Category Archives: Show Business for Ugly People

Some insight into Ken Paxton’s finances

Posted on April 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. In 2019, hostile attorneys questioned Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton about his conduct as a lawyer: Had he turned over a former client’s communications to an attorney suing that client? Paxton acknowledged that he had, one of the nuggets … Continue reading →

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Reps. Gonzales and Swalwell to resign from Congress

Posted on April 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

That escalated quickly. U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales announced on Monday he would resign from Congress, avoiding an expected vote on his expulsion after he admitted to having an affair with a staffer. Gonzales, a Republican from San Antonio, has faced intensifying scrutiny … Continue reading →

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No more smokable hemp

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

You can still smoke what you already have, though. Smokable hemp products are effectively illegal in Texas starting today as new rules on cannabis compounds take effect. The rules, adopted by the Department of State Health Services, mark the most sweeping change … Continue reading →

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That’s one way to promote growth

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

But don’t expect it to happen. The study ordered last week by House Speaker Dustin Burrows to examine whether Texas could actually gobble up some of the counties on the eastern rim of New Mexico has some political figures seeing … Continue reading →

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Paxton-Hancock slap fight

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Oh yeah. Bring it on. Attorney General Ken Paxton has called for acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock to be removed from office, in a fiery social media tirade responding to a letter Hancock sent accusing Paxton of falling short in his efforts to … Continue reading →

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House ethics panel investigating Rep. Gonzales (who ended up dropping his re-election bid)

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, they waited till after the primary. The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales to investigate affair allegations with his former aide. The committee announced a panel Wednesday, a day after Gonzales advanced to a … Continue reading →

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From the “FAFO: South Texas” files

Posted on March 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not one but two articles from Politico, on back-to-back days, about some Republicans getting all nervous about Trump and his anti-immigrant rampage. First up: Home builders are warning President Donald Trump that his aggressive immigration enforcement efforts are hurting their … Continue reading →

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SOS hands over voter roll to Trump DOJ

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Surrender time. Texas officials have turned over the state’s voter roll to the U.S. Justice Department, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, complying with the Trump administration’s demands for access to data on millions of … Continue reading →

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San Antonio will move its elections to November

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good move. San Antonians will cast ballots for municipal elections in November of odd-numbered years — instead of May — beginning in 2029 after a fractured City Council approved the calendar change, a move championed by Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones. … Continue reading →

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Cuellar and Trump

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sorry, but this is hilarious. President Donald Trump lashed out at U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar on Sunday, accusing the Laredo lawmaker of disloyalty for filing to run for reelection as a Democrat shortly after Trump pardoned him and his wife … Continue reading →

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A brief thought about the Jeffrey Epstein situation

Posted on December 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is from Brian Beutler’s Off Message Substack, and it’s actually about Ghislaine Maxwell, but I think you’ll take my point. Look at this week’s warning about Trump and the files from the New York Times editorial board. They rightly caution that Trump has … Continue reading →

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The SOS still can’t figure out citizenship

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Same song, different verse. County election officials investigating the eligibility of 2,724 Texas voters flagged as potential noncitizens have so far found that hundreds of the voters registered through the state Department of Public Safety, which requires proof of citizenship … Continue reading →

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San Antonio considers moving its elections to November

Posted on November 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They should! San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has asked City Council to move the city’s municipal elections from May to November, a move state lawmakers set the stage for earlier this year. The change would save taxpayers $1 million, … Continue reading →

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Paxton targeted for mortgage fraud

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing is likely to ever come out of this, but pass the popcorn anyway. The Trump administration has used allegations of mortgage fraud as a cudgel against the president’s political enemies in New York and California. Now, a small-town official … Continue reading →

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The latest UT Politics Project poll also has some warning signs for Republicans

Posted on November 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Two data points isn’t enough for a trend, but it is worth noticing. A small majority of Texans oppose the deployment of the Texas National Guard for law enforcement in cities out of state, according to a recent statewide survey. … Continue reading →

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Delving into the Paxton mysteries

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Will we see their divorce records? More than a year after Donald Miles and his ex-wife’s divorce became final after 24 years of marriage, Miles wanted to keep those records private. The Plano resident filed a motion last October to … Continue reading →

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Three ridiculous voting and election stories

Posted on October 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“Silly season” doesn’t begin to cover this stuff. Item 1: Paxton sides with Texas GOP, against secretary of state in lawsuit seeking to close primaries Last month, the Republican Party of Texas sued over a state law that allows anyone … Continue reading →

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Let’s unseal those divorce records

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, please. As you might recall, Texas Attorney General (and noted pen pilferer) Ken Paxton and state Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney) are getting divorced after 38 years of marriage. Angela Paxton announced on X.com in early July that she initiated the divorce “on … Continue reading →

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There’s more than one way to make voting harder

Posted on September 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is such a bad idea. After years of using a touchscreen machine to mark their ballots, voters in at least three Texas counties will be asked instead to make their selections directly on the paper ballots, by hand, starting … Continue reading →

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Republicans prepare to eat their own

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes all you can do is stare in bug-eyed amazement. The executive committee of the Republican Party of Texas was in Austin on Saturday to finalize its first-ever legislative review, outlining a list of censurable offenses that some within the … Continue reading →

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If Democrats could gerrymander now in Texas

Posted on August 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

There’s not a lot of news on Day Two of Quorum Break 2025. The session ground to a halt as expected. Greg Abbott shook his fist and threatened to Do Things to the absent Democrats that he does not have … Continue reading →

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On pursuing rural voters

Posted on July 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is an op-ed written by former State Rep. Glenn Rogers, who was targeted and ousted by Greg Abbott in the 2024 primaries because he was anti-voucher. He has not taken that defeat lying down. Our great state is experiencing … Continue reading →

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Just how intimate are those emails?

Posted on July 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The mind reels. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doesn’t want to reveal months of communications with Elon Musk or representatives from the tech mogul’s companies, arguing in part that they are of a private nature, not of public interest and potentially embarrassing. Musk had an … Continue reading →

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Paxton divorce filings sealed

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. A state district court judge in Collin County agreed Friday to seal all records relating to divorce proceedings between Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. Angela Paxton, according to reports by The Dallas Morning News and … Continue reading →

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Paxtons getting divorced

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Whoa. State Sen. Angela Paxton announced Thursday she has filed for divorce from her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation,” Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, said in a post … Continue reading →

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California threatens retaliatory re-redistricting

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a thing they could do. House Democratic leadership, rank-and-file members and aides to at least one blue state governor have been meeting to decide how to retaliate if Texas Republicans follow through on the White House’s push to reshape … Continue reading →

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Paxton minions hurl accusations at each other

Posted on June 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What a nest of vipers the AG’s office must be. Several former and current top aides of Attorney General Ken Paxton are trading explosive accusations in legal and administrative filings, the latest of which alleges that Paxton’s right-hand deputy obstructed … Continue reading →

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What’s next for Ron Nirenberg?

Posted on June 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully something political. In his last official address as mayor, Ron Nirenberg described how a global pandemic shook the one of the country’s most impoverished large cities into action on addressing poverty — and shaped his own approach to leadership … Continue reading →

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Tarrant county does mid-decade redistricting and gets sued over it

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

First there was this. The Tarrant County Commissioners Court could get a bigger conservative majority next year under a new map passed Tuesday. Republican Commissioners Manny Ramirez, Matt Krause and County Judge Tim O’Hare voted to adopt the map. Democratic … Continue reading →

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Abbott will be appointing a new Comptroller soon

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder. And that person will have a lot more influence than usual coming out of the gate. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to choose a new state comptroller in the next few weeks, who will have an outsized … Continue reading →

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Yes, the omnibus voter suppression law suppressed voting by mail

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Cause, meet effect. Some county election officials across Texas say the number of people voting by mail has dropped since 2020, but they’re not sure why. New research suggests that the recent overhaul of state election laws could explain some … Continue reading →

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We need a better class of wingnut billionaire overlords

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I read this story about the latest dude in politics with more money than sense and I just shake my head. In mid-September, Alex Fairly accepted an invitation to spend the day with one of the state’s richest and most … Continue reading →

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Resolution Calling for the Banning of Ted Cruz at College Playoff Sporting Events

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’m a Democratic precinct chair. As of this year, so is my buddy Bill Kelly, who had been before that the head of Governmental Relations for Mayor Sylvester Turner. After long discussion and one too many “oh … Continue reading →

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Once more with Trump’s approval ratings in Texas

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. President Donald Trump is viewed favorably by 47% of Texas voters and unfavorably by 50%, putting his net favorability at -3. This is a significant decline since November, when Trump’s net favorability was +12 (55% favorable, 43% unfavorable). … Continue reading →

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