The full collapse of a press conference featuring Ken Paxton and a large group of Texas county sheriffs is a must-watch. After reading a lengthy statement smearing James Talarico, Paxton's handler abruptly canceled the presser after just two questions from the press didn't follow his chosen law enforcement narrative. The two questions concerned Paxton's recent real estate acquisitions, and accusations that he has been voting illegally using a Collin County address at which he does not reside. Full presser video: https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/full-video-paxton-holds-campaign-202047514.htmlFrom The New Republic: https://newrepublic.com/post/213343/ken-paxton-flees-press-conference-scandals-voter-fraudFrom the San Antonio Current: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/politics-and-elections/ken-paxton-ends-press-conference-after-reporters-press-him-on-real-estate-transactions-alleged-voter-fraud/This election year, you can support the real free press by investing in pro-democracy, pro-justice, pro-gressive storytelling. Become a monthly donor or increase your giving TODAY for our Summer Sustaining Donor Drive today, and we’ll thank you with "perks for progress" - plus you'll get a shoutout on the Daily Dispatch! Our good friend Brian Marrs has bumped up his support! Join Brian and the rest of the Progress Texas family at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/summersustainers26.Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexasProgress Texas is part of the lineup at KPFT-FM in Houston! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE. Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Jul 22
10 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:James Talarico's outreach event for Black voters in Houston on Sunday featured a pledge to spend $25 million on a continued embrace of that community - and the majority of the tension present was provided by a single political influencer who has based her online persona largely on her personal disdain for the nominee: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/20/texas-james-talarico-black-voters-town-hall-houston-2026-senate/...Polling from the UT Austin/Texas Politics Project indicates that Talarico is significantly outperforming both Beto O'Rourke and Colin Allred at this stage in the campaign with Black voters across Texas: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1025348793795610Ken Paxton, meanwhile, can't get anyone to pay attention in McAllen - and has taken to lying about his attendance numbers: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-news/ken-paxton-accused-of-lying-about-attendance-at-his-first-campaign-rally-of-the-general-election/This election year, you can support the real free press by investing in pro-democracy, pro-justice, pro-gressive storytelling. Become a monthly donor or increase your giving TODAY for our Summer Sustaining Donor Drive today, and we’ll thank you with "perks for progress" - plus you'll get a shoutout on the Daily Dispatch: our good friend Darbi Lockridge has bumped up her support! Join her and the rest of the Progress Texas family at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/summersustainers26.Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexasProgress Texas is part of the lineup at KPFT-FM in Houston! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE. Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Jul 21
9 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:James Talarico has accepted three invitations from TV operators to engage in debate with Ken Paxton, while the Paxton camp agrees that debates "should" happen, but has not confirmed any of those dates: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/james-talarico-challenges-ken-paxton-3-televised-texas-senate-debates...Texas Senate debates have not favored challengers or underdogs in the last few cycles, as evidenced by Beto O'Rourke and Colin Allred against Ted Cruz: https://www.statesman.com/news/columns/article/ken-paxton-james-talarico-texas-senate-debate-22349865.phpGovernor Abbott has bypassed Nate Schatzline for Secretary of State, appointing instead longtime aide Robert Howden - Schatzline remains as a "special advisor on elections": https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/texas-appoints-new-secretary-of-state-ahead-of-2026-midterm-elections/...Williamson County elections officials, dominated by Republicans, have begun accusing voters of being felons and threatening to kick them off the voter rolls if they can't prove otherwise within 30 days: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/texas-republicans-latest-attemptHouston saw a major demonstration for accountability in the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo yesterday: https://www.fox26houston.com/news/houston-rallies-demand-justice-lorenzo-salgado-araujo...Just as the FBI has been told not to investigate public confrontations with ICE, and to allow the Department of Homeland Security to investigate itself instead: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/19/us/politics/fbi-ice-agents-investigations-shootings.htmlThis election year, you can support the real free press by investing in pro-democracy, pro-justice, pro-gressive storytelling. Become a monthly donor or increase your giving TODAY for our Summer Sustaining Donor Drive today, and we’ll thank you with "perks for progress" - plus you'll get a shoutout on the Daily Dispatch! Our good friend Elizabeth McNair has bumped up her support! Join her and the rest of the Progress Texas family at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/summersustainers26.Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexasProgress Texas is part of the lineup at KPFT-FM in Houston! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE. Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Jul 20
8 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:With a second consecutive year of disastrous flooding impacting Texas, fears grow that a "new normal" may have been established via climate change: https://www.kbtx.com/2026/07/17/texas-hill-country-floods-again-back-to-back-disasters-raise-alarm-over-future-storms/...Two deaths related to the flooding are reported - a tragedy, but one that pales in comparison to last year: https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-evacuations-uvalde-camp-mystic-616ad82c32b5728d8a0f894c5e602b24...The deluge was due to an upper level disturbance combined with a low-pressur circulation, which parked itself over the flood-prong "Flash Flood Alley" of the Texas Hill Country: https://abcnews.com/US/meteorologists-explain-flash-flooding-central-texas-bad/story?id=134818804Last night's Donald Trump speech, as expected, was designed to re-invigorate election denial conspiracies: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-puts-election-security-center-republicans-midterm-fight-2026-07-17/...Nothing new was offered that would change the fact that the heavily-audited 2020 election shows no significant signs of fraud: https://theconversation.com/trump-is-rehashing-old-claims-the-2020-election-was-stolen-his-real-aim-sowing-doubt-in-the-midterms-287774Austin listeners: you're invited to check out a FREE screening of the documentary film "John Lewis: Good Trouble" on Friday! Info and RSVP: http://bit.ly/GTLOAUSTINThis election year, you can support the real free press by investing in pro-democracy, pro-justice, pro-gressive storytelling. Become a monthly donor or increase your giving TODAY for our Summer Sustaining Donor Drive today, and we’ll thank you with "perks for progress" - plus you'll get a shoutout on the Daily Dispatch! Our good friend and board member Nicolette Ardiente has bumped up her support! Join her and the rest of the Progress Texas family at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/summersustainers26.Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexasProgress Texas is part of the lineup at KPFT-FM in Houston! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE. Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Jul 17
9 min
Who is this guy - and what has he done with Governor Greg Abbott? In recent weeks - clearly in an election year panic of sorts - our Governor has been flip-flopping like crazy: he's been condemning the impacts of data centers - the very same data centers he's lured to Texas for years with generous incentives and kickbacks. He's tempted blowback from Donald Trump in admitting out loud that, you know, maybe ICE agents shouldn't be shooting people. He's had jokes about his own disability backfire online because, you know, he made it a lot harder for other folks in similar situations to find financial relief. And, he's decided that "birth tourism" is somehow a major immigration problem that needs tackling, when it very rarely happens - and when it does, it's typically a win-win for America.Having reported on all of this and more, we're proud to welcome journalist Michael Karlis of the San Antonio Current on to talk about the seemingly frenzied week that Governor Abbott is having - he sure doesn't seem himself lately. Learn more about Michael's work at https://www.sacurrent.com/author/michael-karlis/.Thanks for listening! This election year, you can support the real free press by investing in pro-democracy, pro-justice, pro-gressive storytelling. Become a monthly donor or increase your giving TODAY for our Summer Sustaining Donor Drive today, and we’ll thank you with "perks for progress" - plus you'll get a shoutout on the Daily Dispatch! Our good friend Leslie Berry has bumped up her support! Join the family at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/summersustainers26.
Jul 17
28 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:Significant and dangerous flooding has struck Texas, just over a year after a catastrophic flood at about the same time in 2025: https://www.youtube.com/live/2Fj-1_tGtIwVictor Salgado, the brother of Houston ICE shooting victim Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, has offered new disputes against the agency's account of the incident: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/deadly-ice-shooting/attorney-for-lorenzo-salgados-brother-disputes-ice-account-as-abbott-confirms-texas-rangers-investigation/285-f1bc2f96-fcd4-4009-be57-2f8847387ed1...Governor Abbott has broken his silence on the shooting, calling it "a tragedy" - the latest in a series of forced reversals for the Governor this election year: https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/help-my-governor-has-been-replacedDonald Trump has declared war on science - and Texas' energy sector has already been impacted: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/oil-gas-energy-research-trump-webber-texas-22345291.phpAttorney General Ken Paxton's threat to sue the Big 12 over Texas Tech's efforts to field a gambling policy violator as their quarterback came 1 day after Tech's oil billionaire Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell gave his campaign almost a quarter-million dollars: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/15/cody-campbell-ken-paxton-donation-brendan-sorsby-texas-tech/...Paxton is also now the target of a formal complaint by the Collin County Democratic Party, who is calling for his potential voting law violations to be investigated: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/collin-county-dems-file-complaint-over-whether-ken-paxton-violated-texas-election-law/4050210/Elon Musk's SpaceX stock - forced into millions of retirement accounts by a bending of stock market rules - has now dropped below its IPO price: https://futurism.com/space/spacex-investors-lamenting-money-lostAustin listeners: you're invited to check out a FREE screening of the documentary film "John Lewis: Good Trouble" on Friday! Info and RSVP: http://bit.ly/GTLOAUSTINThis election year, you can support the real free press by investing in pro-democracy, pro-justice, pro-gressive storytelling. Become a monthly donor or increase your giving TODAY for our Summer Sustaining Donor Drive today, and we’ll thank you with "perks for progress" - plus you'll get a shoutout on the Daily Dispatch! Our good friend Leslie Berry has bumped up her support! Join the family at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/summersustainers26.Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexasProgress Texas is part of the lineup at KPFT-FM in Houston! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE. Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Jul 16
12 min
Stories we're following this morning:Donald Trump will attempt to re-invigorate his years-long conspiracy theories about the 2020 election in his address to the nation on Thursday night: https://www.npr.org/2026/07/15/nx-s1-5894580/trump-elections-primetime-address...Part of the plan is to release unvetted intelligence documents as evidence of election fraud: https://www.ms.now/news/trump-speech-thursday-election-2020-interference...He has also been stacking key federal positions with longtime loyal lackeys: https://truthout.org/articles/trump-will-address-supposed-election-interference-claims-in-primetime-speech/In the wake of the Houston killing by ICE of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo last week, the agency has announced a temporary stoppage of immigration-related traffic stops: https://www.houstonpress.com/news/ice-to-pause-traffic-stops-after-shooting-deaths/...Houston Mayor John Whitmire and HPD Chief Noe Diaz are calling on the Texas Rangers to conduct an investigation: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/article/mayor-whitmire-texas-rangers-ice-investigation-22345751.php...Harris County DA Sean Teare has been more proactive, promising charges against the individual ICE agents involved if they are found warranted: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/teare-criminal-charges-ice-agents-lorenzo-salgado/285-7a303f82-ec16-41a4-a4f8-0f24ae51d39aAustin listeners: you're invited to check out a FREE screening of the documentary film "John Lewis: Good Trouble" on Friday! Info and RSVP: http://bit.ly/GTLOAUSTINThis election year, you can support the real free press by investing in pro-democracy, pro-justice, pro-gressive storytelling, delivered by Texans, for Texans. Join Progress Texas this summer ahead of the midterms, and become a monthly donor or increase your giving TODAY for our Summer Sustaining Donor Drive! With your partnership, we can reach more independents, progressives and young voters, who must be mobilized to win elections. So far, 3 donors have signed up or increased their gifts during our summer drive, and if you join them today, we’ll thank you with perks for progress in the form of union-made merch to match your values - you can choose from our exclusive "Resist" coffee mug, a sweet Progress Texas summer koozie, and a mystery button pack - plus you'll get a shoutout on the Daily Dispatch! Our good friend Leslie Berry has bumped up her support! Join the family at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/summersustainers26.Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexasProgress Texas is part of the lineup at KPFT-FM in Houston! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE. Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Jul 15
10 min
We're continuing to dig through the mountain of content we accumulated during the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi, and up next are the full remarks from Friday from Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico.Rep. Talarico, as you know, has inspired a full panic attack on the American right, whose only counter to his solid, steady, and strong messages of leadership and change have been juvenile name-calling and accusations of (gasp!) vegetarianism. Team Talarico has tripled the fundraising haul of opponent Ken Paxton over the second quarter of the year, and are full steam ahead for November, in the midst of the most exciting midterm election for Texas progressives in recent memory.Learn more about James Talarico and his run for the Senate at https://jamestalarico.com/.Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how to support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.
Jul 14
19 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:An annual quality of life study by CNBC gives Texas an "F" and ranks us the second-worst state in which to live in the U.S.: https://www.chron.com/texas/article/texas-worst-states-2026-22342359.php...In their business survey, Texas is #4 - proving that economic success does not guarantee a good quality of life for most people: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-news/democratic-challenger-hinojosa-blames-gov-greg-abbott-for-texas-decline-in-top-states-for-business-list/...Data centers and their local pollution are a great example of lax business regulation negatively impacting life quality for people who live nearby: https://www.wired.com/story/data-centers-taking-over-texas-pollution-could-be-catastrophic/With all of that happening, Texas Republicans are working instead on further bans on THC products for next year's legistlative session: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/texas-republicans-going-after-thc-again-40694510/Austin listeners: you're invited to check out a FREE screening of the documentary film "John Lewis: Good Trouble" on Friday! Info and RSVP: http://bit.ly/GTLOAUSTINThis election year, you can support the real free press by investing in pro-democracy, pro-justice, pro-gressive storytelling, delivered by Texans, for Texans. Join Progress Texas this summer ahead of the midterms, and become a monthly donor or increase your giving TODAY for our Summer Sustaining Donor Drive! With your partnership, we can reach more independents, progressives and young voters, who must be mobilized to win elections. So far, 3 donors have signed up or increased their gifts during our summer drive, and if you join them today, we’ll thank you with perks for progress in the form of union-made merch to match your values - you can choose from our exclusive "Resist" coffee mug, a sweet Progress Texas summer koozie, and a mystery button pack - plus you'll get a shoutout on the Daily Dispatch! Our good friend Karen Wilkerson was the first to step up, and we're not surprised. Thanks Karen for your ongoing friendship! Join the family at https://act.progresstexas.org/a/summersustainers26.Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexasProgress Texas has expanded into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE. Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Jul 14
10 min
Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:A Texas Tribune piece on nine Republicans who voted for Senator John Cornyn in the primary finds three swinging to James Talarico, three sticking with Ken Paxton, and three opting for neither: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/13/texas-gop-voters-john-cornyn-ken-paxton-james-talarico-us-senate/...Meanwhile Latino business owners in Texas who voted for Cornyn are similarly split: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/12/trumps-deportation-drive-tests-gop-gains-in-texas-00993955The most-Googled definition query in Texas lately is requests to define the word "republic" - possibly connected to the common and incorrect MAGA argument that the U.S. isn't actually a democracy: https://www.chron.com/texas/article/texas-google-definitions-republic-22339143.phpSo, was Senator Lindsay Graham gay, or not? Regardless, throughout his career, he did all he could to hurt LGBTQ+ Americans: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DatnULlyM_j/Check out the Substack version of the Daily Dispatch, which delivers each pod to your inbox and frequently includes extra video goodies: https://substack.com/@progresstexasProgress Texas has expanded into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with KPFT-FM in Houston! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative HERE, and to our Spanish expansion HERE. Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org.
Jul 13
9 min
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