Progress Texas Podcasts

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Governor Greg Abbott is threatening to pull state funding from the city of San Marcos in retaliation for a largely symbolic Gaza ceasefire resolution placed on its city council's agenda: https://www.kut.org/politics/2025-04-30/san-marcos-tx-city-council-resolution-ceasefire-gaza-genocide-israel-governor-greg-abbott-funding-antisemitism ...Mea...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: SB-31, the abortion clarification bill, unanimously passes the Texas Senate: https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-ban-medical-exceptions-b54173653ce04a7ba434dae899624374 ...Meanwhile, SB-2880, a bill that will crack down on abortion medication and does not include language declaring neutrality on old abortion laws still on the books in T...

Aside from the daily drama at the Capitol, the race to succeed Ron Nirenberg as the next mayor of San Antonio is one of the top political stories in Texas, as the leadership of the Lone Star State's second-biggest city for next four years hangs in the balance. Attorney and San Antonio City Council Member Melissa Cabello Havrda has thrown her hat into the ring. Now in her third Council term, she ha...

The "list of 50" Democrats dug in to oppose Republican legislation in response to the forcing through of private school vouchers fell apart yesterday, as at least 8 Dems voted in favor of GOP items: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/25/republicans-texas-house-calendar-democrats/ The "Uvalde Strong Act" - passed by the House yesterday to establish uniform and coordinated school shooter response...

The idea of "due process" as a privilege or an option, given to some but denied others, has become a cornerstone of the policies of the second Donald Trump administration - and the right-wing disinformation machine appears all too willing to go along. What is due process, and what risks do each of us assume for ourselves in standing by as it's taken away from others, for any reason? We're fortunat...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Watch for a deep dive on Donald Trump's attack on due process here later today, even as suspicions of the deportation of a young U.S. citizen arise: https://www.npr.org/2025/04/26/nx-s1-5378077/honduras-deported-girl-citizen ...While a growing number of Texas law enforcement agencies sign force multiplier agreements with ICE: https://www.texa...

In Progress is out weekly venting session, in which we unload a bit on the issues we've been tackling lately - at PT we find group therapy intellectually stimulating, occasionally cathartic, and always fun - so we're letting YOU join in. We're always all ears for your input at ProgressTexas.org .

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Rising demand and dwindling supplies of water in Texas are placing major pressure on the business-friendly and environmentally-indifferent Texas GOP: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/the-impossibly-expensive-plan-to-save-texass-water-supply-texas-monthly/ Trump crazy is beginning to wear on his MAGA faithful - will they be able to find com...

The future of transportation infrastructure in Texas faces challenges both from our historic past - now starting a fourth decade under Republican control - and the uphill battles presented by the present day under Donald Trump and Governor Abbott's dubious priorities. We're proud to welcome a long-overdue visit with State Rep. John Bucy of Austin, and UT professor Miriam Schoenfield with the Texas...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: What appears to be a win for Texas Republicans in their push for unpopular private school vouchers appears likely to be a burden in the 2026 mid-term elections: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2025-04-25/the-vouchers-battle-is-decided-but-what-about-the-future-of-texas-politics/ ...Add to the draining of funds to subsize private school f...

We've published select episodes from other podcasts on the Progress Texas feed before, but we believe this is the first time we've run a radio show! Galveston attorney, former mayor and 2022 candidate for Texas Attorney General Joe Jaworski hosts "Midterms", a half-hour talk show on the upcoming 2026 elections, on the legendary KPFT-FM in Houston every Tuesday morning. This week,...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Austin State Rep. Gina Hinojosa from the intro: https://x.com/GinaForAustin/status/1913646263075062273?t=5d0u-Di48t87m0NE8l1aTA&s=03 Will that reported threat by Texas House Democrats to undermine all of the Republican majority's constitutional amendments for the rest of the session for refusing to let the voters decide on private school...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Early voting starts today in the May 3 election - see your local county website for a sample ballot to study beforehand, and get your questions about voting answered at GoVoteTexas.org . ...Two Republican bills on their way through the Legislature this week, similar to the federal SAVE Act, will make voter registration harder for lower-income...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A weekend SCOTUS ruling has stopped the Trump regime from deporting a group of ICE detainees being held north of Abilene to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-temporarily-blocks-new-deportations-under-alien-enemies-act/ Public skepticism, perhaps a bit too late, is growing in response to Gove...

In a world awash in passionate politics and widespread, nefarious disinformation, independent and ethically-sound journalism has never been more important, and has also never been under such threat. Countering disinformation is a major part of our mission at Progress Texas, and among the media sources in our state, we judge the Texas Tribune as one of the most impeccable, and source its high-quali...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Governor Abbott relied on intimidation of wavering State House Republicans to keep his spineless minions from putting private school vouchers to a public vote: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/17/greg-abbott-school-vouchers-republicans-hardball/ ...Abbott also called in Donald Trump to keep the troops in line: https://www.statesman.co...

Welcome to the first edition of In Progress, our new weekly group session in which the Progress Texas staff gathers to discuss, process and attempt to make sense of the latest developments in the crazy world of Texas politics. And, what a way to start. After 30 years of trying - against the members of their own party, and certainly in spite of public opinion - the Republican dream of taxpayer-fund...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: After a 30-year struggle, Governor Greg Abbott has all but accomplished the goal of his billionaire benefactors as Texas House Republicans pass Senate Bill 2, which allocates $1 billion (for starters) of your tax dollars to subsidize private school tuition: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/17/texas-house-school-vouchers-public-education-f...

The position of precinct chair is generally the party job closest to the actual action: meeting, motivating, and mobilizing the voters themselves, who happen to be your neighbors and friends! If you're a regular Progress Texas listener, you already know most of what you need to know to effectively fill this position. Many districts, in just about every corner of Texas, have vacancies in this vital...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: After 30 years of trying, Texas Republicans are confident they can push private school vouchers on an unwilling Texas today: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/15/texas-house-vouchers-public-school-funding-vote/?_bhlid=787b18ce3a9535dfb634483e2ca01fd2c02ecc6e ...But the Democratic minority has a plan to send that issue to the voters, where...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A stunning and surreal scene at the White House yesterday saw Donald Trump and El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, in defiance of U.S. courts, refuse to return a wrongly-deported Maryland man - and muse on sending American citizens away next: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzgQT__Az4o Reactions from Texas lawmakers including Austin Con...

The Barbara Jordan Texas Voting Rights Act, or TXVRA (which includes HB 5258 and HB 2082) will protect Texas voters from voting discrimination, provide powerful tools to combat voter intimidation, expand language access, and more — to ensure free and fair elections for every Texas voter. We reviewed with Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Christina M. Das, the Texas Civil Ri...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A floor vote is likely in the Texas House on Governor Abbott's bought-and-paid-for private school voucher scam on Wednesday: https://x.com/TFN/status/1910800951121785287 Of all the U.S. states, Texas stands to lose the most from the global economic disruption that Donald Trump's tariff playtime is causing: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/pol...

As part of our ongoing series of profiles with our favorite lawmakers and activists, Advocacy Manager Reagan Stone enjoyed a sit-down with two terrific Texans at the Texas State Capitol: State Rep. Ron Reynolds has represented Missouri City and Fort Bend County in the legislature since 2010, and Dr. Cyrus Reed serves as Conservation Director for the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. Learn more...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The U.S. Supreme Court has backed a lower court order for the Trump administration to "facilitate and effectuate the return" of wrongly-deported Salvadoran immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia - but stopped short of actually ordering that return: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-deported-migrant.html ...An Austin a...