberal democracy is backsliding from Poland to the Philippines. Violence and instability from Syria to Central America are...
Matthew McConaughey really is considering running for governor
For years, the speculation that Matthew McConaughey might make a run for statewide office was bubbling around Texas. Yesterday, the actor and author took his biggest step in confirming political ambitions. McConaughey’s revelation came on the Balanced Voice podcast...