Progress Texas Podcasts

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A three-judge panel in El Paso has put the brakes on the Trump-ordered mid-decade redistricting of Texas' congressional map: https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-texas-map-blocked-lawsuit-trump-ab4dc519717c6661c63e116c9f26d899 The state, as expected, has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, who now have the next move: https://www.democracy...

A major story as that panel of three judges - two of whom are Republican appointees - have decided that the GOP-led and Donald Trump-ordered mid-decade redistricting of Texas, designed to help Trump artificially maintain his control over the U.S. House of Representatives, is unlawful. There's lots to come here - Progress Texas board member and Fort Worth attorney Jason Smith joins us to discuss. T...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: As Trump changes his tune on the Epstein files, Texas Republicans are suddenly also no longer opposed - showing their spineless complicity with the Dear Leader: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-texas-congress-21192934.php ...Trump could just order the release of the files - but language in the disc...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Donald Trump's call for Republicans to stop resisting the full release of the Epstein files comes just after Ted Cruz, John Cornyn and Chip Roy all voted to keep them secret: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-news/u-s-senators-ted-cruz-and-john-cornyn-of-texas-voted-against-releasing-epstein-files/ Houston Mayor John Whitmire is struggling...

It's very difficult to keep a secret in Texas politics, so a great many of the hundreds of folks who crowded into San Antonio's Backyard On Broadway this afternoon probably already knew what former mayor Ron Nirenberg was gonna say. But that didn't stop a pretty awesome announcement party from happening! We'll save the secret for the podcast, even though you've probably already...

The team had a great time with our friends from the Asian Texans For Justice Action Fund at the Clay Pit in downtown Austin! Houston State Rep. Gene Wu and Houston City Councilwoman (and Harris County Judge candidate) Letitia Plummer joined us for a fun and inspiring conversation centered on our AAPI community in Texas, but applicable to ALL of us who strive for progressive change. Learn more abou...

Another wild week ends with the tantalizing release of thousands of Jeffrey Epstein's emails - for us, a reminder that the GOP is still sitting on the real goods, and are doing everything they can to keep that lid on good and tight. We're joined by Austin immigration attorney and Texas House District 50 candidate Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch to discuss that, and to give us her highly expert take on the...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Several Texas ties surface amidst the trove of Jeffrey Epstein's emails dropped yesterday, including Elon Musk: https://apnews.com/article/epstein-documents-trump-andrew-emails-7bdf92fd2d742f88789b2b5d67bf9f48 ...And disgraced Baylor president and Monica Lewinsky scandal attorney Ken Starr: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/ken-starr-jeff...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Our conversation yesterday with Beto O'Rourke: https://progresstexas.org/podcast/happy-hour-242-beto-orourke-and-power-people Donald Trump has signed legislation ending the federal government shutdown - including language that more or less kills the consumable hemp industry in one year: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/...

You'd be hard pressed to name an individual Texan who has provided more inspiration, guts and drive to the progressive side of Texas politics over the last two decades than El Paso's Beto O'Rourke, whose grassroots voter activation operation Powered By People has just emerged victorious from a legal scrape with Ken Paxton, stronger than ever as the crucial midterm election year approac...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: After a protracted battle in Texas over this year, in the language of the bill returning the federal government to operation lurks language that will ban consumable hemp products across the nation: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/thc-ban-congress-21162625.php ...The hemp ban further establishes the federal government s...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Reports of preferential and luxurious treatment enjoyed by Ghislane Maxwell in a Texas federal camp in Bryan have led to amplified calls for the Epstein files to be released: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/ghislaine-maxwell-epstein-texas-prison-trump-21154534.php ...With the reopening of the federal government and...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Progressives across the country and across Texas are outraged that eight centrist Senators have caved to the Republicans, ending the federal government shutdown at 40 days: https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-trump-641e7e2324f261da72395b604d9540e8 However - in the long run, it appears that the Democrats are the overall win...

California Governor Gavin Newsom was supported by a who's-who of Texas Democratic leaders and elected officials on Saturday as he rolled into Houston for a rally in celebration of his state's passage of Prop 50, which will allow California Dems to nullify (at least!) the gains that Donald Trump has demanded of Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans in their mid-decade gerrymander of our congre...

Progressives and Democrats across the country are basking in the glow of a highly encouraging blue wave in this week's election - but the stakes couldn't be higher, nor the challenge greater for 2026. Fort Worth attorney and Progress Texas board member Jason Smith joins us to talk about a rare uplifting week for Texas progressives - and most importantly, the challenge that lies ahead. Learn more a...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A Rhode Island judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP by the end of the day today, but Texas HHS says it will take as long as three days for Lone Star Cards to be funded: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/31/snap-benefits-texas-court-rulings/ Even before figuring in the Trump SNAP clawback, the Latino vote has swung...

Under the first phase of Trump 2.0, the First Amendment has been put through the wringer - and that's no more true anywhere than Texas college campuses. Progress Texas Executive Director Kathleen Thompson captured a recent live talk with civil rights lawyer J.T. Morris, Supervising Senior Attorney for FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, during which he details the current st...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Almost a week into the month, November SNAP funding remains unpaid, leaving millions of Texans, including 1.7 million kids, in a state of food insecurity - for the first time since LBJ: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/05/texas-snap-food-stamp-families-hunger/ ...Even when November's payment arrives, Donald Trump's USDA says it will be ha...

We're the first to talk to Colonel Terry Virts, who had previously announced a run for the U.S. Senate, about his pivot into the race for the U.S. House in the newly-drawn (we think) Congressional District 9 - part of the racist Trump-ordered plan to carve new safe Republican seats out of marginalized communities, and seemingly drawn for the personal advantage of Deer Park Rep. Briscoe Cain. We th...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Huge Democratic gains on Election Night in NYC, California, Virginia, and New Jersey - a harbinger of what's to come in next year's midterms? https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/us/politics/democratic-party-mamdani.html ...All 17 Texas constitutional amendments on the ballot passed: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/04/texas-constitution-am...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Less than 8% of Texans have voted so far in the 2025 constitutional amendment election, but we stand a chance of matching the 20-year high in 2023 of 14.5%: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/election-day-updates-21125022.php ...In Houston, turnout is relatively low in spite of a major election in CD-18: https://www.hou...

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Today marks one year to November 3, 2026 - the mid-term election. Mark YOUR commitment to the upcoming year by voting tomorrow: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/22/texas-statewide-propositions-november-ballot-election/ ...In particular, be sure to vote NO on Proposition 12, which would give Governor Abbott too much influence over judicial...

East Texas farmer and firefighter Bobby Cole has the distinction of being the first to announce a run challenging Governor Greg Abbott, and while that field has gotten more crowded since, he's also distinctive in his grassroots origins - Cole has never held office before, and that's what a lot of his followers like most about him. Progress Texas' Reagan Stone talked to Cole before an audience host...

Our group gripe this week has an obvious target, as Donald Trump, Greg Abbott, Mike Johnson and the rest of MAGA callously threaten millions of Americans using SNAP food assistance benefits with starvation as a political play. As usual, the cruelty is the point - especially horrifying to be happening in 2025 America. Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our...

Texas State Senator Sarah Eckhardt has served Austin in the legislature since 2020 after years of local leadership in Travis County, and has recently announced a run for the U.S. House in the newly-redrawn Congressional District 10. The district is drawn for a significant Republican advantage, but potentially in Eckhardt's favor, the incumbent Republican Congressman Michael McCaul has declined to...