Texas Observer

A nonprofit progressive investigative outlet from Texas since 1954.
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New Opening: We're seeking a paid intern to cover the 2027 Texas Legislature. A perfect opportunity for students who are finishing their schooling, you'll work with Politics Editor Justin Miller to get hands on experience in political/policy journalism. https://t.co/ds1bRVSJXB

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

From @eden_shamy: “If you listen to what’s being said across the street, you might feel like you’re living in some separate reality. ... The average family lost nearly $3,800 to inflation and tariffs by President Trump.” https://t.co/VYLUMzlcZX

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

From @josephineklee, in our magazine: Maybe apocalyptic fascism does encapsulate our current moment but, after pushing readers to contemplate the nightmarish precipice we stand on, what do Klein & Taylor offer those of us who are searching for solutions? https://t.co/ahRyMt4oe1

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

From our magazine: In Houston, the mayor has near-autocratic power the likes of which other "strong-mayor" cities like NY or LA can only dream of, yet its politics are stultifying, its outcomes unremarkable.

Bayou City's mayor is running out of time ... https://t.co/avGe824iCa

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

From @stevanzetti: Even as some in the GOP condemn Bo French's statements as racist and divisive, others in the far-right praised the fascist candidate for Railroad Commissioner including one who lauded him for “pushing the Overton window on immigration.” https://t.co/rr1wAHS3UW

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Top story, from Jack McCordick: The lessons at a Texas firearms school routinely foreground mentally disabled people who are portrayed as “irrational forces of violence” incapable of feeling pain, giving the student with a gun no choice but to wield it. https://t.co/wqSH6f0l6R

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“If I put my trouble on the record, will I make it go away?"

From our magazine: The songs on "Land of the Neon Sun" prove Kam Franklin can’t help but create music with her heart fully on her sleeve. https://t.co/qnGbG8dYuP

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

In Laredo, a hot midterm battle for Congress is taking place between conservative incumbent Democrat Henry Cuellar, and Democrat-turned-Republican Tano Tijerina. Tijerina is endorsed by Trump but casts himself as a political outsider. https://t.co/Gxy20UjO31

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

The GOP sought to project a united front against what they called radical communism with a two-day lineup that regurgitated the same talking points and even the same jokes in an attempt to plaster over the public’s discontent with the high cost of living. https://t.co/VYLUMzlcZX

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Last week: Water is one of many issues at the forefront of Texas politics this election cycle, no place more so than in Corpus Christi. Both candidates for this key House race have made it a central point in their campaigns. https://t.co/LTUjfBDrpP

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Featured story: Confirmed drug-related deaths in Texas prisons and state jails have steadily risen from just four in 2020 to at least 131 in 2025. Some estimates suggest nearly 1-in-5 deaths while in custody is caused by overdose. https://t.co/5QEcuDQNWk

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

New today: Despite a rising wave of anti-Asian racism, American studies scholar @phdhingra1 believes Texas can look towards a history of tolerance and inclusivity to find a better way to react to our immigrant neighbors ... https://t.co/ZlJ0664mTS

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Texas is now the first state to require all public school students to read religious texts. That new reading list includes nursery rhymes and Hamlet but only Christian and Jewish texts, despite about 1/3 of Texans belonging to neither of those religions. https://t.co/MX78Z2Ts8s

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

From our magazine: “Texas has decided it is not at all obnoxious or illegal to allow deadly concealed weapons on campus. But walking around with a dildo could land you in trouble. We’re protesting absurdity with absurdity.” https://t.co/fiy8uA58RR

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton found ways to make statements without saying much about Bo French at all. Paxton even turned it around, accusing his Senate election opponent James Talarico of being racially divisive. https://t.co/rr1wAHS3UW

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

New today: One out of every 17 Texans belongs to a religion other than Christianity, and over 25% don't identify with any religious tradition at all. The new curriculum, which goes into effect 2030, isn't inclusive of any of these residents. https://t.co/MX78Z2Ts8s

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

“It is a little concerning ... that we have to be summoned in the midterms.”

At last week's Republican convention in Dallas, the GOP faithful, from elected pols to extremist pundits, tried to present a united front despite the public's growing discontent. https://t.co/VYLUMzlcZX

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

“I guess you could call it a church.”

Top story: In his new book, sociologist Harel Shapira reveals how Americans learn far more than simply how to shoot from firearms training centers — they learn a religion of constant fear. https://t.co/wqSH6f0l6R

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

New from @drdrbrockman: Should Texas public school students learn about the Bible?

Yes, they should—but not in the way Texas education officials are going about it. https://t.co/MX78Z2Ts8s

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

In books: Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor identify religious extremists, the tech elites, and ethno-fascists as “end time fascists.” What they have in common is that they believe they will be the “chosen ones” in the apocalypse that they are accelerating. https://t.co/ahRyMt4oe1

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Previously: “I found myself in alliance with conservative MAGA moms who’ve been pushing back on the privatization of our public schools. The whole system is broken and needs to be redone.” https://t.co/DKQpGTK3wN