SCOTUS Sides With Cruz in Campaign Finance Ruling
On Monday, by a 6-3 vote, the conservative majority United States Supreme Court voted to strike down a federal law capping the number of campaign dollars a candidate could repay themselves with post-election contributions. The vote sides in favor of Te...
Op-ed: The Fight for Abortion Rights is Just Beginning
On Saturday, May 14, pro-abortion protests kicked off nationwide in 400 cities due to the United States Supreme Court set to overturn Roe v. Wade. Over 1,000 protestors gathered at City Hall at the Bans Off Our Bodies March of Mahogany protest in...
Democratic Lieutenant Governor Runoff, a Last Minute Drama-filled Nail Biter?
Days after Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Mike Collier released his first TV ad, a survey of Texas voters from the Dallas Morning News and University of Texas at Tyler found that state Rep. Michelle Beckley leads Collier by double digits, 31 ...
Early Voting Underway for May 24 Runoffs
It’s almost hard to believe two months have passed since the March 1 primary elections in Texas, but with election day in the May 24 primary runoff just eight days away, Monday May 16 marks the first day of in-person early voting in the runoff, and a n...
Politics
Civil Rights Attorney Lee Merritt on the Texas primary race
Early voting for the Texas primaries has already begun, and many candidates are working overtime to make sure voters go out and vote. A specific race many Texas are tuned into is the Texas attorney general race against indicted incumbent Republican Ken...
Policy
Greg Abbott’s Dangerous Directive for Investigating Trans Children
Texas Republicans have been targeting trans children and their allies for years, but now Greg Abbott has intensified those efforts to a terrifying level.After Ken Paxton issued an attorney general opinion classifying certain procedures or medicatio...
Latest News
Abbott’s Insidious Plan to Defund Texas Schools Through Property Tax Reform
Texas has some of the highest property taxes in the country, and they’re undergoing a steep inflation as home values across the state continue to increase. Both major political parties have plans to address this financial burden, but Republicans are no...
Texas Tribune
DFPS doesn’t have to listen to Abbott or Paxton, says Texas Supreme Court
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday partially blocked the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services from being forced to follow Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to investigate the parents of trans children for abuse.In February, the governor penned ...
Texas Tribune
Jessica Cisneros outraises Henry Cuellar, puts Pelosi in hot seat
With less than two weeks remaining until election day, progressive immigrants rights attorney Jessica Cisneros is raising far more cash than her conservative-Democrat opponent Rep. Henry Cuellar in Texas’ 28th Congressional District.Between April 1...
Texas Tribune
Abbott Blames Immigrant Babies for Formula Shortage
Much has been written in recent days about the present American baby formula shortage, the worst in decades. Now, Governor Greg Abbott is utilizing the crisis to attack those he believes to be responsible: immigrant babies.The shortage stems from a...
Texas Tribune
Three Korean Women Injured by Gunman at Dallas Hair Salon
On Wednesday, an armed man opened fire at the Hair World Salon in north Dallas, in an area known as the Asian Trade District. Three Korean women were shot and transported to local hospitals, where they are expected to recover.At a media briefing, D...
Policy
Texas Democrats Press For Expanding Medicaid (Again)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) celebrated its 12th anniversary this week, and Texas Democrats used the opportunity to talk about Medicaid expansion. And specifically, the fact that Texas hasn’t done it.Texas is just one of 12 states that has not exp...
Politics
Somehow Ken Paxton’s Corruption Cases Get Even Worse
Even if he is unlikely to resign as Texas Attorney General, the outlook for Ken Paxton keeps getting grimmer. It was already reported that Paxton is being investigated by the FBI for bribery and...
Politics
Crypto Clout: How the Blockchain is Expanding its Influence on Texas Politics
If you’ve paid any attention to recent developments in the financial world over the last few years, it is clear that cryptocurrencies’ influence is on the rise. While its political impact has thus far been mostly localized to discussions within the vic...
Must Read
Op-Ed: Governor Abbott Chooses His Anti-immigrant and Xenophobic Agenda Instead of Investing in Texans’ Safety
As a native Texan, I never felt anxious about winter. On the contrary, winter always meant celebrating the holidays and getting much-needed breaks from work and school. Not to mention the enticing start to a new year, and the occasional cold front that...
Accelerator helps democracy-focused nonprofits find their footing (and funding)
Valerie Reiffert regretted missing the first protest in San Antonio that sprang up the weekend after the police murder of George Flloyd in 2020. She stayed home, worried that counter protestors might endanger the safety of her two-year-old chi...
Another Texas city steps up on wage theft — but state efforts remain underfunded
Austin City Council recently passed a resolution to address wage theft among construction firms, becoming the third major Texas city to do so after Houston and El Paso.The resolution will create an ordinance that allows the city to assist employees...
Lizzie Fletcher testifies in support of Coastal Texas Study recommendations and Port of Houston improvements
On Wednesday, Rep. Lizzie Fletcher testified in front of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and urged the committee to include the Coastal Texas Study’s recommendations in the Water Resource Development Act of 2022 (WRDA) and to c...
How the Ukraine crisis is affecting energy markets
To paraphrase an old saying, you may not be interested in the Ukraine crisis but the Ukraine crisis is interested in you. Energy prices are skyrocketing as the world braces for what could be the largest European war since World War II and a diplomatic ...
Policy
A Conversation About the New Reality of Abortion Care
After the Oklahoma legislature passed a near-total abortion ban on Tuesday, the Signal spoke with Emily Wales, the Interim President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. After Senate Bill 8 was signed by Greg Abbott in September, Oklahoma absorb...
Rep. Veronica Escobar talks climate change and migration at COP26
El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar joined a congressional delegation this week at the United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP26).Speaking at a press conference with other congressional colleagues who were elected in 2018, Es...
Business and Entertainment Leaders Denounce Texas Anti-Trans Policy
As a directive from Greg Abbott that endangers trans children and their parents makes its way through the courts, several prominent business and entertainment leaders denounced the anti-trans efforts from Texas.Last month, Abbott directed the Texas...
Texas Democratic Attorney General candidates react to Jaworski’s early victory declaration
It’s been exactly one week since the Texas primary election and ballots across the state are still being counted. Over the weekend, Harris County Election officials said 10,000 mail-in votes, “were not transferred and counted as a part of the unofficia...
Early Voting Underway for May 24 Runoffs
It’s almost hard to believe two months have passed since the March 1 primary elections in Texas, but with election day in the May 24 primary runoff just eight days away, Monday May 16 marks the first day of in-person early voting in the runoff, and a n...
Texas environmentalists talk latest troubles and strategies
This week, activists and allies with the Texas Campaign for the Environment held their annual meeting, updating members on strategy and the ongoing work of climate crisis organizers.TEC Executive Director Robin Schneider spoke about the renewed pus...
Op-Ed: Governor Abbott Chooses His Anti-immigrant and Xenophobic Agenda Instead of Investing in Texans’ Safety
As a native Texan, I never felt anxious about winter. On the contrary, winter always meant celebrating the holidays and getting much-needed breaks from work and school. Not to mention the enticing start to a new year, and the occasional cold front that...
Did Ted Cruz spike U.S. Attorney Candidates For Being Too Political?
More than a year after President Biden took office, some of the most important legal positions in the federal government for Texas, like all four U.S. Attorney positions, remain unfilled, though they are signs that may change soon. However, the process...
Tarrant County Democrats Prepare For A Big, Challenging Year
Traditionally, Tarrant County has a reputation for being staunchly Republican, but slowly that marker has been waning. And now Democrats in the third-most populous county are on the cusp of some major breakthroughs, though it won’t be easy.The Sign...
Dexter McCoy’s vision of equality in Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County Commissioner Precinct 4 Candidate Dexter McCoy couldn’t necessarily define inequality as a child, but watched it as a young boy every day in rural Louisiana. “My grandparents’ house at the start of the driveway was the end of ...
Colin Allred tests positive for COVID after returning from Europe
On Sunday, Rep. Colin Allred announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a week-long trip to Europe. Allred had been part of a bipartisan delegation that met with officials in Belgium, and Ukraine, including Ukrainian Presid...
Music
Austin DSA no longer supporting Greg Casar’s campaign
The Austin Democratic Socialist of America said Sunday they would no longer be supporting Greg Casar’s campaign for Congress in Texas’ 35th district. The announcement comes after a letter detailing Casar’s policy positions on Israel was publis...
Joaquin Castro calls for release of Paul Rusesabagina
On Tuesday, Rep. Joaquin Castro introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on the government of Rwanda to release activist Paul Rusesabagina, who has been imprisoned since 2020. Rusesabagina is credited with saving the lives of more than 1,000 people d...
Q&A: Rep. Alex Dominguez announces he’s running for the Texas Senate
Yesterday morning, Rep. Alex Dominguez announced that he’s running for state senate in District 27. Known best for his focus on education and healthcare access in the Rio Grande Valley, the two-term representative emerged as a leading voice within the ...
Pasadena ISD responds to concerning disciplinary data
Earlier this month, the Signal reported on Texas Civil Rights Project disciplinary data highlighting Pasadena Independent School District’s alarming numbers on discipline and over-policing. The report by TCRP highlighted the number of arrests,...
End Citizens United/Let America Vote backs Greg Casar for Congress
End Citizens United/Let America Vote, a major Democratic PAC focused on anti-corruption and voting rights, has endorsed Greg Casar in his race for Texas’ 35th Congressional District. “Time and again, Greg Casar has proven that he is a champion...
Oklahoma Legislature Passes Sweeping Abortion Ban
As thousands rallied in Oklahoma against a Texas-style abortion ban, news reached the protestors that another anti-abortion bill, one that entirely bans abortion in the state, passed the Oklahoma legislature. The bill will not only have a devastating i...
Sport News
Texas company launches liability insurance for police
America’s first professional liability insurance policy for law enforcement is now available for purchase from a Texas company. Prymus Insurance is a small insurance company in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that specializes in niche insurance policies and...
Congressional Lawmakers Want an Investigation into Operation Lone Star
Nine Congressional Texas Democrats penned a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen this week, urging the treasurer to investigate where the funding for Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star Star is coming from. Operation Lone Star is an im...
Republicans’ “Let’s go Brandon” lovefest continues
The Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas is catching some heat after a video went viral on social media showing people in the pews of the church repeatedly chanting “Let’s Go Brandon” at the “Reawaken America” conference on Nov. 13. Accord...
Congressional committee holds hearing over Texas mail ballot rejections
Members of Congress held a virtual hearing on Thursday to discuss the thousands of rejected mail ballots during the 2022 Texas primary.Almost 23,000 mail ballots were rejected across 187 Texas counties during the March primary, according to the Ass...
TV
Amanda Edwards on her run for Mayor of Houston
Attorney Amanda Edwards has worn many hats in the political and public service space, where her passion in law, civic leadership, and community building have bloomed into action. After serving for four years as an At-Large Position 4 member on...
Don’t turn the Gulf into a sacrifice zone, environmental groups tell Biden
Gulf Coast environmental groups are speaking out against a new plan by the Biden administration to expand U.S. gas supply to Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The White House plan is an attempt to curb Europe’s reliance on Ru...
Ted Cruz threatens to block Iran nuclear deal
Sen. Ted Cruz is leading 31 of his fellow Republican senators in threatening to block the Biden administration’s attempts to return to the Iranian nuclear deal. In a letter sent to the White House on Monday, Cruz and his colleagues stated that any agre...