Tag Archives: Joe Biden

Texas’ 2023 anti-immigrant law blocked again

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s hope this injunction lasts longer. A Texas law that would allow state and local police to arrest people suspected of having crossed the southern border illegally is once again halted, a day before it was supposed to take effect. … 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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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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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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On e-bikes

Posted on December 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m keeping an eye on this. E-bike of Colorado sales manager Perry Fletcher said his sales and repair shop saw an increase in back-to-school sales to young riders and families this fall as the popularity of the battery-powered bicycles revs … 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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Fifth Circuit keeps SB4 block in place

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of good news. A Texas law that would deputize state and local police to question and arrest people they suspect of being in the country illegally was blocked once again. The law would also authorize local judges to … Continue reading →

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Tarrant county does mid-decade redistricting and gets sued over it

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

First there was this. The Tarrant County Commissioners Court could get a bigger conservative majority next year under a new map passed Tuesday. Republican Commissioners Manny Ramirez, Matt Krause and County Judge Tim O’Hare voted to adopt the map. Democratic … Continue reading →

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Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund analysis of the 2024 election

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund—a political action committee that is building and improving infrastructure to create conditions under which Democrats can win in Texas—released its preliminary breakdown of the 2024 election results. The data analysis, conducted in … Continue reading →

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Bald eagles

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know why it had never occurred to me before, but there are numerous bald eagles in the greater Houston area, if you are of a mind to try to spot one in the wild. The bald eagle has … Continue reading →

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A different perspective on turnout

Posted on December 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the December 3 New York Times daily newsletter: If you’ve been reading post-election coverage, you’ve probably seen one of the big takeaways from the returns so far: In counties across the country, Kamala Harris won many fewer votes than … Continue reading →

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Reviving Texas’ uranium mines

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. In the old ranchlands of South Texas, dormant uranium mines are coming back online. A collection of new ones hope to start production soon, extracting radioactive fuel from the region’s shallow aquifers. Many more may follow. These mines are … Continue reading →

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Houston hydrogen hub deal signed

Posted on November 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As Evan Mintz likes to say on that cursed microblogging site, good news for Houston. The U.S. Department of Energy signed a deal with energy developers Wednesday for the creation of a $1.2 billion clean hydrogen hub based in Houston. … Continue reading →

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My quadrennial warning to be careful with charts and percentages

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From City of Yes: The sun came up Wednesday morning, but for many, no doubt, our proverbial American “shining city on a hill” had lost some of its luster. While the presidential election results have disappointed many city dwellers, the … Continue reading →

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Republicans performed more or less at 2020 levels in Harris County

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Obviously, the Republicans did well in Harris County this year, better than I expected for sure. They won some judicial races – they’re probably kicking themselves for not contesting more of them – and in general came a lot closer … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: In my neighborhood

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I won’t have access to a Harris County canvass for a couple of weeks, and I may or may not do some countywide comparisons, but I did wonder about how the vote went in my neighborhood. I do a lot … Continue reading →

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The billboards of Fayette County

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Members of the local Democratic party in rural, bright red Fayette County were thrilled this month when they learned their hours of phone banking and fundraising would finally pay off. The party’s … Continue reading →

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Is this the year Tarrant County finally goes blue?

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. “Tarrant County is the 15th-largest county in the country, so it should get a lot of attention. And it’s the third-largest county in Texas, so it makes sense that there would be a lot of focus there,” said Mark … Continue reading →

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UTSA poll for October: A little weird

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not really sure how to explain this other than to say polls be weird sometimes. A new survey from UTSA’s Center for Public Opinion Research indicated that in bright blue San Antonio, support has been growing for Democrat Colin Allred in his uphill … Continue reading →

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November 2024 early voting Day Three: Let’s not overanalyze this

Posted on October 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Lone Star Left caught my eye on Wednesday as they looked at the statewide early voting data so far. All day, I waited for a full update from the Secretary of State (SoS) regarding the Day 1 early voter turnout. … Continue reading →

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UH-Hobby Center polls Harris County

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty good. Could be better, but more or less in line with 2020 and current expectations. With the start of early voting just days away, a new poll shows Harris County Democrats leading their Republican opponents in countywide races. In … Continue reading →

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The South Texas Congressional races

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Feels like I’ve heard less about them this year than in 2022, but as the story notes, the Dems are on offense this time. It’s déjà vu in South Texas. Texas’ two most competitive congressional races will feature rematches from … Continue reading →

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UH-Hobby Center: Cruz 50, Allred 46

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Just checking in. The Texas Senate race remains close just a week out from early voting, with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz up 4 percentage points over U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, according to a new statewide poll. The Hobby School of … Continue reading →

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DACA at the Fifth Circuit

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A big week for that terrible court. On Thursday the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in a case to determine the future of “Dreamers” who came to the country as children, including an estimated 27,000 Houstonians. The hearing is the latest … Continue reading →

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Some finance and fundraising bits

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Colin Allred keeps raking it in. U.S. Rep. Colin Allred raised $30.3 million for his Senate campaign in the third quarter of the year, outpacing U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s haul over the same three-month period, according to figures announced by … Continue reading →

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The “Can Allred win?” question

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

At least we’re asking the question. Usually, we don’t even get that. Democrats are closing the gap in their uphill campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, with polls showing improvement for Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and national Democrats’ … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS leaves Texas anti-EMTALA ruling in place

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Another reminder of what the stakes are this election, in case you needed it. The Supreme Court on Monday refused to require doctors in Texas to perform certain emergency abortions when the procedure would conflict with the state’s strict abortion … Continue reading →

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Eighteen million registered voters

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Number go up. Texas has been one of the nation’s fastest-growing states since the 1970s, but its voter rolls have at times been stagnant. From 2000 to 2012, the number of registered voters grew by 1.2 million. In only the … Continue reading →

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ERCOT will connect to the US grid

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

How about that? The power grid better known as the Texas Interconnection, operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), is famous for being isolated from the other major U.S. grids. But that may soon finally change. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced … Continue reading →

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Another immigration nonprofit sues Paxton

Posted on September 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

He just can’t quit harassing them. An El Paso nonprofit that provides legal services to immigrants and migrants has filed a lawsuit that attempts to block an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has increasingly targeted groups on … Continue reading →

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Some Bexar County polling

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

New pollster alert, checking in on Bexar County. A survey conducted by the UTSA Center for Public Opinion Research suggests San Antonio residents are tepid about plans for a new sports complex for the San Antonio Spurs — a project … Continue reading →

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One “Trump Train” defendant found liable

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The rest were cleared. An Austin jury cleared all but one of six Donald Trump supporters who were accused of breaking federal law when they surrounded a Joe Biden campaign bus driving down a Texas highway days before the 2020 … Continue reading →

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A curious thing about the polls of Texas

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve probably seen this headline by now. For the first time in their hotly contested campaign, a poll shows U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, trailing challenger U.S. Rep. Colin Allred. The Morning Consult poll, conducted between Sept. 9 and 18, places … Continue reading →

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Jury deliberations begin in “Trump Train” lawsuit

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Axiously awaiting a verdict. A jury in Texas began to deliberate Friday whether the so-called “Trump Train” that surrounded a Biden-Harris campaign bus days before the 2020 election in a heated highway encounter amounted to political intimidation. “This case is … Continue reading →

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