Monthly Archives: July 2025

And just like that we have a map

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

That sure was fast. Good thing all those hearings are over. Texas GOP lawmakers released their first draft of the state’s new congressional map Wednesday, proposing revamped district lines that attempt to flip five Democratic seats in next year’s midterm … Continue reading →

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Senate again passes THC ban

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What are we even doing here? The Texas Senate on Wednesday preliminarily approved its second attempt to ban hemp-derived THC, setting up a showdown with the House, where hemp industry members say they’ll be getting more support. Senate Bill 5 … Continue reading →

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Paxton harasses NY clerk over Carpenter case

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is all for show. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton escalated a brewing conflict between Texas and New York’s abortion laws. On Monday, Paxton announced he filed legal action against New York Acting Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck for refusing … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 28

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes Congress a long, long recess as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Redistricting roundup

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

While we wait for maps, we can ponder whether or not there will be a quorum break. As Republicans in Texas move full steam ahead with a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts, Democrats are privately mulling their options, … Continue reading →

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The Lege goes to Kerrville

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Well, just some of them. The Texas Legislature’s special session will journey west to Kerrville this week, sending lawmakers to the seat of the most devastated county of the July 4 floods. The two special committees weighing the legislative response … Continue reading →

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More women have nearly bled to death following a miscarriage thanks to the abortion ban

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Brought to you by SCOTUS and the Republican Legislature. And Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton, too. Before states banned abortion, one of the gravest outcomes of early miscarriage could easily be avoided: Doctors could offer a dilation … Continue reading →

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So is there a map yet or not?

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to believe Republicans are flying blind on this. While the Republican redistricting effort is underway in Texas, the fight is on nationally. So, too, is the wait, as political observers – and anxious politicians – hold on for the … Continue reading →

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Would you let Elon monetize your car?

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I wouldn’t, but I’m not in scope for this, so that’s an easy call. Tesla owners may soon be able to earn money by letting their vehicles operate as self-driving robotaxis, CEO Elon Musk announced this week. During Tesla’s second-quarter … Continue reading →

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Why is HCC requiring community groups to carry liability insurance?

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I got this in my inbox on Monday: Dear Community Members, Friends and Allies: Civic Clubs, Super Neighborhoods and other community organization’s ability to meet using Houston City College (HCC) facilities is being prevented due to a new policy requiring … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton likes spending money

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

On fancy lawyers. Perhaps because he has to, as a result of his own actions. One day in late May 2024, lawyer Zina Bash spent 6 1/2 hours working on a case against Facebook parent company Meta on behalf of … Continue reading →

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The latest lawsuit to go after mifepristone

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

These guys will never stop. A Galveston man is suing a California doctor for allegedly providing his girlfriend with abortion-inducing drugs, the latest effort to test Texas’ anti-abortion laws against blue states’ protections for abortion providers. Unlike other ongoing legal … Continue reading →

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Bobby Pulido

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We learn some more about a Democratic Congressional recruit. Tejano superstar Bobby Pulido is forming an exploratory committee for a congressional bid in South Texas as he considers challenging Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg. Pulido, a Democrat and Edinburg … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for July 27

Posted on July 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“What can I say? There’s an ingrained and often stifling politeness that’s bred into us in the American South. Even though I knew I was talking to a machine, I couldn’t not be nice to it.” “I’ll go down this … Continue reading →

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July 2025 campaign finance reports – HISD

Posted on July 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We’re going to have to do this the hard way. With a fundraising haul of more than $75,000, incumbent Houston ISD trustee Bridget Wade has outraised all declared candidates who are running for the five trustee seats up for election. Houston voters … Continue reading →

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Still no maps

Posted on July 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s weird. Not unexpected – the Republicans have always loved some secrecy in the redistricting process – but weird. The Texas House’s redistricting committee visited Houston on Saturday to hear out local residents’ concerns on the state Legislature’s plans to … Continue reading →

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Activist fined over mailers sent in 2023 District G race

Posted on July 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. A Houston activist was fined $12,438 last month for allegedly sending misleading mailers to disrupt a high-profile Houston City Council race among Tony Buzbee, Enyinna Isiguzo and incumbent council member Mary Nan Huffman in the fall of 2023. The … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Trump tariffs

Posted on July 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. A conservative legal group is suing the Trump administration in Texas over the president’s tariffs on Chinese imports, alleging that they were unilaterally imposed through an “unlawful” use of an obscure emergency executive power. The 24-page complaint filed Thursday by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) in the U.S. … Continue reading →

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Crane and McLane settle their lawsuit

Posted on July 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I have one specific reason for posting about this. Astros owner Jim Crane and former Astros owner Drayton McLane agreed Friday morning to settle their long-running dispute over the 2012-13 collapse of the Comcast SportsNet Houston, one day into their trial before a 15-member … Continue reading →

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How’s that Trump thing been working out for us?

Posted on July 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A brief sampling… Texans could see higher energy costs as Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ slows clean energy growth, report says Less clean energy will be built in Texas as a result of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed into law by President … Continue reading →

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July 2025 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVOIUSLY: Harris County Senate and Congress When I did the January roundup for the city of Houston, I didn’t expect there to be much activity of interest in July, given that the next regularly scheduled election for the city is … Continue reading →

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The flood hearings

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. The Texas House and Senate quickly established special committees to focus on relief efforts and determine what preparations the state must make to be better prepared for future natural disasters. Now, these panels of state lawmakers are … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, July 25 edition

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth: another very bad bid for the Dallas Morning News; Dallas is under the Death Star’s eye; more … Continue reading →

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Is Talarico leaning towards a Senate run?

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like it. Texas state Rep. James Talarico hasn’t yet decided if he will run for the U.S. Senate, but he’s taken a key step to lay the groundwork. Talarico, an Austin Democrat, registered the internet domain name “TalaricoForSenate.com,” which … Continue reading →

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Redistricting hearings

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Attend or watch if you can. The state House has scheduled redistricting hearings in Austin, Houston and Arlington, signaling a fast start to the Republican-backed effort to redraw the boundary lines for Texas congressional districts in the special legislative session that started Monday. … Continue reading →

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Council to consider scooter ban

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not a fan. Houston may soon join a growing number of major U.S. cities that have banned electric scooters, citing increasing safety risks to pedestrians and riders. A proposal to prohibit electric scooter use in downtown, Midtown, and East … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 21

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes the Legislature an unhappy and unproductive special session as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Is Abbott now pro-THC banning?

Posted on July 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Kinda, yeah. Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that he supports banning intoxicating hemp products, appearing to walk back his calls last month for lawmakers to regulate the state’s burgeoning THC industry like it does for alcohol. In interviews with media … Continue reading →

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Some lessons learned from the measles outbreak

Posted on July 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. As the number of Texas measles cases tied to a West Texas outbreak slows to a trickle, South Plains public health director Zach Holbrooks remembers the call from a colleague in an adjacent county six months ago that … Continue reading →

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The post-Beryl cellphone experience

Posted on July 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve heard a lot less about this than we have about power outages. During Hurricane Beryl, a record 2.26 million CenterPoint Energy customers lost power, sending line crews scrambling across the region once the storm passed. The epic loss of … Continue reading →

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Start of the special session flooding roundup

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder of why we’re supposedly here, the non-THC reason. Texas lawmakers largely ignored recommendations aimed at helping rural areas like Kerr County prepare for flooding Sixteen months had passed since Hurricane Harvey tore through the Texas coast in … Continue reading →

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An early look at who’s running for HISD Trustee

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron, which notes that five seats are up for election this year and that until Mike Morath gives us back our power there won’t be that much for them to do. District I Felicity Pereyra Felicity Pereyra, a … Continue reading →

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From the “Our service area is bigger than yours” department

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Actual headline: Waymo responds to Tesla’s dick joke with a bigger Austin robotaxi map. We live in truly stupid times. Earlier this week, Elon Musk posted an image of Tesla’s robotaxi service area in Austin, Texas, that was in the shape of … Continue reading →

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July 2025 campaign finance reports – Senate and Congress

Posted on July 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVOIUSLY: Harris County Back in April I just took a look at who had already started raising money for CD18. There wasn’t much else to report so I thought I’d wait till the July report to see what was going … Continue reading →

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