Tag Archives: Greg Abbott

Possible reconsideration of HPD/ICE ordinance pushed to next week

Posted on April 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. Mayor John Whitmire has delayed Houston City Council’s vote on whether to revoke its new policy limiting the police department’s interactions with immigration agents after Gov. Greg Abbott’s office extended the city’s deadline to make a decision as he threatens to pull $114 million in … 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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Whitmire waffles on ICE ordinance

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Pathetic. And predictable. Mayor John Whitmire last week joined his City Council colleagues in voting to limit Houston police officers’ interactions with federal immigration agents, but now says the city must “correct” its policy after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to … 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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Smokable hemp ban paused

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

For now. A Travis County district judge has temporarily lifted a statewide ban on the sale of natural smokeable hemp products, such as flower buds and rolled joints, until at least April 23. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble granted the Texas … Continue reading →

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Feds aim to screw Colony Ridge residents in their settlement

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Totally on brand. In December 2023, the U.S. Justice Department sued a Texas land developer it accused of duping tens of thousands of Hispanic residents into predatory mortgages, a landmark case for the Biden administration. Colony Ridge, which sold plots … Continue reading →

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Drill, baby, drill (for water)

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Checking in on Corpus Christi and it surrounding areas. Dwindling levels in this region’s main reservoirs have triggered a rush on local aquifers as cities, towns, chemical plants and ranchers drill for water. The nearby city of Corpus Christi faces … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over ban on smokable hemp

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

To be expected. Texas hemp industry leaders and advocacy groups have sued the state to block new regulations that eliminate natural smokeable hemp products and increase licensing fees. The Texas Hemp Business Council, Hemp Industry & Farmers of America, and … Continue reading →

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Vouchers are for white private school kids

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Shocking, I know. Most of Texas’ school voucher applications come from white families and children who previously attended a private school or home-school. The Texas comptroller’s office, which manages the program, released preliminary data before applications for families interested in … Continue reading →

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No more smokable hemp

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

You can still smoke what you already have, though. Smokable hemp products are effectively illegal in Texas starting today as new rules on cannabis compounds take effect. The rules, adopted by the Department of State Health Services, mark the most sweeping change … Continue reading →

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Paxton-Hancock slap fight

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Oh yeah. Bring it on. Attorney General Ken Paxton has called for acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock to be removed from office, in a fiery social media tirade responding to a letter Hancock sent accusing Paxton of falling short in his efforts to … Continue reading →

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So when might Corpus Christi run out of water?

Posted on March 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Could be sooner, could be later. Pick your projection. Corpus Christi leaders on Tuesday unveiled new projections suggesting that the city could be just two months away from triggering emergency water measures. At a marathon city council meeting that stretched … Continue reading →

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Voucher deadline extended after hearing in Islamic schools’ lawsuit

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise, at least to me. Texas families now have two more weeks to apply to the state’s new voucher program after a federal judge the deadline extended to March 31, citing concerns that no Islamic schools have been … 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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Second lawsuit filed over Muslim schools’ exclusion from voucher program

Posted on March 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. A group of Islamic schools and Muslim parents sued the Texas Comptroller’s office Wednesday, accusing state leaders of religious discrimination for blocking Islamic schools from Texas’ $1 billion private school voucher program. The case marks the second lawsuit this … Continue reading →

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Abbott threatens to take over Corpus Christi

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

How would that work, exactly? Gov. Greg Abbott criticized Corpus Christi leadership Tuesday over its looming water crisis and warned that if local leaders do not take immediate action, the state may need to intervene to ensure residents and businesses … 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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Initial thoughts on the 2026 primaries

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t have full turnout numbers yet, but as of Wednesday some 363,826 votes were cast in the Democratic primary for Senate in Harris County, while there were 197,389 votes cast on the Republican side. About 140K votes were cast … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Muslim schools’ exclusion from voucher program

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another seemingly clear-cut First Amendment violation. It’s like it’s a habit around here. A Houston-area parent is suing state officials, accusing them of religious discrimination for barring Islamic schools from participating in Texas’ private school voucher program. The plaintiff, Mehdi Cherkaoui, … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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Fifth Circuit allows Lousiana’s Ten Commandments law to go into effect

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not great, but not the end of the line. A U.S. appeals court has cleared the way for a Louisiana law requiring poster-sized displays of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms to take effect. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court … Continue reading →

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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 →

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On data centers and the resistance to them

Posted on February 19, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Noting this for the record. From Amarillo to Waco, College Station to Harlingen, Texans are raising concerns over the proliferation of data centers — and the tremendous amounts of water and energy they are poised to suck up. Seemingly overnight, … Continue reading →

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Colony Ridge developers settle with the state

Posted on February 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This more or less wraps up the story. The owners of Colony Ridge, a Houston-area developer accused of running a predatory lending scheme that deceived Latinos, agreed to a sweeping legal settlement that will require them to invest in law … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Paxton turns his harassment to CAIR

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

At the urging of Greg Abbott. Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday sued the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights group, and the Muslim Brotherhood, an international Sunni Muslim group, alleging they are working in concert … Continue reading →

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From the “using a sledgehammer to swat a fly” department

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

LOL. The Texas Education Agency on Tuesday warned school districts that they could be taken over by the state if they help facilitate students walking out of class to attend protests. The agency released guidance after Gov. Greg Abbott directed Education Commissioner Mike Morath to … Continue reading →

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TPOR primary poll: Crockett 38, Talarico 37

Posted on January 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Add it to the pile. Texas Public Opinion Research (TPOR), a nonpartisan public opinion initiative that examines what Texans believe and the policies they support, today released a new poll focused on the 2026 Democratic Senate primary race between U.S. … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott deserves no credit for this

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

So don’t give him any. The White House’s response to the latest Minneapolis killing is fomenting rumblings — including in Texas — from some of President Donald Trump’s staunchest supporters. The NRA, law enforcement groups, Fox News and even Republican … Continue reading →

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Full Fifth Circuit hears SB4 appeal

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As always, brace yourselves. Three years ago, Texas lawmakers passed a landmark law that would let state police arrest people suspected of having entered the country illegally by crossing the border. Such authority has long been the sole responsibility of the federal … Continue reading →

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Dallas still needs to remove its rainbow crosswalks

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve tried to delay it but are probably running out of road. The Texas Department of Transportation gave Dallas until Jan. 31 to remove its decorative crosswalks, which include LGBTQ+ rainbow and Black Lives Matter designs, according to a memo … Continue reading →

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How’s that medicine taste?

Posted on January 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I laugh. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has called a special election for California’s vacant 1st Congressional District to coincide with the state’s regularly scheduled primary on June 2, with a second round of voting on Aug. 4 if needed—the latest dates allowed … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit hears Ten Commandments appeal

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves…From the inbox: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, heard oral arguments in two cases challenging state laws in Texas and Louisiana that require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. … Continue reading →

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