Notices by Texas Observer (texasobserver@texasobserver.social)

“It’s almost as though some members have been told how to vote, and they aren’t looking at the policy. They’re just following directions.”

Our top story: Despite monumental opposition, Governor Greg Abbott finally made his goal of undermining public schools a reality ... with a little help from President Trump. https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-trump-house-vouchers-pass/

#GregAbbott #vouchers #politics #USpol #news #education #schools #TXlege #Texas #Republicans

#ICYMI: “People are scared to go out because they go out with their kids, and they don’t want to go to a place where (people are) going to show up with guns to check whether they’re a U.S. citizen or not. That was very upsetting for a lot of people.”
https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-raids-abbys-bakery-valley-los-fresnos/

#border #immigration #politics #USpol #news #Trump #HumanRights #SouthTexas #Texas #CriminalJustice

In our magazine: Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott's ever-growing #border boondoggle, has unleashed a massive windfall for private contractors. Justin Miller examines who some of the biggest "winners" are ...
https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

#politics #USpol #Texas #immigration #police #tech #HumanRights #TXlege #GregAbbott

”Trans people are not a threat. We just want to exist and be left alone. Our dignity cannot be taken. But the #Texas Legislature is in danger of trading away its own.”

From April Maria Ortiz in 2023: Coming out in small town Texas ... https://www.texasobserver.org/i-am-a-trans-texan/

#trans #LGBTQIA+ #transphobia #Uvalde #TXlege #politics #USpol #TDOV #TransDayOfVisibility #news #culture

“It feels like they are playing a semantics game that is ultimately not going to help people. The GOP is looking for a deflection from the crisis they’ve caused. I urge Democrats not to settle for crumbs this session—we really deserve better, our state deserves better.” https://www.texasobserver.org/republican-abortion-laws-texas-legislature-exceptions/

#abortion #politics #USpol #healthcare #health #women #TXlege #Texas #HumanRights

“We don’t believe that this is right. We don’t believe this is legal. And we don’t believe that this will actually benefit the American public. So we are definitely fighting because we want these services restored. We want to make sure that our kids can have the best.” https://www.texasobserver.org/department-of-education-trump-union-cuts/

#education #schools #disability #politics #USpol #Trump #ElonMusk #DOGE #Project2025 #news

From @stevanzetti: “This administration has shown a troubling pattern of failing to uphold the rule of law, disregarding the rights of citizens, green card holders, and targeting Black and POC communities. James Rodden’s continued authority in any capacity undermines the public’s trust in this agency, weakens the rule of law, and fails to hold individuals accountable for their outright racist and disgusting remarks.”
https://www.texasobserver.org/congressman-veasey-ice-response-racist-x-account/

#ICE #racism #Congress #news #politics #USpol

#ICYMI, Ben Sargent on our looming 💩Constitutional Crisis ...

More from Ben and Loon Star State: https://www.texasobserver.org/topics/loon-star-state/

#Trump #comics #politics #USpol #news #Constitution #fascism

In film: @josephinelee writes that these librarians are risking their safety and livelihood to speak up for First Amendment rights, intellectual freedom, and, most of all, for the students who tell them “books have saved them.” https://www.texasobserver.org/librarians-movie-sxsw-book-bans/

#documentary #library #books #bookstodon #politics #USpol #censorship #film

Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, a certified nurse midwife, and Jose Ley, 29 and her employee, were charged with the illegal performance of an #abortion, as well as practicing medicine without a license. The abortion charge is a second-degree felony, which comes with up to 20 years in prison. https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-first-abortion-arrests-attorney-general-investigation/

#Texas #health #healthcare #politics #USpol #news #HumanRights

“The #environment is very cluttered already. Satellites are constantly dodging right and left. As long as we are emitting greenhouse gases, we are increasing the probability that we see more collision events between objects in #space.” https://www.texasobserver.org/earth-orbit-satellites-greenhouse-gases-spacex/

#ClimageChange #politics #USpol #news #tech

“Now what we’re seeing is a full-on assault on our state’s immunization program. Activists felt like they could take advantage of the [COVID-19 pandemic] and exploit it and start going after laws that have been on the books for decades.” https://www.texasobserver.org/measles-outbreak-anti-vax-legislation/

#health #HumanRights #politics #USpol #Texas #TXlege #healthcare #antivax #measles #news

Dispatch from the inside: A prisoner in solitary watches as guards use Tasers on a naked, mentally-ill woman in a shower, and reflects on their increasingly brutal use in the #Texas correctional system. https://www.texasobserver.org/an-inside-look-at-taser-use-in-texas-prison/

#prison #CriminalJustice #news #politics #USpol #HumanRights #MentalHealth

Our top story: If the voucher bill were to pass, select private companies could soon be reeling in tens and even hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars per year. We took a closer look at who stands to gain the most. https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-vendors-millions-legislature/

#education #politics #USpol #vouchers #news #schools #TXlege #Texas #GregAbbott

Previously: Politicians, especially those who grew up in the digital age, have repeatedly learned the hard lesson that you can never truly delete anything from the web.

Take, for instance, Nate Schatzline. https://www.texasobserver.org/nate-schatzline-drag-lege-2025/

#Texas #politics #USpol #news #TXlege #Republicans #transphobia #extremism #drag

"Most of the orders will not be held up in court when challenged because they’re all unconstitutional, and the best example of that, of course, is the bedrock constitutional principle that all people born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States—that’s in the Constitution. He could issue 45,000 executive orders saying otherwise, but it doesn’t matter."
https://www.texasobserver.org/sylvia-garcia-interview-immigration/

#Trump #politics #USpol #news #immigration #HumanRights #ICE

“What we are witnessing is the deliberate abduction of individuals as they are being uprooted from their lives. #Trump’s deportation machine knows no bounds, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.” https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-raids-abbys-bakery-valley-los-fresnos/

#ICE #SouthTexas #Texas #politics #immigration #HumanRights #border #police #CriminalJustice #USpol #news

Our top story: The list of purchased matériel seems fit for a nation at war. Drones, helicopters, and airplanes. All-terrain vehicles, tactical marine vessels, and bulldozers. AI surveillance software and mobile surveillance units. Fuel and generators, food and water, zip-ties and razor wire. https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

#border #GregAbbott #corruption #Texas #TXlege #immigration #HumanRights #politics #USpol #news

Our top story: The governor's “border emergency” has lasted even longer than the governor’s COVID-19 declaration, which he let expire in June 2023. In this time, the #Texas Legislature has allocated more than $11 billion to fund the sprawling tentacles of the Operation Lone Star. https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

#corruption #politics #USpol #news #GregAbbott #TXlege #immigration #Border #HumanRights

Our top story: “Texas has become a pay-to-play [state] if you want these big government contracts because we don’t have fair bidding requirements. Now we see these political donors getting rich off taxpayer money with no accountability. Abbott acts as if he’s king, and he’s rewarding his patrons.”
https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

#politics #USpol #Texas #news #TXlege #GregAbbott #immigration #HumanRights #border