Tag Archives: Donald Trump

The scramble begins

Posted on August 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Barring judicial action that I have said I don’t expect, the new Congressional map will be in place for the 2026 election. That means that a lot of people who are not now in Congress will be gearing up to … Continue reading →

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Doggett will not challenge Casar if new map passes

Posted on August 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For the best. Congressman Lloyd Doggett on Thursday said he would end his 52-year political career and stand aside for fellow Austin Democrat Greg Casar in the 2026 primary if Republicans’ new redistricting plan is upheld in court, a bombshell … Continue reading →

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California passes its redistricting plan

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. California’s Democratic-controlled Legislature passed bills Thursday setting up a high-profile special election this fall, when voters will decide whether to approve the party’s plan to gerrymander California’s congressional map. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who signed the legislation shortly … Continue reading →

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House passes redistricting bill

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I was going to put this as the last item in the earlier post, but I didn’t want to change that post’s title and I also didn’t want to gloss over that this happened. We knew it was going to … Continue reading →

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And they’re back

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Quorum time again. Texas House Democrats announced they would return to Austin Monday, ending a two-week walkout over a GOP mid-decade redistricting plan and paving the way for the map’s passage. “We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance … Continue reading →

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Special Session 2: [Insert dumb sequel name here]

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As promised/threatened. With the Texas House still frozen by Democrats’ absence from the state, Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called a second special session to begin less than two hours after the Legislature gaveled out the first overtime round. The … Continue reading →

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How’s that economy doing?

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not great! All signs point to a slowdown of the Texas economy as job growth slows, construction declines and inflation ticks up, according to a Monday report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The report on the Fed’s recent … Continue reading →

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The end (of the quorum break) is near

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And getting nearer. The House Democrats who fled Texas to block GOP redistricting appear likely to return in the coming days, according to a press release they issued Thursday. The caucus said its members will return if Republicans follow through … Continue reading →

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So when might the quorum busters return?

Posted on August 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Before I address that question, here’s an important bit of business to resolve. Illinois courts will not force Texas Democrats back to the state, a judge ruled Wednesday, dealing a blow to Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin … Continue reading →

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Everything happens on Tuesday

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when I said yesterday that there was still no quorum and not much had happened? That was then, this is now. The Supreme Court will take its sweet time in deciding on those quo warranto filings to expel … Continue reading →

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Still no quorum

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sitting here waiting for the Supreme Court to take up those ridiculous quo warranto actions by Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton and have been hesitant to start writing something for fear that I’ll have to trash it and start … Continue reading →

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Comparing the districts

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As I write this on Sunday, there’s a lot we don’t know about how this saga ends. I feel confident saying that at some point there will be a quorum and a new map will be passed. Beyond that is … Continue reading →

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Quorum break Day 5 roundup: Help an ideological enemy out?

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are asking an Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who have left the state to delay passage of a GOP-backed congressional map. Burrows issued civil arrest … Continue reading →

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Quorum break Day 4 roundup: So what is the FBI doing?

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody knows. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn announced that the FBI has granted his request to investigate and locate the Texas Democratic lawmakers who left the state in an attempt to stop the passage of new GOP-favored congressional maps. A spokesperson … Continue reading →

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Quorum break Day 3 roundup: Of course there’s a bomb threat

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose something like this was inevitable. Texas House Democrats in Illinois to block GOP redistricting were evacuated from their hotel Wednesday morning due to a bomb threat, lawmakers and local police said. A press conference scheduled for 12:30 p.m. … Continue reading →

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Quorum break Day 2 roundup: Paxton hauls out a big threat

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

He seems destined to fail, but we’re going to go through the motions anyway, I guess. Attorney General Ken Paxton will ask for a court ruling declaring vacant the seats of any lawmakers who are not back to work by … Continue reading →

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Tesla expands its Austin robotaxi service area

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Returning to one of my pet obsessions. Tesla’s robotaxi service began in Austin back in late June, and now the brand has undergone its second expansion that has seen it quadruple its initial service area. This new expansion is almost double … Continue reading →

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The last redistricting hearing

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We’re just going through the motions at this point. The Texas redistricting map unveiled this week was drawn for the express purpose of boosting Republican strength in Congress, the House sponsor of the measure said Friday during the first, and … Continue reading →

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Guess who’s coming to Texas?

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Already here, in fact. Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of sex trafficking in connection with Jeffrey Epstein, has been moved to a federal prison in Texas, officials said Friday. Maxwell was transferred to the minimum-security federal prison camp in Bryan from a low-security prison … Continue reading →

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A Q&A on redistricting

Posted on August 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From Bolts Magazine: The Texas legislature began meeting in a special session last week to adopt a new congressional map that will, they hope, provide additional seats to the GOP in next year’s midterms. On Wednesday, Republicans released a draft … Continue reading →

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Friday redistricting roundup

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s take a moment and pour one out for the real victims of the proposed Congressional redistricting, Texas’ Republican Congressional incumbents. Democrats aren’t the only ones who won’t be happy with the way Texas Republicans on Wednesday proposed redrawing the … Continue reading →

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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There’s a map

Posted on July 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The special session gavels in tomorrow and there’s a new proposed Congressional map, but before we get to that let’s look at the lay of the land going into the session. On Monday, state lawmakers held a call with U.S. … Continue reading →

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The flood insurance problem

Posted on July 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is only going to get worse unless we take steps to mitigate it. Less than 5% of residential properties in high-risk areas in Kerr County were covered by flood insurance before the July 4 storm, according to a Houston … Continue reading →

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Joe Jaworski to run for AG again

Posted on July 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Another contested primary on our side. Joe Jaworski, an attorney and former Galveston mayor, is running for Texas attorney general again, three years after making an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination to become the state’s top civil lawyer. Jaworski … Continue reading →

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