Progress Texas Podcasts

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The Texas Tribune collects a lineup of Talarico-isms currently being distorted and twisted by Republicans, who clearly see their reign over Texas under dire threat by the Democratic nominee for Senate: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/12/james-talarico-texas-senate-republicans-attacks-god-is-nonbinary/ ...They've also conjured a s...

Among the midterm races that in cycles of yore might have seemed without hope for Democrats - but considering the massive outpouring of primary interest this year, suddenly seem possible - is Texas House District 112 in the northeast Dallas area, where widespread dissatisfaction with longtime Republican incumbent Angie Chen Button couples with that Democratic momentum to give nominee Zach Herbert...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Under pressure from both Donald Trump and Ken Paxton - after years of defending the filibuster in the U.S. Senate - Senator John Cornyn, desperate for Trump's endorsement, has changed his position on a primary safeguard for the minority party in that body: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/11/john-cornyn-filibuster-save-america-act...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: New polling from Texas Public Opinion Research shows Senator John Cornyn eight points behind Ken Paxton in the Republican primary runoff in May - a deficit too wide to be overcome by a Trump endorsement. Cornyn now faces a choice: eliminate Paxton from the race by helping kill the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act in the Senate, or...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The Gámez-Cuéllar family, including their two sons who are members of the acclaimed McAllen High School mariachi troupe, were released by ICE yesterday after a significant public outcry: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/09/texas-antonio-gamez-cuellar-monica-de-la-cruz-ice/ Laredo Congressman Henry Cuellar was one of four Congressional...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: As we reported Friday morning, Texas DPS released footage related to the federal border officer-involved killing of 23 year old Ruben Ray Martinez last year in South Padre Island, and it does not appear to justify lethal force: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/06/south-padre-immigration-officer-shooting/ ...Meanwhile outrage is buildi...

Every week, we marvel at the insanity of the week prior in Texas politics, and the primary election - especially Tuesday's Election Night, complete with Republican-orchestrated voter suppression in a major Texas city - certainly did not disappoint in that regard. We once again gather to self-therapize, celebrate a bit, and steel ourselves for the long, uphill fight to come. Thanks for listenin...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: At the behest of Donald Trump, Ken Paxton is mulling dropping out of the race for the U.S. Senate - on condition that Senate Republicans kill the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act, which would help Trump suppress voters ahead of the midterm election: https://www.khou.com/article/news/politics/elections/ken-paxton-texas-senate-race-...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Following a second night of celebration in Austin for James Talarico, his story, well known in Texas, is permeating nationally: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/us/politics/james-talarico-texas-senate.html ...Talarico's win suggests a shift among the Texas electorate away from partisan vitriol to political pragmatism: https://www.th...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: After an election night that saw chaos unfold in both Dallas and Williamson Counties due to Republican hijinks, including late interference by Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Republican Texas Supreme Court, Austin State Rep. James Talarico has officially won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate: https://www.texastribune.org/2...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Election Day arrives amidst a variety of strong indicators for a strong Democratic performance in the midterm: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/03/texas-march-primary-election-day-senate-attorney-general-abbott-5-things/ ...The outcome of the contest between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and State Rep. James Talarico for the Democrat...

Monday March 2 marks the 190th anniversary of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico, which kicked off in earnest the Texas Revolution - a chunk of history that has been manipulated and whitewashed over time as a major component of what has become the "Texas Myth", which is the central theme of the groundbreaking 2021 book Forget The Alamo . Jason Stanford is on...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A host of Texas U.S. Representatives, including Jasmine Crockett, Lloyd Doggett and Julie Johnson, are calling for the Congress to place limits on Donald Trump's ability to unilaterally wage war - but the partisan divide is likely to place its own limits on that possibility: https://www.npr.org/2026/03/02/g-s1-112092/iran-war-powers-c...

State House District 138 in the northwest Houston area has been under GOP control for over 20 years - but in a 2026 seeing very high Democratic confidence, that race is interesting for sure. And, even as the primary silly season rages on, HD 138 already has a Dem nominee in Tyler Smith, a local community leader and gun safety advocate with extensive experience in politics from his Houston area hom...

Early voting is over - so, only Election Day, Tuesday March 3, remains for Texas progressives to make their voice heard in the 2026 primary (runoffs notwithstanding)! And the day AFTER that, on Wednesday March 4th, the Texas Democratic Party is set to launch the “Texas Together Campaign” - a historic, coordinated statewide effort to turn Texas blue - and YOUR help is needed. To tell us all about i...

Legendary in Dallas, the Brewer Storefront is the community-service and pro bono arm of the national law firm Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, established in 1995 to provide high-level legal advocacy to individuals and organizations who would otherwise likely be unable to access the "big law" resources they provide. Attorneys Ian Shaw and Josh Harris join us to tell the story of the S...

We always say, it's been a wild week in Texas politics - but between the high of unbelievable Democratic turnout in the primary, and the low of a potential sweeping away of justice for Ruben Ray Martinez, this one's been extra wild. We welcome Progress Texas board member Dick Lavine for this weekend's roundtable. Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas at https://progress...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: You're not experiencing deja vu - the U.S. military has again recklessly deployed their new laser technology without coordinating properly with the FAA, who have again imposed an airspace shutdown near El Paso: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/26/texas-el-paso-border-drone-laser-airspace-closure/ ...We hope some courageous reporte...

Texas is at the center of the battle for equal voting rights in America today. As the March primaries continue for the 2026 Midterm elections,we’re here to discuss a pending Supreme Court case that you might not have heard about yet, but will be crucial for the future of voting rights for Black and Brown voters in the South. PTI Board Chair, Louis Bedford, joins the podcast to discuss Louisiana v....

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Dueling polls late in the 2026 primary season fail to clearly identify a leader in the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/texas-primary-conflicting-polls-show-how-several-key-races-too-close-call ...The new poll from the UT Politics Project: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/competition...

MeidasTouch and MoveOn hosted an alternative to the Donald Trump State Of The Union address last night on the National Mall, featuring a lineup of lawmakers, activists, and just regular folks whose lives have been upended by Trump and his reckless, racist policies. Austin Congressman Greg Casar was one of the speakers, and we bring you his remarks from the People's State Of The Union event her...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Establishing a new tradition, Houston Congressman Al Green was booted from the Trump State Of The Union address last night in response to his protests for the second consecutive year: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/02/24/trump-state-of-the-union-address-2026/al-green-escorted-out-00797132 ...Texas Reps Veronica Escobar and Gre...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Joshua Orta - the passenger in the car of Ruben Ray Martinez when he was allegedly shot by a federal border officer last March and the key witness in the case - himself died in a car crash in San Antonio last weekend: https://apnews.com/article/texas-ice-shooting-martinez-orta-death-eef234709ecea98a9fabaafefb656c07 Texts asking for "...

Marcos Vélez of the Houston area is a longtime union leader and Texas AFL/CIO endorsed candidate for Texas Lieutenant Governor - our enlightening talk with Marcos with highlights a broad range of important aspects of the changing world in which working Texans find ourselves. Early primary voting is underway now through Friday February 27th, and Election Day is Tuesday March 3. Learn more about Mar...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: With only six voting days remaining, Democratic early voting primary turnout continues far outpacing that of the Republicans: https://votehub.com/early-vote-tracker-tx-primary-26?state=tx-sen-26-dem ...All of this is great fun for Dems, but there are reasons to maintain objectivity and focus: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/is-something-ha...