Politics
Will Texas Keep Fighting Foster Care Reform?
Meet Maria Espinoza, the Texan Elevating ‘Angel Moms’ to the National Stage
Espinoza, a Houston native, is founder of the Trump-endorsed Remembrance Project. She seeks to squelch amnesty efforts, deport anyone who’s here illegally and harden the border.
On March 15, 2019, Donald Trump sat behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office and signed the first veto of his presidency, blocking a resolution passed by Con...Read More
Democrats Finally Play Hardball on the Border Wall
Emboldened congressional Democrats are going on offense against the wall. And that could be good news for the Rio Grande Valley.
For two and a half years, Congress and President Trump have battled over funding for his beloved border wall. Trump’s never gotten the kind of dough he’s af...Read More
‘We Got Nothing:’ Few Wins for the Christian Right in the 86th Texas Legislature
Though Christian conservatives chalked up a few narrow victories in this year’s session, they may have run up against the limits of their legislative power.
A quiet surprise of the 86th Legislature was the failure of many of the Christian right’s priorities. While lawmakers closely aligned with religious conservat...Read More
‘All it Took was 25 Years’: Legislature Ponies Up Cash for Underfunded Texas Parks
After two decades of looting state park funding, lawmakers appropriated nearly $350 million this session, greenlit development of a new state park and gave voters a chance to maintain a long-term source.
Texas state parks have been a convenient piggy bank for the Legislature whenever money was short elsewhere, but this session they got their due. Lawmakers put m...Read More
‘Consider What the Most Powerful Least Want You to Do, and then Do That’
In her keynote speech at the Observer’s 2019 MOLLY Prize dinner, Rebecca Traister argued that women’s anger has been silenced throughout history — and that daring to speak out is a powerful, subversive act.
I want to start by saying thank you to the Texas Observer for inviting me here to give this speech tonight, and thanks beyond measure both to the journalists wh...Read More
Texas Legislature Improves Suicide Prevention in Schools, but Makes Little Progress for Adults
Suicide is quiet crisis in Texas, especially in rural communities. As the dust settles on the 86th Legislature, advocates say most initiatives to curb suicide deaths failed.
This year, the Texas Legislature had a chance to address suicide, an urgent public health problem that claimed the lives of 3,800 Texans in 2017. The crisis is ...Read More
Inside Texas’ Failed Experiment to Replace Planned Parenthood with an Anti-Abortion Group
The Heidi Group’s quick rise and fall is a cautionary tale of prioritizing politics over proven health providers.
The Heidi Group’s quick rise and fall is a cautionary tale of what happens when government prioritizes politics over health care. – by Sophie Novack Jun...Read More
I’m a Teen Activist in Texas, and I’m Tired of Being Ignored by Politicians
It is no longer acceptable for youth, especially people of color and those in the LGBTQ community, to be dismissed by our elected officials.
In an expression of dissent earlier this year, I got one of the state’s most powerful Republicans to show off an “Abolish ICE” / “Impeach Tr...Read More
With Proposed Tariffs on Mexico, Trump Attacks Texas
Trump’s 5 percent tax on Mexican goods over Central American immigration would hit Texas harder than any other state.
On Thursday, President Trump announced on Twitter that he plans to impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods coming into the United States from Mexico, effective J...Read More