Monthly Archives: September 2025

More kids are not getting vaccinated

This is so bad. For more than a half-century, vaccines have had remarkable success eradicating the most lethal and devastating childhood infectious diseases, saving millions of lives and ushering in a relative golden era of global public health. But now, … Continue reading

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Dispatches from Dallas, September 20 edition

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth, we have budget news from across the region, the repercussions of the Charlie Kirk murder in the … Continue reading

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Erica Lee Carter withdraws from County Judge race

A bit of a surprise, at least to me. Former Congressman Erica Lee Carter announced Wednesday that she will not be running for Harris County Judge after previously signaling interest in the seat. Back in July, Carter had stated over social … Continue reading

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Bobby Pulido officially in for CD15

Our main target to flip next fall. Tejano musician Bobby Pulido is running for Texas’ 15th Congressional District, he announced Wednesday, giving Democrats their best — and potentially only — opportunity to flip a Republican-held seat in 2026. Pulido, a … Continue reading

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Still more on Elon’s flood tunnels

I once again call your attention to an episode of CityCast Houston, in which host Raheel Ramzanali chats with the host of the CityCast Las Vegas podcast about the experience they’ve had with Elon Musk and the Boring Company and … Continue reading

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Andrew White to run for Governor again

A second go-round. Houston’s Andrew White, son of the late Gov. Mark White, on Tuesday filed initial papers to run for governor again, hoping to stop Gov. Greg Abbott from winning a fourth term in office. “It’s time for a … Continue reading

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More demands for Paxton divorce records

Bring it. A group of state and national media organizations, including The Texas Newsroom, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, are arguing in court that records in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s divorce case should be made available to the public. … Continue reading

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

The sports gambling loophole

Interesting. With football season ramping up, various social media sites have seen a swarm of new advertisements urging users to download various apps that would allow them to win big on the outcomes of upcoming sporting events. Some ads make … Continue reading

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Texas blog roundup for the week of September 15

The Texas Progressive Alliance has always condemned political violence as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Judge Hidalgo will not run for re-election

We have our answer. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced late Monday that she will not be seeking re-election in 2026. The decision, announced exclusively during ABC 13’s evening broadcast, marks an end to the progressive Democrats tenure as Harris … Continue reading

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Powered by People gets another win in court

This is all still temporary and preliminary, but it’s also still good. Every time it looks like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is getting the best of Beto O’Rourke in court, the former El Paso congressman pulls off another victory. … Continue reading

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One request to halt the Tarrant County mid-decade redistricting is denied

There is a second chance still in play. A federal judge based in Tarrant County denied a request to keep the old commissioners precinct map in place until the redistricting lawsuit is finished. Judge Reed O’Conner, who presides over the … Continue reading

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Nirenberg’s choice

I know what I’m rooting for. Former Mayor Ron Nirenberg is mulling his political future, even as he’s adjusting to his new day job — lecturing Trinity University students on communications. The two main paths he is considering are Bexar … Continue reading

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The redistricting litigation strategy

It’s what we’ve got. Outgunned in the national redistricting war, Democrats are launching a multipronged legal battle to try and prevent GOP gains ahead of next year’s midterms. It stands to be a grueling, lengthy and costly process for Democrats … Continue reading

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More on Elon’s flood tunnels

Insecure man makes defensive response to fair questions about his wild idea. Film at 11. Billionaire Elon Musk is taking issue with a recent investigation by the Houston Chronicle and The Texas Newsroom that raised questions about a flood tunnel … Continue reading

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A pair of CD18 polls

I am just passing these along out of curiosity. Special election polling is very tricky since you just don’t know what the electorate will look like. These are internal campaign polls, which are always inherently suspect. Nobody is particularly visible … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Some uses of police overtime are more sensible than others

I have three things to say about this. As thousands of protesters gathered at Houston City Hall earlier this year during the No Kings protest against President Donald Trump’s multimillion-dollar military parade, Houston police leaders spent more than $102,000 on police overtime … Continue reading

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A brief gondola check-in

California dreamin’. Internal emails, contracts, and PowerPoint presentations obtained by The Anaheim Investigator through the public records act reveal city planners are exploring the option of constructing an aerial gondola system to connect the Platinum Triangle with the Anaheim Resort in preparation for the 2028 Summer … Continue reading

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Weekend link dump for September 14

“We’re not just talking about soap and water here. The best way to be clean online is to turn your daily wash into an endless assembly line of products that you can show off as part of a collection.” “This … Continue reading

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

A brief note about another poll

From Texas Public Opinion Research: Hey y’all, welcome back! In today’s TPOR installment, we’re diving into the findings from our latest poll on the 2026 Senate race—tracking voter preferences in a hypothetical Democratic primary, and examining the state of play … Continue reading

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Some reactions to the THC executive order

The Chron is not impressed. By issuing an executive order banning THC products for minors, Gov. Greg Abbott ensured nobody would be fully satisfied. When crafting legislation, that’s often a good thing. Compromise, by definition, means both sides don’t get everything they … Continue reading

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Say “no” to AI music

Ugh. When pop groups and rock bands practice or perform, they rely on their guitars, keyboards and drumsticks to make music. Oliver McCann, a British AI music creator who goes by the stage name imoliver, fires up his chatbot. McCann’s … Continue reading

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A brief note about a poll

This poll. Only one-third of Texas voters approve of the GOP-led effort to redraw the state’s congressional map, according to a recent statewide poll, which found that independent and Democratic voters overwhelmingly opposed the mid-decade redistricting and would rather give … Continue reading

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Paxton drops one gender affirming care lawsuit

Good, and bad at the same time. One of the nation’s first doctors accused of illegally providing care to transgender youth under GOP-led bans was found to have not violated the law, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office says, nearly a year … Continue reading

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THC vape pens are now illegal

For those who need to know. Vapes containing THC and other hemp-derived cannabinoids like Delta-8 [are now] illegal to sell in Texas […] under a law passed earlier this year. Senate Bill 2024, while narrower than efforts to outlaw all … Continue reading

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Let’s find a Democrat for CD35

We’ve gotta compete in these redrawn districts. While a number of Republicans are eyeing [the redrawn CD35] — in addition to the Texas GOP’s preferred candidate — Democrats have been slow to line up for the open seat. But San … Continue reading

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Zoox to begin its robotaxi service

Today Las Vegas, sometime later Austin and other cities. Five years after its splashy $1.3 billion acquisition of Zoox, Amazon has officially entered the U.S. robotaxi race, which to date has been dominated by Alphabet’s Waymo. Zoox’s first public launch … Continue reading

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

Abbott bans THC for those under 21

Why didn’t we just do this first? THC products will remain largely legal in Texas, but will be banned for minors and current regulations further enforced under a new executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott on Wednesday directed the … Continue reading

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Less funding for homelessness means more homeless

It’s just math. An annual survey of the homeless population in the Houston area suggested that the region — which has attracted international attention for its ability to reduce homelessness — is at an inflection point. As the emergency funding … Continue reading

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The Summer Willis Act

Too much of what we got from the Legislature this year was garbage. Wingnut Republican priorities are the only things that really matter to them, and we got a lot of it. But some decent things made it through, and … Continue reading

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Texas blog roundup for the week of September 8

The Texas Progressive Alliance is always glad to see a legislative session end as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Talarico’s announcement

And we’re off. Texas Rep. James Talarico launched his bid for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, promising in an interview to bring honesty and compassion back to politics, while pursuing a fairer distribution of wealth and power in the country. “It’s … Continue reading

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HISD still has a teacher turnover problem

Doesn’t seem to be going away. Across Texas, 1 in 6 teachers didn’t return to teach in 2024-25. In Houston ISD, it was nearly 1 of 3. The state’s largest school district had a turnover rate of 32.2% compared with … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

More indictments against Maria Rojas

Remember to wait until her lawyers get a chance to respond before making any inferences about this. The Texas midwife who earlier this year became the first person charged under the state law banning people from performing abortions is now charged with 15 … Continue reading

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