Monthly Archives: July 2026

July 2026 campaign finance reports: Senate and Congress

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We have our finalized field for Congress, managing to avoid a catastrophic outcome in what is now one of the better-funded races, and we’re seeing a decent amount of activity across the board. The April 2026 reports are here, the … Continue reading →

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The 2021 election isn’t quite finished yet

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Amazing. A recent court ruling invalidating an amendment to the Texas Constitution could complicate Harris County’s plan for financing the Toro District and send ripples through a network of little-known taxing districts the county formed prior to the ruling. The amendment, which … Continue reading →

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City’s minority business contracting program ruled unconstitutional

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is bullshit. A federal judge has ruled Houston’s minority-owned business contracting program unconstitutional and blocked the city from “using racial preferences” in awarding public contracts as affirmative action programs come under fire nationwide. A white couple from Spring sued the city in … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott would really like everyone to stop talking about data centers already

Posted on July 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Gina Hinojosa is talking about them. Gina Hinojosa, the Democrat running for governor, on Thursday called on Gov. Greg Abbott to halt all data center construction in the state until lawmakers craft rules for the projects, which have voters up … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend update

Posted on July 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Still waiting on the courts. Fort Bend County’s Democratic commissioners remain in a stalemate with their Republican counterparts over Daniel Wong’s authority to serve as county judge – a key question as the suburban Houston-area county approaches tax rate discussions … Continue reading →

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More robotaxi safety issues

Posted on July 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Austin has had quite the experience. Federal safety regulators are demanding answers from Waymo, Tesla, Zoox and other autonomous-vehicle developers after documenting a pattern of driverless vehicles interfering with first responders. Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 27

Posted on July 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has not made any nuclear deals in the past week but it did put together this roundup. Off the Kuff goes back to the future with the latest school finance lawsuit, filed by Midland ISD. Neil … Continue reading →

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TPOR poll: Talarico 45, Paxton 40

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

First poll in a month, it’s a solid one for James Talarico. The latest survey of the U.S. Senate race from Texas Public Opinion Research shows Democrat James Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton, 45% to 40%, marking the Austin state … Continue reading →

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One witness to Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s killing to be released from detention

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

A good start. A federal judge on Monday ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to release from their custody one of the witnesses to a federal immigration agent’s fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego must … Continue reading →

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Corpus gets another reprieve

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Hope they make good use of it. Corpus Christi got “tremendous” news Monday when the city’s projected water emergency was delayed until fall 2028 — a year later than previously anticipated — as floodwater from recent intense storms continues flowing … Continue reading →

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On Whitmire and ICE

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. For the second time in four months, Mayor John Whitmire is facing intense criticism over his handling of federal immigration enforcement, an issue he has spent much of his first term trying to keep out of … Continue reading →

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Who wants to fight cancer?

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not Greg Abbott. Texas spent billions recruiting scientists from around the world to turn the state into a cancer-research powerhouse. Now, nearly six months after Gov. Greg Abbott restricted public institutions’ use of the H-1B visa program, cancer advocates and … Continue reading →

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Houston to bid for 2031 Women’s World Cup

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. Days after the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for men’s soccer teams, Houston officials said their hosting seven matches was a major success. Now, they’re moving forward with bidding to host the Women’s World Cup. “We will … Continue reading →

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July 2026 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The big news on the Houston municipal offices campaign finance front is that the city has a brand new reporting system, one in which you now get a permalink to the candidates’ reports. You’ll see those below. It’s faster than … Continue reading →

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TEA isn’t done with HISD and its special ed changes

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna keep escalating, I guess. The Texas Education Agency has ordered Houston ISD’s state conservators to review its plans for 5,000 special education students, highlighting tensions over the treatment of students with disabilities in the state’s largest district. The district … Continue reading →

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A broader look at AI and schools

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good discussion. Many other states have also been trying to create AI policies for schools. Lawmakers filed more than 134 bills across 31 states this year related to AI in education, focusing on data privacy, usage restriction in the classroom, … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for July 26

Posted on July 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

“Can Trump Steal the Midterms? Six Takeaways from Our Election Investigation”. (Short answer: There are things he can do but he’s more limited than he would like, and there are things we all can do to stop him.) “I don’t … Continue reading →

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Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s van did not contain drugs

Posted on July 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

ICE lies about everything. A substance found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo‘s van last week was not methamphetamine, multiple officials said Friday afternoon. U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said she could confirm “the substance found in Lorenzo Salgado’s van was not a … Continue reading →

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The sleeper problem

Posted on July 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is both hilarious and annoying. Waking up in a Waymo comes as a shock. Ditto Kasendar remembers soft music drifting from the robotaxi’s speakers as he rode home late at night from a friend’s birthday party last year. The … Continue reading →

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Is there a built-in exception to Dobbs?

Posted on July 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. [Recently], an Idaho doctor challenging vague exceptions in the state’s abortion ban testified at the start of a major trial that will test a surprising question: Four years after the fall of Roe v. Wade, is there actually some right to abortion that the … Continue reading →

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More funds to pay back that loan

Posted on July 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Hrmph. Candidates seeking office at Houston City Hall will now face no limits on using campaign funds to repay themselves for loans they make to their own campaign accounts. The change was initiated by Council Member Edward Pollard, who has … Continue reading →

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US sets new measles record

Posted on July 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations. Let’s send RFK Jr a cake made of beef tallow and cyclospora to celebrate. The United States has now recorded more cases of measles in 2026 than in any other year since the virus was declared eliminated in 2000, … Continue reading →

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SMU “studies” the effect of robotaxis on Dallas/Fort Worth traffic

Posted on July 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I quibble with the word “study”, but this is still interesting. Driverless vehicles may reduce congestion in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to a new SMU study, although doubts and a variety of concerns regarding safety remain. Human-monitored, AI-driven vehicles debuted … Continue reading →

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Talarico’s data center plan

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Seems perfectly fine. Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico on Wednesday called for a broad set of tighter regulations on data centers in Texas, seizing on what has become a potential political liability for Republicans who until recently had embraced … Continue reading →

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New school finance lawsuit filed

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

An old familiar tune is being played. Texas’ byzantine school finance system will face legal scrutiny for the first time in a decade after a rural school board voted to sue the state. The Midland Independent School District board unanimously … Continue reading →

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Appeals court tosses injunction against Maria Rojas

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Texas appeals court on Thursday tossed out an injunction against a Houston-area midwife accused of providing illegal abortions, saying Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office hasn’t presented any direct evidence that she violated the state’s ban. The ruling by … Continue reading →

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Witnesses to Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s killing document ICE lies

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Fuck ICE. Two passengers in a van when an immigration agent fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo earlier this month said that two unmarked vehicles struck them from behind and the side before they stopped, according to their written statements … Continue reading →

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Of course Paxton got paid in the Sorsby saga

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The sun rises in the east, Texas is hot in July, Ken Paxton is for sale, etc etc etc. Last month, Attorney General Ken Paxton waded into the explosive college football saga involving Brendan Sorsby, the Texas Tech University quarterback … Continue reading →

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A brief cyclospora roundup

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

First we had this. The Mexican iceberg lettuce linked to an outbreak of cases of explosive diarrhea was distributed in Texas for more than two weeks, according to the company recalling the product across the country. Lettuce distributed in Texas … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 20

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes that the Guadalupe River takes a nice long break from flooding in the future as it brings you this week’s roundup. Off the Kuff enjoyed the political theater of an illegal voting complaint filed against … Continue reading →

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July 2026 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on July 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Statewide candidates Legislative candidates Here we go with the now much shorter list of Harris County candidates and officeholders. The January 2026 reports are here, the July 2025 reports are here and the January reports are here. Letitia Plummer … Continue reading →

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Hollins complains about lack of response in Brown investigation

Posted on July 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

City drama. Houston Controller Chris Hollins is accusing Mayor John Whitmire’s administration of refusing to provide records for an investigation into one of the mayor’s advisor, while the city’s top lawyer said the administration intends to cooperate. The dispute unfolded … Continue reading →

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It’s getting weird in Fort Bend

Posted on July 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Is there a court date set to address this? The fight over who is legally entitled to serve as Fort Bend County Judge is now disrupting the basic workings of county government, with officials clashing over whether Commissioners Court can … Continue reading →

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July 2026 campaign finance reports: State legislature

Posted on July 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Statewide candidates As was the case with statewide candidates, I haven’t taken a close look at the finance reports for legislative races of interest so far, and for the same reason – there wasn’t much to say in January, … Continue reading →

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