Progress Texas Podcasts

As we shut down what's been a year brimming with crazy in Texas politics - and steel ourselves for a 2024 likely to take the cake - we present the holiday wishes of our guests at our two 2023 holiday parties in Austin and Dallas! As progressives in Texas, what would we like to receive as gifts this holiday? We firmly believe that if we stay the course and persist, all of our dreams will come t...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Officials expected to enforce SB-4 and their observers see it as not only impossible, but rife with ethical and justice-related hazards: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/texas-sb-4-immigration-18568738.php SB-4 is a "middle finger" to the United States and its Constitution: https://newrepublic.com/article/177725/t...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Local law enforcement, especially in border communities, are not prepared to enforce SB-4 when it lands in March: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sb4-texas-immigration-law-enforcement-migrant-crisis/ ...While Governor Abbott takes to the skies in his ever-expanding theater of migrant cruelty: https://www.axios.com/2023/12/21/texas-governor-c...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The ACLU, alongside El Paso officials, have sued the state over Governor Abbott's signing of SB-4: https://newrepublic.com/post/177674/texas-just-passed-one-countrys-racist-immigration-laws ...El Paso's district attorney is one of the lawsuit's targets - though Bill Hicks' office has said they won't pursue SB-4 cases:...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: As expected, Governor Greg Abbott signed the blatantly unconstitutional SB-4 into law: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-immigration-law-sb4-signed-greg-abbott/ ...The law mandates that judges send migrants in violation back to Mexico: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/texas-arrest-migrants-crossing-border-illegally-under-new-state-law-20...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The ACLU has prepared a legal challenge to the new Texas immigration bill SB-4, which it will file immediately after Governor Abbott signs it into law: https://wsbt.com/news/nation-world/aclu-prepping-lawsuit-awaiting-abbott-approval-of-controversial-immigration-law-southern-border-migrant-crisis-border-security-initiatives-american-civil...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Senator Ted Cruz, sensing the volatility of the issue, continues dodging questions about developments in Texas surrounding our abortion bans: https://newrepublic.com/post/177569/ted-cruz-does-not-want-talk-texas-abortion-case ...In fact, the entire Republican Party appears queasy about it: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-ne...

Which Texans inspired us with their tireless work to press progress forward in Texas this year - and which Texans did all they could to keep us in the olden times? The whole Progress Texas staff is in on this one, and we've got lots of love (and shade) to dish out as we wrap up another nutty year in Texas politics with the ten best - and ten worst - Texans of 2023. See the blog and follow alon...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The U.S. Supreme Court, dominated by conservative Trump appointees, is set to review a Texas judge's revoking of the FDA approval of the common abortion drug mifepristone: https://www.keranews.org/government/2023-12-13/u-s-supreme-court-to-consider-limits-on-abortion-medication-mifepristone ...The prospects of the SCOTUS review are &q...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The entire country is stunned over recent developments regarding abortion care for women with problematic pregnancies in Texas: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/what-does-texas-supreme-court-ruling-emergency-abortions-mean-patients-2023-12-12/ ...The Texas Supreme Court regards Cox's legal plea as evidence she doesn't qualify for...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The Texas Supreme Court ruled against Dallas-area mother Kate Cox, denying her emergency emergency care, forcing Cox to leave Texas to receive it: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/public-health/2023/12/11/kate-cox-flees-state-to-get-abortion-after-supreme-court-decision/ ...Proving that the "exceptions" Texas law provides are rea...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court stayed a lower court order that would have allowed Dallas mother Kate Cox to terminate a doomed pregnancy that threatens her health: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-abortion-ban-supreme-court-hold-kate-cox/ ...Drawing national attention to the contrast of approaches to reproductive freedom between Dem...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Dallas-area mother of two Kate Cox is granted a temporary restraining order allowing her to terminate a dangerous and hopeless pregnancy: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-abortion-ban-kate-cox-emergency-fetus-trisomy-18-judge-maya-guerra-gamble/ ...While Attorney General Ken Paxton threatens legal action against any doctor who provides...

Progress Texas has endorsed longtime U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in her run for mayor of Houston, which will be decided on Saturday in that city's very important runoff election, which will also determine Houston's next city controller (a race in which we've endorsed Chris Hollins) and several at-large City Council seats. Congresswoman Jackson Lee took a few minutes during a...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Abortion rights plaintiff Kate Cox's case will receive a temporary restraining order hearing this morning at 9am in the Austin court of judge Maya Guerra Gamble: https://www.youtube.com/live/0oCALdrAefY?si=HnOo90di5qICHhI0 ...ABC News provides a good summary of the Cox case: https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-suing-texas-abortion-bans-mo...

Kate Cox, a Dallas mother of two, is calling for a court order to allow her to receive abortion care amidst a dangerous pregnancy: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/us/texas-abortion-lawsuit.html ...Every day that passes increases the danger to Ms. Cox: https://progresstexas.org/woman-sues-texas-allow-abortion SB-4, the blatantly unconstitutional immigration bill, could be signed into law by Gove...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The mindblowing news that Texas' Republican Party has chosen not to disavow Nazis continues to reverberate nationally: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/04/texas-republican-party-vote-antisemitism ...Representing the continued embrace of extremism on the political right in Texas: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-gop-extr...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The Texas Democratic Party has issued a resolution calling for peace in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict: https://www.texasdemocrats.org/media/texas-state-democratic-executive-committee-unanimously-passes-israeli-palestinian-resolution-calls-for-a-humanitarian-ceasefire-and-release-of-hostages Meanwhile - over the same weekend - the Texas...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: DPS officials have been ordered by a district judge to (finally) hand over its records regarding the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/30/uvalde-shooting-investigation-records/ Ken Paxton's AG's office has sued Pfizer, claiming they inflated claims regarding their COVID-19 vaccine in order to...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A new report from Human Rights Watch highlights the deadly hazards Operation Lone Star high-speed chases are creating among our border communities: https://abc13.com/texas-dps-chase-human-rights-watch-report-operation-lone-star-reports-troopers-involved-in-chases/14119628/ The confusion surrounding abortion care for troubled pregnancies i...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Much discussion of yesterday's Texas Supreme Court hearing of the Zurawksi vs. State Of Texas case: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/state/2023/11/29/texas-supreme-court-hears-case-challenging-texas-abortion-bans-health-risks-pregnancy-women/71727577007/ ...Amanda Zurawski appeared after the hearing on MSNBC's The Reid Out sho...

Abortion rights activists across the country were glued to this morning's hearing at the Texas Supreme Court of the State appeal of a lawsuit brought by 20 Texas women and two doctors whose lives have been upended by our state's poorly-written and carelessly-implemented abortion bans since the fall of Roe v Wade. We convened an expert panel as the hearing closed late this morning: State Re...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The Zurawski vs State Of Texas case will be the subject of a hearing at the Texas Supreme Court this morning: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/11/28/1215463289/texas-abortion-lawsuit-texas-supreme-court ...Livestream link: https://www.texasbarcle.com/CLE/sc.asp Will there be a fifth special session? No word yet from the Gove...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The Zurawski v State Of Texas case is set to be heard by the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court tomorrow: https://www.npr.org/2023/11/26/1215227706/texas-supreme-court-to-hear-case-on-state-abortion-laws-and-pregnancy-complicati ...Watch via this livestream link: https://www.texasbarcle.com/CLE/sc.asp Ted Cruz is ignoring criticism for in...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Several factors paint a picture of strategy for Governor Greg Abbott in vying to be Donald Trump's running mate: https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2023/11/20/greg-abbott-vice-president-2024-texas-gov ...While Abbott endorses 58 Texas House members who voted his way on vouchers last week: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/as-pr...