Tag Archives: Joe Biden

Vote No and take the credit anyway

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a tale as old as time. Republicans in Texas are proud to stand and announce local grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The problem is they all voted against it. All of them. For the second time in two … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 46, Beto 39

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again with the DMN/UT-Tyler poll, which if nothing else always provides something to talk about. The unreadable DMN story is here. The Chron has a story with a semi-ridiculous headline about how Abbott has slightly increased his … Continue reading →

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Election officials and workers need our help

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve identified the problem. That’s good. Now let’s do something to fix it. Misinformation about elections has led to violent threats against election workers in Texas and other states — including one who was told “we should end your bloodline” … Continue reading →

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Who audits the auditors?

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A novel idea. Not sure it will get anywhere, but it does send a message. Harris County Commissioners Court, by a 3-2 partisan vote, agreed to explore legal options, including a possible lawsuit, to challenge the results of a random … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Maybe don’t vote against a popular bill that you’d previously supported out of spite next time?

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sowing, meet reaping. Veterans groups are irate with Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn after they joined Senate Republicans in blocking a bill expanding health care to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits while they were deployed overseas. The … Continue reading →

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Fraudit 2.0

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Harris County will be one of four Texas counties to undergo an audit of its upcoming November election results by the Texas secretary of state’s office. It will be the second election audit in two years … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Texas sues USDA over LGBTQ protections

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the story, which I’ll get to in a minute. It might be best to try to summarize this more accurately, because this is one of those technical situations where it takes a lot of qualifiers to get at what’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Offshore wind farm proposed

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s do it. The Gulf of Mexico’s first offshore wind farms will be developed off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, the Biden administration announced Wednesday, and together they’re projected to produce enough energy to power around 3 million homes. … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

House passes national abortion access bill

Posted on July 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They’re doing what they can. It’s the Senate that’s the problem. The U.S. House on Friday passed two bills that would restore abortion access across the country and prevent states like Texas from barring patients from crossing state lines to … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues over emergency guidance to doctors

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is what “leaving it to the states” looks like. Texas is suing the Biden administration over guidance released Monday telling the nation’s doctors they’re protected by federal law to terminate a pregnancy as part of emergency treatment — and … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Border and immigration news roundup

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Same deal, too much news, yadda yadda yadda… As Abbott orders state police to return migrants to border, critics on the right say it’s not enough. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday authorized state law enforcement to return migrants suspected of … Continue reading →

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Brief abortion news roundup

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Too much news, etc etc etc. You know the drill. Houston crisis pregnancy centers, labeled ‘deceptive’ by experts, find new spotlight after Roe ruling. Since 2011, pregnant Houstonians seeking abortions at the Planned Parenthood clinic off the Gulf Freeway have … Continue reading →

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A few words about the state of the Governor’s race

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There are many factors. A school shooting in Uvalde that left 19 children and two teachers dead. The end of a nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to an abortion. A history-making spring in Texas is laying the groundwork for a contentious … Continue reading →

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CBS/YouGov: Abbott 49, Beto 41

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Kinda meh, but with some caveats. As the race for governor tightens, a new CBS News poll shows Gov. Greg Abbott regaining support against Democratic candidate and former congressman Beto O’Rourke. The matchup between Abbott and O’Rourke is the marquee … Continue reading →

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Sheriff Gonzales withdraws from consideration for ICE

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not a big surprise at this point. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has withdrawn from consideration to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he confirmed Monday afternoon. Gonzalez’s withdrawal comes 14 months after President Joe Biden first nominated him to … Continue reading →

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Biden signs modest gun control bill

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s now the law. We’ll see for how long. President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a bipartisan measure to address gun violence, less than 24 hours after the bill was approved by the U.S. House and a month … Continue reading →

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COVID vaccines for kids under 5 are now available

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been a long wait. On Saturday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on Covid vaccines for the youngest Americans. Her endorsement means shots can begin immediately, finally ending the two-and-a-half year wait … Continue reading →

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Biden signs executive order to protect trans kids

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to enhance protections for transgender children and take steps to ban conversion therapy as efforts continue in Texas and other states to restrict gender-affirming medical care. The executive order calls on … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Abbott 48, Beto 43

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A lot closer than their previous poll, from December. In the race for Texas governor, 48 percent of voters support Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, while 43 percent support Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University poll of … Continue reading →

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March For Our Lives

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sure would like to think that all this activist energy means that things are different this time. Hundreds of Houstonians gathered near City Hall in downtown Saturday for the student-led March for Our Lives, one of dozens of events … Continue reading →

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City passes its budget

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not too much drama. Houston’s $5.7 billion budget for the next fiscal year includes a big jump in revenue from water bills, raises for all city employees and the largest unspent reserves in years. City Council voted 15-2 to adopt … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 46, Beto 39

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the story, which I currently can’t access. A very brief summary of it is in this Current article. The data is here and I’m going to riff on that, with references to the February version of this poll, for … Continue reading →

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It’s city of Houston budget time again

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That federal COVID relief money continues to be very nice. Once again relying on federal money, Mayor Sylvester Turner’s proposed $5.7 billion budget for next year would pay for raises for all city employees, offer tax relief to seniors and … Continue reading →

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TDP officially applies for early primary status

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They’ll have a lot of competition. More than a dozen states and at least one territory are applying to be among the first to vote for Democrats’ next presidential nominee — with the biggest pile-up coming out of the Midwest, … Continue reading →

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Federal lawsuit filed over Abbott’s border arrest fiasco

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Meant to post this last week. Three private defense attorneys, representing 15 migrant men arrested under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border operation, have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to end the governor’s policy of arresting migrants on criminal trespass charges, which … Continue reading →

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Looks like Texas didn’t even have to sue to keep Title 42 from ending

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A different Trump judge already put it in the bag for them. A federal judge in Louisiana plans to temporarily block the Biden administration from ending Title 42, a pandemic-era health order used by federal immigration officials to expel migrants, … Continue reading →

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What has Texas done to deserve ARPA-H?

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good question. Texas’ top medical institutions are vying to become home to a new federal research institution that would distribute billions of dollars to help discover cures and treatments for the world’s most intractable diseases. From MD Anderson Cancer Center … Continue reading →

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Texas sues to stop the end of Title 42

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just another day at the office of destruction for Ken Paxton. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration on Friday to halt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from lifting Title 42, a pandemic-era … Continue reading →

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Keeping the world safe from low tire pressure

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Such a visionary. State troopers ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott to inspect every commercial truck coming from Mexico earlier this month — which clogged international trade with Mexico — found zero drugs, weapons or any other type of contraband, according … Continue reading →

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I’m not sure I want us to be an early Presidential primary state

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re pretty early already. I’m fine with that. The Texas Democratic Party is planning to apply to be one of the first states to vote on the 2024 presidential nomination. The Democratic National Committee recently decided to allow new states … Continue reading →

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Abbott ends his border hostage-taking

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I cannot get over how stupid and cynical this was, and yet it may be politically successful. Gov. Greg Abbott reached a fourth and final deal — this one with Tamaulipas’ governor on Friday — to end state troopers’ increased … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott is still a threat to international trade

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is at best window dressing. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott relented Wednesday, agreeing to ease the additional safety inspections of trucks at the busiest border entry point near Laredo in exchange for promises of more border security by Mexican officials … Continue reading →

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Texas Lyceum: Abbott 42, Beto 40

Posted on April 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad. On Friday Texas Lyceum released its annual statewide poll, a major survey on the top issues facing Texans and their opinion on Texas leaders. The biggest attention-grabbing news from the poll is just how close things are at … Continue reading →

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Of course Ted Cruz supported sedition

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

None of this is surprising. And I’m certain there will be more, that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Sen. Ted Cruz was dining near the Capitol on the evening of Dec. 8, 2020, when he received an … Continue reading →

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