Tag Archives: Donald Trump

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on House Dems fined for most recent quorum break

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 →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dan Patrick has the blues

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 →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

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

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 →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Just a reminder that Trump’s tariffs suck

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 →

Posted in Jackpot!, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on First attempt to regulate prediction markets

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 →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Another voter purge lawsuit filed

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 →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Fewer people going to Dilley detention center

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 →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Second post-primary poll shows Talarico up

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 →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Air taxi testing

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 →

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

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 →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bexar County pushes back against a proposed ICE detention center

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 →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ivermectin 4Ever

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 →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on First post-primary poll

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 →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A followup on turnout and early voting preference

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 →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

House ethics panel investigating Rep. Gonzales (who ended up dropping his re-election bid)

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, they waited till after the primary. The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales to investigate affair allegations with his former aide. The committee announced a panel Wednesday, a day after Gonzales advanced to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

From the “FAFO: South Texas” files

Posted on March 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not one but two articles from Politico, on back-to-back days, about some Republicans getting all nervous about Trump and his anti-immigrant rampage. First up: Home builders are warning President Donald Trump that his aggressive immigration enforcement efforts are hurting their … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on From the “FAFO: South Texas” files

A statewide comparison

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned this yesterday, so here it is. I decided to look at the most recent early voting turnout numbers I could find for the counties, and then compare them to the final turnout numbers from the 2022 election. I’ll … Continue reading →

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

Measles in El Paso

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Great. Just great. Seventeen measles cases have been reported in El Paso, including 13 at the Camp East Montana Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, health officials said Thursday. The four community cases in El Paso aren’t connected to the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Measles in El Paso

A history of early voting turnout in the primaries

Posted on March 1, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting is over. We’ve already discussed the final EV totals, but there was something of note that I didn’t mention yesterday that I want to comment on today: Year Mail Early Total ===================================== 2018 Dem 22,695 70,152 92,847 2018 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Two polls favorable to Talarico

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

After I published Thursday’s post about the February UT/Texas Politics Project poll that showed Rep. Jasmine Crockett leading Rep. James Talarico by a 56-44 margin in the Democratic primary for US Senate, I got a comment on Facebook saying a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Two polls favorable to Talarico

UT/Texas Politics Project: Crockett 56, Talarico 44

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Adding it to the poll pile. Dallas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett has a double-digit lead over Austin state Rep. James Talarico in the final days of Texas’ Senate Democratic primary, according to a new poll released Wednesday. In the survey, … Continue reading →

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

More on the Tony Gonzales scandal

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good Lord, this is ugly. Just after midnight on May 9, 2024, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales begged an employee, Regina Santos-Aviles, to send him a “sexy pic.” When she pushed back, saying the conversation had gone too far, the married … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ruben Ray Martinez

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Remember his name. Three months into President Donald Trump’s mass deportation undertaking, an ICE officer shot and killed a U.S. citizen in South Padre Island, long before immigration agents killed another American in Minnesota that prompted outrage across the nation, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ruben Ray Martinez

Colorado takes up the mid-decade redistricting challenge

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This one’s a little different, but the concept is the same. A new Democratic-backed group unexpectedly announced on Wednesday that it would seek to place a measure on the November ballot asking voters to temporarily adopt a new congressional map in response to … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Colorado takes up the mid-decade redistricting challenge

The Tony Gonzales scandal

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a headline I did not expect to see: “Rep. Tony Gonzales accuses dead staffer’s husband of trying to blackmail him amid affair scandal”. Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of San Antonio on Thursday claimed he was being blackmailed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Tony Gonzales scandal

ICE is buying up warehouses

Posted on February 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

In San Antonio. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Wednesday that the agency has purchased land and a facility in San Antonio to expand its detention operations, though officials declined to disclose the location of the property in question. In … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

UH/Hobby primary poll: Crockett and Paxton lead

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Make of it what you will. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett are leading their respective Senate primary races, according to new public polling released Monday, just over a week before the start of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on UH/Hobby primary poll: Crockett and Paxton lead

What are the threats to a free and fair 2026 election?

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have an answer to that question, but I do have three recent articles that attempted to address it. So, for your perusal and contemplation, here they are. Trump Goes Public With Plan to “Take Over” Elections. Days after … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

SCOTUS green-lights California redistricting map

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Checkmate. The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new congressional map that will undermine President Donald Trump’s effort to keep control of the House of Representatives, marking a defeat for Republicans who claimed one of the new districts was redesigned … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SCOTUS green-lights California redistricting map

Everyone’s talking about SD09 now

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Time for a roundup, because there’s just so much. I’m going to start with a couple of social media posts that highlight some numbers, and then go on to the many articles I’ve come across. Buckle up. Dana, there was … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Everyone’s talking about SD09 now

South Carolina is the new measles champ

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

They took the crown from Texas. Great job, everybody! The record-breaking measles outbreak in South Carolina continues to grow with 89 new cases reported since the last update on Friday. This brings the total number of cases in the outbreak … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on South Carolina is the new measles champ