Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

Cheney versus Cruz

Posted on August 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Pop your popcorn, this should be fun. U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, one of the GOP’s highest-profile critics of former President Donald Trump, plans to set her sights on U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and other Republicans who she says “made themselves … Continue reading →

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Beware the tasty invasive Aussie lobsters

Posted on August 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully we can eat enough of them to mitigate their impact. They may be delicious, but they’re also invasive. Texas Parks and Wildlife announced Thursday that several Australian redclaw crawfish were recently discovered again at an apartment complex pond in the Brownsville area. Labeled … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Paxton issues deranged opinion on access to ballots

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is utterly chaotic. And completely out of the blue. A legal opinion released by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week will almost certainly throw county elections offices into chaos after November, experts say, exposing election clerks to possible … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A different EMTALA ruling in Idaho

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. You know where this goes from here. A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Idaho from enforcing a ban on abortions when pregnant women require emergency care, a day after a judge in Texas ruled against President Joe Biden’s … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s State Bar disciplinary hearing

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We are slowly moving towards finally having some kind of result in this saga. Lawyers for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued Wednesday that a Kaufman County judge should toss a lawsuit alleging he acted unethically in a legal challenge … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Arredondo fired

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Took awhile, but there it is. The Uvalde school board agreed Wednesday to fire Pete Arredondo, the school district police chief broadly criticized for his response to the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, in a vote that came shortly … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Restraining order granted in Paxton’s EMTALA lawsuit

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Texas hospitals will not be required to provide emergency abortions after a federal judge ruled the Biden administration was unauthorized to enforce such a rule. U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix in Lubbock ruled that the guidance by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

There’s still a lot of confusion about how Texas’ abortion ban will be enforced

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There will be chaos, in addition to the fear and danger to pregnant people that already exists. Abortions are already effectively outlawed in Texas, where clinics closed after the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs. Wade. But a new … Continue reading →

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Kemp’s ridley turtles making a comeback

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We deserve a little good news. For the first time in 75 years, hatchlings of the world’s smallest sea turtle species have been discovered on the Chandeleur Islands, a chain of barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico off the … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 22

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There is still nothing classified as Top Secret in the Texas Progressive Alliance weekly roudup.

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Rockport, Dickinson, Port Arthur: Five years after Harvey

Posted on August 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, we’re at “five years after Hurricane Harvey made landfall” time. Here’s a long story about how three smaller towns that were in its path are doing now. Each day, Gary Billy drives past the empty corner lot where his … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Abortion funds file First Amendment lawsuit for their right to assist others access abortion

Posted on August 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what SCOTUS does with this one, because for sure that’s where this will end up. Reproductive rights groups on Tuesday filed a federal class-action lawsuit to head off possible prosecution from Texas officials for helping Texans gain access … Continue reading →

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The Constables’ and Comptroller’s ridiculous complaint

Posted on August 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is transparent bullshit. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar this week accused Harris County commissioners of defunding local constables and threatened to prevent the county from implementing its proposed 2023 budget if the county does not reverse course. In a letter … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Class action lawsuit for Uvalde parents being prepped

Posted on August 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There are a lot of blanks to be filled in for this. You can be sure I’ll be watching for them. Some of the families affected by the Robb Elementary School mass shooting are now a part of a major … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Beto still seeking to dismiss oligarch’s lawsuit against him

Posted on August 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Might have better luck this time around. Remember last year when Gov. Greg Abbott’s biggest donor sued gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke for defamation, slander, and libel? Well, that’s still going on. The legal fight has moved into a state appeals … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

I don’t know why anyone thinks that IVF will be safe in Texas

Posted on August 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what people are saying now. Abortion bans across the country have thrown into question the fate of in vitro fertilization, an expensive medical process that helps people become pregnant. But experts and anti-abortion groups say Texas’ laws shouldn’t apply … Continue reading →

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Let’s name a few legislative battlegrounds

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting to be that time of the election cycle. Two years ago, Democrats were gearing up for a rare opportunity in modern times: capturing the Texas House majority. But after they came up woefully short — and Republican-led redistricting … Continue reading →

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Yes, let’s build more bike trail bridges

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all about connectivity. Stopping for a water break on the normal blistering-hot Houston day, bicyclist Reagan Smithers, 33, can see the tops of the trees along her street from the White Oak Bayou Trail. As the grackle flies – … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

DeLorean reboot company hit with intellectual property lawsuit

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a plot twist I didn’t see coming. Mere months after the city and county coughed up nearly $1.1 million in incentives to attract the revamped DeLorean Motor Co., the venture has been hit with a lawsuit alleging its founders … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 21

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“Storytelling has always been a dance between the creators and the audience. Plots turn and twist, steering expectations and swaying emotions. But as filmed entertainment has grown on a near-exponential scale, encompassing interconnected franchises and expanding onto more platforms than … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Commissioners Court approves its bond package

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

But not without some bitching and griping. Harris County Commissioners Court voted Thursday to put a $1.2 billion package on the November ballot this year, with the vast majority aimed at road construction. Tensions flared when Harris County Judge Lina … Continue reading →

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Whither the Log Cabin Republicans

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A whole lot of words about a group of people that make no sense to me. In June 1998, a group of gay and lesbian conservatives, pushing for greater representation at the Texas Republican Party convention in Fort Worth, found … Continue reading →

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The 24th plaintiff

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, 23 of the 24 women who had filed lawsuits against Deshaun Watson for sexual harassment and assault have settled those cases. The one who has not settled now tells us why. Deshaun Watson and the NFL agreed to … Continue reading →

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Texas will get a lot from the Inflation Reduction Act

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks, Biden! Texas’s clean energy sector is expected to be one of the largest beneficiaries of the climate and health care legislation President Joe Biden has signed into law, according to estimates released by the White House Wednesday. Over the next … Continue reading →

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SCOTx advised to leave judicial bypass rules in place

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a pleasant surprise. An advisory committee to the Texas Supreme Court voted unanimously Friday to keep in place a legal procedure that allows minors to get a judge’s approval to have an abortion without the legally necessary parental … Continue reading →

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We’re going to have a “colder than normal” winter

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What could possibly go wrong? Savor the rest of the sweltering summer because this winter in Texas is going to be “colder than normal,” according to Farmers’ Almanac. The Almanac, which has been predicting the weather outlook for farmers and … Continue reading →

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Hopefully the last time she will appear before a judge

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

For her sake, I hope it is. Years of legal trouble for a former Harris County civil judge have come to an end with three years probation. Alexandra Smoots on Wednesday wept as Judge Chuck Silverman granted her deferred adjudication … Continue reading →

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This is why elections administrators are under attack

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What a lousy thing to do right now. Harris County’s new elections administrator has not taken office yet, but the Harris County GOP is already trying to shape his reputation. On Wednesday, State Senator Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, tweeted an image … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Adoption is not a replacement for abortion

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Anyone who tells you otherwise is at the very least misinformed. More likely, they’re just lying. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the loss of abortion access in many states, some conservative leaders have suggested abortion is unnecessary … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Watson’s suspension increased to 11 games

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was the result of an agreement between the NFL and Deshaun Watson as represented by the NFLPA. Deshaun Watson’s suspension has been increased from six to 11 games, the league announced Thursday. Watson and NFL reached a settlement where … Continue reading →

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Houston will have a bond on the ballot

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First I’d heard of this, but it should be pretty routine. Houston will ask voters in November to approve a $478 million bond program to buy fire and police vehicles, renovate or replace city facilities and give the city’s animal … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New bail bond rule survives again

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

On to the appeals. A judge rejected a second attempt by a bail bonding business to put an end to a Harris County rule requiring defendants accused of violent offenses to pay a minimum 10 percent fee to secure their release from jail, officials said … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

If your advocacy includes convincing children to carry their rapist’s baby to term, your advocacy is bad

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Towards the end of this overall infuriating story about “crisis pregnancy centers” in Texas, we come to a quote that stunned me so hard I had to step away from the computer for a few minutes. If they can get … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texa blog roundup for the week of August 15

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance weekly roundup is not classified as Top Secret and thus can be safely taken home with you.

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