Progress Texas Podcasts

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...

Texas Democrats have put up a bumper crop of quality statewide candidates in the 2026 midterm, and among them, Houston's Savant Moore stands out - Army veteran, Howard graduate, Houston ISD trustee (and classroom teacher!) - this is a guy who has contributed to his country and community at a truly exemplary level, and seeks to continue that service as Texas Comptroller. Learn more about Savant...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Almost a year ago, a 23 year old U.S. citizen from San Antonio was killed by ICE agent in south Texas - and it took investigative work from Newsweek to uncover that federal involvement: https://www.newsweek.com/ice-agent-fatally-shot-us-citizen-texas-dhs-records-11544225 The Trump administration is set to sidestep 28 federal regulations in or...

Chris managed not to get kicked out of the Senate Gallery at the Texas State Capitol long enough to see Taylor Rehmet become the first Democrat sworn in to represent Tarrant County's 9th Senate district since shoulder pads were hot. Early voting has shown Democratic voters in Texas fired up to hit the polls - but it's still gonna be an uphill battle. Lots more to talk about, and we do, on...

As early voting in the primary gets underway, another Texas candidate running for the Texas State House, in this case for the seat representing HD 50 - the space made by James Talarico as he runs for the U.S. Senate. Samantha Lopez Resendez is an RGV native and longtime staffer at the Capitol, notably in the office of State Rep. Donna Howard. Learn more about Samantha Lopez Resendez at https://www...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The first two days of early voting have seen a near-doubling of the 2022 pace of Democratic primary voter turnout in Texas - but, with only a 20% jump, Republicans still lead in total ballots cast: https://votehub.com/early-vote-tracker-tx-primary-26?state=tx-sen-26-dem Keeping it real and local appears to have been the secret sauce for &...

On Presidents’ Day in Dallas, Next Generation Action Network kicked off Social Justice Week 2026 with with a powerful conversation on what democracy truly means and who it is supposed to serve, at the John Lewis Social Justice Academy. In a time when rights are under attack, truth is being distorted, and power is being challenged, the community came together to have a real conversation about recla...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Last night's debate between Republicans seeking to replace Ken Paxton as attorney general was an unbridled hate-fest, targeting Muslim Texans, Black Texans, and liberal Texans: https://republicanags.com/news/texas-attorney-general-the-2026-republican-primary-debate/ Right-leaning fear and hate have risen in Frisco, where Indian immigr...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: TV host Stephen Colbert defies CBS orders not to discuss their orders to pull an interview with James Talarico, citing the Trump FCC's modification of "equal time" rules for talk shows: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2026/02/17/colbert-says-cbs-refused-to-air-his-interview-with-democrat-candidate-fearing-fcc-blowb...

We're taking Presidents' Day off this Monday, but we take a moment to remind you to think about the importance of ALL our hard work this midterm election year in doing all we can to put a stop to the daily insanity from the current occupant of the White House. We also remind you that your support is huge to us - so instead of picking up a new mattress, pick up the merch to match your progr...

Sara McGee is running unopposed as a Democrat in the swingy 132nd Texas House District, inspired by a rude experience with incumbent Republican Mike Schofield, one of our most do-nothing and boot-licking lawmakers. A former school librarian and community advocate, Sara is focused on protecting Texans' reproductive rights, increasing public education funding, and expanding healthcare access. Le...

The Progress Texas board has begun announcing their endorsements in the 2026 election, and if you don't live in North Texas, one you might be less familiar with is Kevin Burge - a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and cybersecurity specialist currently running for the U.S. House in Texas' 24th Congressional District, which has significant overlap with Texas State Senate District 9- the site of tha...

Yet another week in the blender to unpack, as Austin State Rep. and new Progress Texas endorsee Vikki Goodwin joins us to announce an initiative to limit the encroachment of ICE into our neighborhoods, and give us an update on her campaign for Lieutenant Governor. Plus a discussion of Trump's new all-out assault on the environment, the ridiculous airspace lockdown of El Paso, and the needlessl...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The board at Progress Texas has issued its endorsement of Austin State Rep. Vikki Goodwin in her run for Texas Lieutenant Governor: https://progresstexas.org/blog/progress-texas-endorsements-march-primaries-0 ...Texas labor unions, somewhat inexplicably, have been split in their endorsements in the race for Governor: https://www.texastrib...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Once again voting against the party that put him in power, Laredo Congressman Henry Cuellar was the only Democrat in the U.S. House to vote in favor of a strict new voter identification law based upon Donald Trump's unfounded claims of rampant voter fraud: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/us/politics/house-passes-voter-id-bill.html...

In this live pod captured at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, former PT staffer Reagan Stone moderates a panel of Democrats seeking their party's nomination to challenge Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez, a lawmaker whose reputation as a moderate does not resolve his failure to address the poverty and healthcare crisis that plagues one of the largest political districts in the nation. L...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The Progress Texas board has issued an endorsement for freshly-elected Congressman Christian Menefee in Houston's 18th Congressional District: https://progresstexas.org/blog/progress-texas-endorsements-march-primaries-0 Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare was at it again last night - kicking citizens out for questioning the county&#39...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett's comments after Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislane Maxwell pled the Fifth yesterday: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/02/09/rep_jasmine_crockett_the_united_states_is_falling_apart_right_now_its_time_to_take_off_the_blinders.html New University of Houston polling shows significant leads for...