Gina Hinojosa Won’t Be Able to Govern like Greg Abbott. Should She Try?
Greg Abbott made himself into the most powerful governor in Texas history. Only some of his playbook will be available to his Democratic successor—if she chooses to use it.
Texas Legislature
The Last Safe Haven for DEI in Texas Higher Ed?
Accredited social work programs
When the AI Cloud Comes for Texas Water
Legislators are (sort of) beginning to grapple with the grim costs that come with the state’s data center boom.
How Teach for America Helped Set Up James Talarico’s Political Rise
The prestigious education group is more than a shiny résumé item. For the Democratic Senate candidate, it was an incubator for his rapid political ascent.
Who Accounts for Freedom?
The nascent school voucher program is, predictably, burdened by Republicans’ insistence on religious discrimination—and likely set to benefit those already outside the public school system.
Defending the Most Vulnerable in San Marcos
When book bans or right-wing operatives come to town, school board trustee Juan Miguel Arredondo told the Observer, “My colleagues have to have those conversations with an openly gay man next to them.”
The Texas AI Boom Is Outpacing Water Regulations
Each data center can “drink” as much as an entire community. Yet, Texas does not require these tech firms to disclose projected or actual water consumption.
In Texas State Jails, a Rising Death Toll and a Broken Promise
Once billed as rehabilitative alternatives to prisons, these facilities are the sites of fatal overdoses—like that which ended the life of a Texan named Jackie Wiley.
How the Bathroom Bill Weaponizes Transphobia Against Public Institutions
A legal expert called the new anti-trans Texas bathroom law “the most plainly unlawful, undemocratic legislation I’ve seen in recent history.”
New Texas Map Starts Game of Political Musical Chairs
GOP’s Trumped-up redrawing took a wrecking ball to congressional districts. Now comes the mad dash for seats.