Progress Texas Podcasts

We're joined on our weekly airing of the grievances by Progress Texas board member Jason Smith, who's also a Fort Worth civil rights attorney who has had a front row seat to the blatant, racist power grab being executed by the Republican-dominated Tarrant County Commissioners Court, via which a premature redistricting effort is on the verge of successfully drawing one of the two Democrats...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The very public breakup of Donald Trump and Elon Musk is a great example of the dangers our country faces when big decisions are made by impulsive, egotistical billionaires: https://www.wsj.com/politics/elon-musk-trump-fight-gop-bill-c2e0be66?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_1 State Rep. Jolanda Jones has announced a run for the U.S. House s...

We were invited to join newly-elected Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder earlier this week in beautiful Kerrville for a town hall with the Kerr County Democrats - it was a well-attended, productive and enjoyable meeting, in which we all learned about the common needs and goals of rural and urban progressive folks across the Lone Star State, and how those two worlds can come together i...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Governor Abbott signs HB2, the public school funding bill, into law - but it falls well short of really getting our schools square with their expenses: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/04/texas-public-education-schools-funding-bill-explained/ ...Insufficient funding is part of the broader GOP game plan lately, as the Trump adminstration s...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: On the heels of the Johnson County Sheriff's Department's abuse of ALPR license plate tracking systems to follow a Texas woman who had self-managed an abortion, the Austin Police Department has also been taking liberties with the new technology: https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2025-06-03/emails-reveal-improper-use-by-ap...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The end of the 89th Texas Legislature represents the beginning of the analysis of the damage done. From the Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/02/texas-legislature-ends-session-republican-agenda/?_bhlid=f3bc5066045403914b35bcc5884d32ca437e86bf ...From WFAA in Dallas: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/look-at-bill...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: An impressive takedown of Texas GOP Senators goes viral: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texan-goes-viral-for-calling-out-legislators-over-anti-trans-bill_n_68388fa8e4b06ff5140d4a4b As Sine Die arrives - along with the beginning of Pride Month - Texas Republicans have sent Senate Bill 12, a bill outlawing LGBTQ+ clubs in Texas schools, to...

The 134 PAC, an organized group of progressives and Democrats from the vast expanse of rural, Republican-dominated Texas, has a plan to convert those folks into the unified, activated voting bloc that they should be through unity with their urban compatriots and mobilization of a proper, statewide resistance to MAGA rule in Texas. Both Progress Texas Podcasting Director Chris Mosser and Advocacy M...

The weekly kvetching session comes as the last days of the 89th session play out like a slow-motion train wreck. Dan Patrick makes massive ass at a truly bizarre (and entirely unnecessary) press conference, Elon Musk bows out in disgrace in D.C., and Texas Republicans make sure wild-eyed whackjobs can keep their guns. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! Learn more about Progress Texas a...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A Texas Tribune/Propublica investigation reveals that the Trump administration lied repeatedly about the criminal backgrounds of the 238 Venezuelan migrants they sent to a prison in El Salvador from Texas last March: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/30/trump-el-salvador-deportees-criminal-convictions-cecot-venezuela/ ...While pictures of...

A pattern emerged this May Election season for D/FW, Houston, Austin, and more: voters turned out for progressive candidates and issues, to stomp out bigotry and book bans. For this episode, we’re featuring several candidates from across the state who want to ride that wave through the Runoff Elections, with early voting from May 27 to June 3, and Election Day on June 7: we're joined for this...

Governor Abbott weighs in on a tragic accidental death at Grapevine Lake, calling for the death penalty against the Venezuelan national alleged to have caused it: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/ava-moore-daikerlyn-alejandra-gonzalez-grapevine-20349012.php Elon Musk is apparently out of the Trump cadre, after critizicing the "big beautiful bill" and its certain massive bloating of...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Dallas U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett promises a counter to Donald Trump should Democrats retake the House in 2026: https://www.latintimes.com/rep-jasmine-crockett-says-dems-will-investigate-trump-if-they-reclaim-house-midterms-well-do-583793 ...Meanwhile, Austin U.S. Congressman Greg Casar is talking about an investigation into conn...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Austin Rep. James Talarico scored the viral moment of the holiday weekend at the Lege, with a gotcha on Republican Rep. Candy Noble regarding her violation of the Sabbath in order to force the Ten Commandments into Texas classrooms: https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/26/ten-commandments-bill-texas-tiktok/ Hemp industry advocates are plea...

Advocacy Manager Reagan Stone reviews two bills that threaten your voting rights: the Texas version of the SAVE Act and the “Use it or lose it” bills! Joined by Vote Riders’ Vicente Martinez to discuss SB 16,  Texas’ SAVE Act introduces new, incessant barriers to register to vote—requiring proof of citizenship to register. And from the National Coalition for Voting Rights, Robin Lederer and Dr. An...

Our weekly decompression session comes in the closing days of the Texas Legislature - when all the bad stuff we've fought against for months tends to happen anyway. Looked for a minute there like we might make a sensible move on cannabis - but noooo. And Sam has an idea that might make us all feel better about Republicans refusing once again to give Texas public schools and teachers what they...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: As the line against the Trump agenda falls in the U.S. House, do Democrats have an age problem? https://newrepublic.com/post/195617/republicans-pass-tax-bill-democrat-deaths ...Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder issues a statement on the Trump tax bill: https://www.texasdemocrats.org/media/breaking-house-republicans-pass-trumps-...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: After a contentious all-night fight, Republicans in the U.S. House have passed Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill" - a truly historic fleecing of working-class Americans for the benefit of the rich: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-republicans-set-pre-dawn-votes-get-trump-tax-bill-over-finish-line-2025-05-22/ ...It was made much easi...

Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke has lately been staging live town hall events in cities and towns across Texas, in both blue and red counties, raising funds and volunteers for his voter activation PAC Powered By People, and - some might theorize - perhaps testing the waters for a run against John Cornyn in 2026. We caught the full audio of Beto's event in Garland on Monday night, which we present...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Latest on the Trump bill Rep. Julie Johnson commented on this morning: https://www.reuters.com/business/us-stock-futures-dip-bond-yields-climb-trumps-tax-bill-standoff-unfolds-2025-05-21/ El Paso is seeing more adult measles infections than those affecting children - due possibly to high vaccination rates in kids, and older Texans who may...

We're super proud to be the first to bring you a talk with freshly-announced Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Austin State Rep. Vikki Goodwin! Dan Patrick, in almost a decade in that very powerful office, has been central to all manner of conservative malfeasance in Texas - thumbing the scales for the wealthy at the expense of the working class, undermining faith in science and ou...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Donald Trump's fixation on celebrity rejection has drawn his attention to Kamala Harris' October 2024 rally in Houston: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/trump-harris-houston-rally-beyonce-20334757.php John Cornyn's polling numbers are vastly outpaced by challenger Ken Paxton's - leading to GOP fears of a toxic candidate in the general el...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: President Joe Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis should be seen as a reminder of the importance of continued medical research investment: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/texas-lawmakers-joe-biden-20333919.php HB 49, in the rush to completion at the end of the 89th Legislature, would protect oil comp...

Our weekly airing of the grievances is perhaps a little spicy this time because frankly, we're sweating our butts off. Lucky for Texas, renewable energy has carried the load keeping the AC on, but Republicans still hate it. A curious child marriage bill gets a curious House vote, which we'll explain. Ted Cruz wants to give babies a grand (thanks Ted!). And, the nerds of PT are fired up over Andor...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The deadline for the Texas House to act on bills filed by its own members arrived at midnight last night - bills allowing landlords to more easily evict tenants, and improving conditions for kids in our juvenile justice system, are both DOA for this session: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/15/texas-house-deadline-winners-losers/ ...Rep....