Progress Texas Podcasts

Today - May 24, 2024 - is the second anniversary of the horrific mass shooting incident at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, an instance of mass murder shocking both in its scale, and in the still-unbelievable display of incompetence that marked the botched response of multiple law enforcement agencies that day. Over the two years since, the Republican-dominated government of Texas has not...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The families of the Robb Elementary shooting victims have announced a $2 million settlement with the City of Uvalde, and a series of lawsuits against involved law enforcement, including Texas DPS officers: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uvalde-school-shooting-settlement-texas-city-lawsuits/ ...Progress Texas provides an update in advance of...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Another pregnant Texan in a traumatic miscarraige situation is denied care by doctors, eventually fainting to her bathroom floor from blood loss: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/texas-nightmare-miscarriage-abortion-ban-b2549017.html Ken Paxton files his 75th lawsuit against the Biden administration, this one against work...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The anticipated public forum held by the Texas Medical Board seeking to clarify rules governing abortion access exceptions in Texas did little but increase confusion: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/20/texas-medical-board-abortion-guidance/ ...Among those testifying was Kate Cox: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/kate-cox-te...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The NRA Convention in Dallas saw heavy emphasis on voter activation among firearms enthusiasts: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/18/texas-nra-convention-trump-abbott-guns/ ...In his remarks, Donald Trump toyed with the notion of becoming a three-term President: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/19/trump-nra-conventi...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: In a stunning conservative undermining of our state's criminal justice system, Governor Abbott has issued a full pardon for Daniel Perry, convicted last year of murdering Black Lives Matter protester and U.S. Air Force veteran Garrett Foster in Austin: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/texas-governor-pardons-uber-driver-convicted-murde...

Last week, Progress Texas hosted our first ever Climate Justice Town Hall, where we discussed liquified natural gas (LNG) operations in Texas and the major health risks, environmental damages and harms to indigenous and lower income communities that have fallen victim to Big Oil and Gas’ commitment to profits over people. We learned a great deal from our experienced panelists:  John Beard,  CEO of...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Speaking at a tax-exempt (and thus presumably politically neutral) Houston church, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick espoused his view that Christianity should underpin Texas law: https://www.chron.com/culture/religion/article/dan-patrick-sermon-second-baptist-19455537.php Governor Greg Abbott appears to have fallen off the VP radar of Donald Trum...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Even as school districts across Texas are forced to cut jobs and close campuses under budget shortfalls, Governor Abbott continues to hold funding hostage to vouchers: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2024/05/13/texas-must-help-struggling-schools-with-special-session-on-funding-dems-say-to-abbott/ ...While Spectrum journalists di...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Lt. Governor Dan Patrick told a Christian talk show this weekend that he thinks Christian theology should provide the basis of government in Texas: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2024/05/13/lt-gov-dan-patrick-says-christianity-is-needed-more-than-ever-in-texas-politics/ Houston-area U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls is under investigation by...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Two former consultants for Laredo U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar appear ready to testify against him and his wife on federal corruption charges: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/09/henry-cuellar-political-consultants-plea-deal-guilty/ Republican U.S. Reps Ronny Jackson of Amarillo and Wesley Hunt of Houston are both under investigation by th...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Governor Greg Abbott has extended his orders to the TEA to defy new Federal guidelines on Title IX protecting LGBTQ students to administrators of state universities: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/greg-abbott-texas-universities-ignore-title-ix-revisions/3536397/ ...As Carroll ISD is asked by the U.S. Department of Education...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: New legal tactics allowing people who have sought abortion care out of state to be dragged into court increase the risks of engaging in sexual activity: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/5/7/2239233/-Texas-finds-new-way-to-punish-and-humiliate-anyone-who-tries-to-get-an-abortion ERCOT issues a "weather watch" due to hot weat...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A new attempt to legally target a Texas woman who sought abortion care in Colorado represents a new effort by abortion rights opponents to frighten Texans away from exercising their reproductive rights: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/05/us/texas-abortion-collin-davis-colorado/index.html ...It remains LEGAL to seek abortion care out of state:...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Democratically-backed candidates for newly-created oversight positions with county tax appraisal did well in Saturday's election in Dallas County: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/lone-star-politics/texas-voters-elect-appraisal-board-members-denton-dallas-tarrant/3533277/ ...And in Travis County: https://www.kut.org/politics/2024-...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Tomorrow, Saturday May 4, is Election Day for important municipal ballot items: Our bigger cities and counties have new oversight positions over tax appraisal districts to vote on: https://progresstexas.org/blog/why-you-should-care-about-may-appraisal-district-elections ...In Lubbock, local cannabis decriminalization is on the ballot: htt...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: That new ATF rule requiring more background checks for gun purchases has been targeted by the state in a lawsuit: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-ken-paxton-sue-rule-background-check-private-gun-sale/3529691/ Police arrested 21 pro-Palestinian protestors at UT Dallas yesterday in what's become a familiar scene across the count...

Welcome to the first of a monthly series of six discussions of reproductive freedom in Texas - the Republican trampling of that freedom, the dire threat that denial of basic human rights poses to women and pregnant people across our state, where the GOP is likely to go next should they gain power in November - and what YOU can do to stop them. Dallas State Rep. Julie Johnson - a Progress Texas end...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: 15 pro-Palestinian organizations have called for another protest today at UT Austin - could be the biggest crowd yet: https://youtu.be/9esCRGZWNJg?si=fxsazmgTnaDRgp6s ...Travis County DA Delia Garza pipes up that protest arrests are clogging the County's criminal justice system - and that the crackdowns are likely inviting more unrest...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Law enforcement ratcheted up the rough treatment of protestors being arrested at UT Austin on Monday: https://www.kut.org/education/2024-04-29/ut-austin-protest-israel-hamas-war-palestinians ...Students harangued law enforcement about their failure at Uvalde: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texas-students-protesting-war-gaza-question-troop...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Austin Rep. Gina Hinojosa on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics: ⁠https://youtu.be/S471DfitaQk?si=70WK-VmY5gW4Ccen⁠ The state is now issuing permits for oil producers to dump millions of gallons of toxic "produced water" into Texas rivers and streams: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/29/texas-treated-produced-water-disposal-di...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Travis County Attorney Delia Garza's office will not prosecute any of the 46 trespassing cases resulting from Wednesday's police crackdown at UT Austin: https://thehill.com/homenews/4622384-texas-prosecutor-appeals-ruling-that-tossed-crystal-masons-voting-fraud-conviction/ ...UT president Jay Hartzell releases a second statement:...

The week started badly enough - with small-town Republicans taking advantage of a newly-modified state law that allowed them to threaten to replace popular Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza with a stooge of their choosing. Then it got worse, with a dramatic overplay of police force as administrators at UT Austin called in militarized DPS troopers to crush a pro-Palestinian protest. What d...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Developments continue in the aftermath of the violent police stampout of a pro-Palestinian protest at UT Austin: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2024/04/24/ut-austin-campus-student-protest-arrest-pro-palestine-protests-walk-out/73425149007/ ...Governor Abbott stands by the crackdown: https://www.chron.com/news/article/greg-abbo...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The new law that has allowed an attempt by rural Republicans to oust Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza makes ALL DA's across the state vulnerable in the same way: https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2024/04/why-is-someone-suing-to-get-travis-county-da-jose-garza-out-of-office-and-what-comes-next/ Ted Cruz stuck with a small...