Texas Observer

A nonprofit progressive investigative outlet from Texas since 1954.
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[Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein]

NEW: No state has taken over as many local public school districts as Texas. Four of those came this spring. At least another 10 are at risk of takeover, including the Austin Independent School District. https://t.co/bCY9Px1oka by partner @josephineklee @TexasObserver

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Featured analysis, from @GusBova: Can the Texas Democrats, fielding a very white and very Austin-centric slate, overcome the Republicans in the midterm elections? And will Ken Paxton help bring down the MAGA GOP, at last? https://t.co/XrqAMLNVZl

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

While MAGA Christians insist that the Bible dictates their anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigrant Christian nationalism, the Mainline Protestant tradition—of which Talarico is a part—has a very different understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. https://t.co/elAJpJU9ND

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Out today from @josephineklee, co-published with @ProPublica: Several newly installed school district leaders have ties to Houston school Superintendent Mike Miles, who has sparked widespread protests for the firing of principals and teachers. https://t.co/iGh4jtUgOx

[Vianna Davila @ViannaDavila]

TX is rapidly taking over public school districts. Several new district leaders the state's installed have ties to Mike Miles, who's sparked widespread protests in Houston ISD. Story from @josephineklee in partnership w/the @TexasObserver & @propublica https://t.co/VP6L1xfLAA

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

New from @drdrbrockman: The ferocity of anti-Talarico invective reveals a deep and very public clash between two distinct ways of being Christian. https://t.co/elAJpJU9ND

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

"My Class A CDL had been downgraded to a Class C. There was no phone call or warning. No explanation about why the category had changed or what document was missing.

As a result, I was let go from the school district just before Christmas." https://t.co/iGh4jtUgOx

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

New from @JosephineKLee: No state has taken over as many public school districts as Texas. Since 2020, the Texas Education Agency has installed its own hand-picked leaders in 8 districts. Another 10 are at risk of takeover. https://t.co/ied4LEECnx

Co-published with @ProPublica.

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

In culture: Sports play an important role in the effort to remove trans people from public life, because so many Americans need little evidence to believe that transgender athletes do not belong.

It's time to question the assumptions behind the attacks. https://t.co/DYAgro0qrF

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Featured story: The whole affair foreshadows fights to come across the South, as Republicans gerrymander Black districts like Al Green’s out of existence. As many as one-third of Congressional Black Caucus members are under threat. https://t.co/kRb6EOByCb

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Out today: "This job paid our bills and put food on the table for my 7- and 10-year-old children. One of them has autism, and in our home, routine and stability aren’t luxuries—they’re essential." https://t.co/iGh4jtUgOx

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Top story: "We must help others understand the movement and continue to back it. The movement is about people and what people do about justice. It is never about one person, no matter how iconic." https://t.co/ianKp2R1IV

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

"Driving isn’t just what I do. It’s how I provide for my children and contribute to my community.'

A CDL isn’t just another card in a wallet. It’s a livelihood. In March, a new federal rule unexpectedly cost Rina Flores her ability to drive school buses: https://t.co/iGh4jtUgOx

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Last week:"It’s a ticket filled with moral pockmarks and festering ethical boils, plus idolatry politics and unrepentant bigotry—the sort that one could imagine leading to, dare I speak it, the first statewide Democratic win in the state in over 30 years." https://t.co/EN6GlR7Plr

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

On one wall is an enlarged copy of a faded photo, likely taken in the 1940s, that shows five Cowboys astride horses on a Fort Bend County ranch—four are Black. That photo illustrates why Ft. Bend is the perfect place for the museum. https://t.co/AUwuJw3kwe

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Maureen Galindo’s campaign also raised suspicion as a Republican-connected PAC poured over $900,000 into promoting her. GOP operatives said they believed her untamed radicalism and antisemitic comments would ensure them victory in the general election. https://t.co/TKUQbmRma1

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

New today: Two new demands on the grid make the approaching season different from previous near-miss summers. Texas operates largely isolated, so it cannot easily draw on neighboring regions—the full weight falls on a system designed to carry it alone. https://t.co/J6hVRkhhOK

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Our top story: Farmworkers in Texas have a history of almost 100 years of rising up when the boot on their neck is too heavy, only to be met by the brutality of the Texas Rangers in collusion with the growers. https://t.co/ianKp2R1IV

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

Featured story: A wave of refugees fled Cuba over the past five years, seeking safety. Instead, they found a U.S. immigration system that opens doors, then slams them shut: work permits canceled overnight and bureaucratic delays stretching for years. https://t.co/VN9kSgFeGx

[Texas Observer @TexasObserver]

New from Mezabahnur Masum: Texas is heading into summer with a power grid under pressure ... Data centers and large computing facilities are adding enormous, continuous electricity demand while, at the same time, summer nights are getting warmer.
https://t.co/J6hVRkhhOK