Tag Archives: Donald Trump

The Republican data center problem

Posted on May 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

What do you do when your business interests want one thing and your voters want the opposite? What do you think? As the massive, digital information-processing facilities proliferate, Republicans are caught between a zealous president and governor bent on Texas … Continue reading →

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The far right attacks on Frisco

Posted on May 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. Far-right activists are seizing on a new example of the America they fear. It’s a booming, Texas city home to the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility and a PGA golf resort. The activists’ problem? The city’s population of Indian immigrants … Continue reading →

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Who’s coming to the FIFA World Cup?

Posted on May 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not as many people as we thought, it would seem. The World Cup only comes around every four years and regularly draws millions of spectators from across the globe. But expectations of a rush of international visitors and an accompanying … Continue reading →

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When not to bet on yourself

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Dude… Texas GOP congressional candidate Zeke Enriquez bet on the outcome of his own election on Kalshi, the prediction market said in a press release Wednesday, marking the latest sign of the industry’s newfound prevalence in the state’s politics. Enriquez, who … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS puts administrative stay on unhinged Fifth Circuit mifepristone ruling

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

On hold for now. The Supreme Court on Monday restored nationwide access to a widely used abortion medication in a temporary order that will, for now, allow women to once again obtain the pill mifepristone by mail. In a brief … Continue reading →

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ACLU files another lawsuit against 2023 Texas anti-immigrant law

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, ACLU, and the Texas Civil Rights Project have filed a class-action lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to block several provisions of Senate Bill 4 (88-4) from going into effect May … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit invents new law to block mifepristone

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is bullshit. A federal appeals court packed with conservatives has handed abortion opponents a major victory against the US Food and Drug Administration, reinstating an in-person dispensing requirement for the abortion medication mifepristone and shutting down telemedicine providers—at least temporarily—from prescribing the … Continue reading →

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Texas Politics Project poll: Talarico leads again

Posted on May 1, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

It’s becoming a trend. Democrat James Talarico leads both Republicans vying to face him in the November U.S. Senate contest, according to a new poll released Wednesday. Talarico led U.S. Sen. John Cornyn 40% to 33% in a potential matchup, and held … Continue reading →

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TPOR poll: Talarico leading both Cornyn and Paxton

Posted on April 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This will never get old. Democratic state Rep. James Talarico is leading both of his prospective Republican opponents in a new poll of Texas’ U.S. Senate race — though the result is within the margin of error in either scenario, … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS approves Texas redistricting map

Posted on April 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, obviously. Texas’ newly redrawn congressional map is officially cleared for use, after the U.S. Supreme Court formally overturned a lower court’s ruling Monday. In November, the high court allowed the map to be used temporarily. Monday’s ruling maintains … Continue reading →

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Virginia Supreme Court hears redistricting challenge

Posted on April 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Monday was redistricting day in court. The Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday on the legality of a constitutional amendment voters approved last week that allows Democrats to implement a more favorable congressional map ahead of the midterm elections. … Continue reading →

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Some poll news and other tidbits

Posted on April 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From Somos Votantes: Today, Somos Votantes released new polling data showing Latino voters in key states and districts are rejecting President Trump and Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms, driven by mounting economic pain, widespread disapproval of Republican’s tariff and healthcare policies, and … Continue reading →

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Everyone’s talking about the CD23 special election

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Except for Greg Abbott, of course. It’s been about a week since now-former Rep. Tony Gonzales resigned from Congress after the Texas Republican admitted to having an unethical sexual relationship with at least one former aide, who later died by suicide. Yet … Continue reading →

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And another voter purge lawsuit filed

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As I said before, it’s hard to keep track of them all. Voting rights group Common Cause and four voters sued the Justice Department on Tuesday to block it from compiling a national voter database that the watchdog warns allows … Continue reading →

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Virginia approves its new Congressional map

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

How’s that plan to hold onto the Republican majority in Congress going? In yet another loss for president Trump and his floundering gerrymandering blitz, Virginia voters approved a Democratic-led redistricting measure on Tuesday that will likely give Democrats four additional congressional … Continue reading →

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So when would a CD23 election be?

Posted on April 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Your move, Greg. The sprawling 23rd Congressional District of Texas is now without a voting representative in Washington D.C. after U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales resigned Tuesday. The resignation ends a sex scandal that had put the San Antonio Republican on … Continue reading →

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AI and prediction markets need to be kept out of elections

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Ain’t gonna happen this year, though. Artificial intelligence and prediction markets have opened new frontiers in Texas politics, but one expert said the growth of platforms like ChatGPT and Polymarket is far outpacing legislative efforts to limit their impact on elections. It’s … Continue reading →

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House Dems fined for most recent quorum break

Posted on April 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not the end of the story. A committee of the Texas House of Representatives voted late Friday afternoon to impose financial penalties totaling nearly $422,000 on Democratic House members who broke quorum last August to try to prevent the Republican-led Legislature from … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick has the blues

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not the sort of thing our boy Danno usually says. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday said Texas Republicans are “going to have a tough time” holding onto their majority in the state House this fall, the latest and perhaps … Continue reading →

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Tony Gonzales really is a creep

Posted on April 8, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Ewwww. Late on a June night in 2020, amid a nail-biter of a GOP primary runoff, then-congressional candidate Tony Gonzales quickly turned a conversation with his campaign’s political director from casual to intimate. Gonzales texted that she was a “smart … Continue reading →

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Gregg Phillips continues to be a weirdo

Posted on April 8, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Your federal government at work. Gregg Phillips, President Donald Trump’s top disaster response appointee, has drawn national headlines over claims he has teleported–not once, but twice–including an experience that apparently brought him to a Waffle House in Georgia. But this … Continue reading →

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Was the District C special election an inflection point?

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

An interesting hypothesis from Chron editorial page honcho Evan Mintz. Don’t be fooled by the fact that the race is going to a runoff — Saturday’s special election for City Council District C was a blowout. Houston progressives were the … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder that Trump’s tariffs suck

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. As the business manager and part owner of Houghton Horns, a specialty brass instrument store in north Texas, Kacie Wright deals with President Donald Trump’s tariffs every day. “I wake up every … Continue reading →

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First attempt to regulate prediction markets

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but it has had some effect and is worth keeping an eye on. After two United States senators introduced a bipartisan bill on Monday aimed at banning sports futures on prediction markets, Kalshi and … Continue reading →

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Another voter purge lawsuit filed

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to keep track of them all. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and other sued Thursday to stop a purge of Texas’ voter rolls that the Latino civil rights group and its allies say is discriminatory toward … Continue reading →

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Fewer people going to Dilley detention center

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Take the wins where you can. Only 100 people are currently detained in the federal government’s controversy-plagued family detention center at Dilley, nonprofit news outlet ProPublica reports. That compares to an average daily population of more than 900 in January. The … Continue reading →

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Second post-primary poll shows Talarico up

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the basic info, the poll was conducted by Impact Research between March 12-17, which makes it fully after the first poll we saw, both of which have Rep. James Talarico narrowly up on both Sen. John Cornyn and AG … Continue reading →

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Air taxi testing

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Look, up in the sky! The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved eight pilot programs that will allow a handful of companies, including Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Joby Aviation, and Wisk to start widespread electric aircraft testing as early as this … Continue reading →

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More on CD23 and Katy Padilla Stout

Posted on March 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This time with polling data. When Katy Padilla Stout first announced a bid for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, neither the former teacher — nor the Republican-held seat — were on many Democrats’ radar. But now that the Republican incumbent has … Continue reading →

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Bexar County pushes back against a proposed ICE detention center

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Bexar County Commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday to formally oppose a proposed immigration detention facility on San Antonio’s East Side, approving a resolution that leaves the door open to join potential legal challenges against the project. The vote marks the governmental body’s … Continue reading →

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Ivermectin 4Ever

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I got nothing. MaryJo Perry raises animals on her property outside of Jackson, Miss., and uses ivermectin to treat her cattle. To her, the drug is as familiar, safe, cheap and effective as vitamins: “We’ve been using it on the … Continue reading →

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First post-primary poll

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

A good start. A PPP poll commissioned by Senate Majority PAC found “no meaningful difference in electability” between Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a general election matchup against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. It’s notable to us that Senate Democrats are pushing … Continue reading →

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A followup on turnout and early voting preference

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Just a couple of followup items for things we discussed during early voting, now that we have more complete data. The first was about how much of the vote would be cast early, and whether Republicans were waiting until Election … Continue reading →

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The Trump-Cornyn-Paxton endorsement psychodrama

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

First, there was this. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will soon make an endorsement in the heated Texas Senate Republican primary, as Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton head toward a runoff election in May. … Continue reading →

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