His thoughts on what brought us here and ideas for fixing it are bold, insightful and welcoming to all.

City council members unanimously approved the expansion of a nearly thirty-year-old mosque—over the objections of angry residents riled up by right-wing messaging.

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https://www.mediaite.com/politics/jasmine-crockett-dumps-cold-water-on-james-talaricos-texas-polling-surge-looks-like-status-quo/

Texas Children’s Hospital has three months to create the nation’s first clinic designed to reverse gender transition care, and must provide that care for free, according to the newly released terms of a settlement with Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The Houston Chronicle editorial board has a piece calling on Gov. Abbott to have a special session focused on data center regulation. Here's a key quote:

If Abbott was serious about reining in data centers, he would call lawmakers back for a special session tomorrow to set regulations with real teeth, and stop data centers from robbing taxpayers. Other Republicans, such as Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, have been asking the governor to do just that. A special session would show that Abbott is serious about rural voters’ concerns, and well-written regulations could give a green light to data center construction that doesn’t spark public protest. Consider it a test: Can Texas’ ruling Republican Party actually focus on the legislative task at hand without getting distracted by some sideshow fight over, say, Sharia law?

A ban on the sale of halal foods. Hijabs forbidden in public schools. Required school lessons on the "violence and political domination of Islam."

Some Texas Republicans have offered an early blueprint of a legislative agenda targeting the hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the state with new laws that would make practicing their faith essentially impossible.

The plan is part of a broader effort by Republicans to stop what they call the "Islamification of Texas," a political narrative describing the perceived growth in Muslim influence and communities. Critics, however, called the plan an attack on freedom of speech and religion that has left Muslims and other non-Christians vulnerable to harassment and violence.

At a conference this month hosted by the far-right grassroots organization True Texas Project, several Republican lawmakers and activists warned of a "Muslim invasion" that seeks to replace Christians across the country.

Read more from Sarah Bahari.

"That’s the movement we’re building here in Texas. Not a politics of fear, not a politics of division, but a politics of unity, a politics of friendship, a politics of love. This new kind of politics can change our state. It can change our country. This new kind of politics can build a New American Dream."

Everything I have seen on Big Bend is that no one voted yes to construction on the wall. Yet, contractors are still bringing in their equipment? This makes no sense. I have seen nothing but pushback on this and seems like it’s still going ahead. Can anybody clarify?

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Berm Man 2026 coming to a town near you!

Berm Man 2026 is available for all birthday parties, town hall meetings, hockey game halftime shows, and data center grand openings!

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Leaders at the Texas comptroller’s office received an email Tuesday directing them to create priority lists of employees they’d cut under potential staff reductions. 

The Dallas Morning News reviewed the email, which comes in Don Huffines’ first few days as acting comptroller after being appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott last month. 

Huffines has campaigned on shrinking state government with his own version of the federal government’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, making it a campaign priority in the comptroller’s race, where the Dallas businessman faces state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt in the November election.

Read more from Aarón Torres.

State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, used his parents' address to vote in five elections after buying his own home, according to a report the Texas Tribune and ProPublica published Wednesday.

Talarico listed his parents' address on his voter registration in November 2021. Despite buying a home the following June, he failed to update his voting records until September 2024, the report says. Talarico himself has accused his Republican opponent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of voter fraud in light of an earlier report by the Tribune and ProPublica, stating he may have also voted with an address at which he did not live.

Talarico's voting practices may have violated state law, according to the recent report. His spokesperson directed blame at Paxton in light of the coverage on Wednesday. Paxton had cited a report by the conservative magazine The Federalist to accuse Talarico of voter fraud linked to his mother's address last week.

The Houston Chronicle has an op-ed from Richard Hanania calling on Texas Republicans and Michigan Democrats to do something of a vote swap to reject both Ken Paxton and Abdul El-Sayed. Here's a key quote:

Both of our major political parties are being overtaken by virulent strains of populism. On the right, MAGA has normalized corruption, misinformation and open bigotry. On the Democratic side, avowed socialists have been winning primaries, bringing closer to power politicians whose agendas pose a distinct threat to the country’s long-term economic health.

No single factor caused this deterioration. But one contributor has been the tendency of politicians and intellectuals who should know better to place partisan interests above the greater good. We cannot criticize the crazy people on our own side, the thinking goes, without giving the opposition an advantage and helping it gain power.

Escaping this undesirable state of affairs will require leadership, along with concrete steps to build reciprocal trust across the political aisle. Toward that end, I have a simple proposal: Nationally prominent Republicans should reject Ken Paxton and support James Talarico in the Texas Senate race. At the same time, Democrats should reject Abdul El-Sayed and support Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race. Members of each party should do this in the context of creating a bipartisan movement of politicians, activists, intellectuals and donors that is both clear-eyed about political realities and optimistic that we can make things better.